Consulting Skills Certificate

• Driving the Consulting Process as a Partner

• Examining the Consulting Process

• Additional Tools and Resources:

  • Assess Your Learning Competencies

  • ATD’s Consulting Model

• Developing the Consultant-Client Relationship

• Assessing Your Client’s Readiness

• Aligning on Expectations

• Additional Tools and Resources:

  • Exploratory Meeting Worksheet

  • Organizational Change Readiness Predictor

  • Consulting Project Planning Guide

  • Project Acceptance Agreement

• Using Data to Improve Consulting

• Defining the Problem and Root Causes

• Collecting Data

• Additional Tools and Resources:

  • Interview Planning Checklist

• Interpreting the Data

• Delivering the Findings

• Encountering Resistance

• Conducting an Alignment Meeting

• Additional Tools and Resources:

  • One-Page Project Overview

  • Fundamental Design Features of Feedback

  • Feedback Planning Tool

• Building an Implementation Team

• Implementing the Changes

• Additional Tools and Resources:

  • Alignment Checklist

  • Project Management Checklist

  • Accountability Chart

Being seen as a valued business partner should be a goal for talent development professionals. Consulting and business partnering use expertise, influence, and personal skill to build a two-way relationship that facilitates change or improvement in the business. Clients may be internal or external. Successful consulting and business partnering requires skill in needs assessment, data analysis, communication, systems thinking, problem solving, negotiation, facilitation, and coaching. –TDBoK Guide

Upon completion of this certificate for consulting, you will be able to:

• Build and strengthen relationships with clients to establish credibility and trust as a valued partner.

• Use the consulting model, tools, and templates to effectively guide clients through the consulting process.

• Develop effective questioning and active listening skills to gather information from the client.

• Collect data to identify problems, opportunities, and root causes.

• Communicate the findings and recommendations based on data analysis.

• Conduct an effective alignment meeting.

• Demonstrate how to overcome resistance and respond to difficult client behaviors.

• Evaluate the results of the solution and identify areas for future improvement.

• Move from order taker to true business consultant by applying an ATD-exclusive model, advanced skills, and consulting project management tools to successfully consult with organizations to implement talent development projects.

• Maximize successful management consulting strategies with internal and external clients, including working across organizational boundaries, providing feedback to senior leaders, and gaining buy-in.

• Evaluate your baseline consulting business skills and identify your developmental needs as a consultant.

• Gain access to ATD-exclusive templates and tools to use in your own consulting practice.

• Establish your consulting credibility by earning an industry-recognized certificate for consulting, continuing education credits, and an ATD digital badge to share with your networks.

Talent development professionals, management consultants who focus on employee growth and development, L&D business consultants, or talent solutions teams who consult either internally or externally to design and implement learning solutions within an organization should attend.

The program benefits professionals who are new to a consulting role and do not have professional client management experience, as well as those who want to prepare to assume a management consulting role in talent development in the future. A baseline self-evaluation at the start of the program will help more experienced consulting professionals focus on the skills they want to develop as they move through the program.

Project managers, human resources professionals, and other roles who provide internal consulting services as part of a talent development team may also find the skills and consulting model helpful in their work.

Additional information to help you prepare for your certificate in consulting program:

• Completion Requirements: Review the attendance policy before your course begins to ensure your successful completion.

• Technical Requirements: Ensure your tech is ready for the first day of your program.

• Enrolled in a program? To check your course status and enrollment details, launch your course, or download your certificate, go to MyATD.

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