Why would you choose Skillset? For two kinds of expertise.

The expertise of fresh ideas

 We don’t do standard stuff. We want to share what really makes a difference. We’ll give your team plenty of ‘ah hah’ moments.

In every workshop you’ll find simple methods we’ve distilled from all the research and experience available to our team.

Your colleagues will end their workshops with new insights, a new focus and some real skills.

Training expertise

Our trainers are all among the most experienced in New Zealand and at the top of their game.

You get the benefit of the whole team’s expertise. We are regularly sharing ideas and techniques for more effective training over coffee and in our offices.  We have more formal in-house trainers’ forums too.  It’s likely that there will be more than one trainer involved in developing the workshop for your team.

Our trainers have qualifications in adult education, psychology, journalism, science and teaching and a wide range of life experience that gives them credibility when leading a group.

Experience counts

We draw on all our experience when we design workshops to match our clients’ needs. Every workshop is different, but it’s likely we will have come across similar issues to yours before – and have solutions.

Experience counts in workshops too. We want your colleagues to ask questions, debate the issues and raise objections and complications.  We enjoy that. They gain new insights and overcome their doubts. Everyone benefits.

Long-term relationships are revealing

When clients keep coming back year after year, it tells you something about the quality of the training. Many of our relationships began more than a decade ago - some more than 20 years ago.

Our clients include some of the largest and most high-profile organisations in both government and the private sector.

Just need a one-day workshop? No problem. We do those too. (Some topics work well in half a day.)

Does Skillset training cost more?

Possibly a bit more than some standard off-the shelf training.  It will depend on the scale of your project.

Let’s work together to ensure the training gives you the results you really need, in the most economical way.

Want to explore some ideas?

Let’s talk. We’ll put you in touch with a trainer, not a sales person.

Tel 64 3 365 3164

Prefer email? Contact us

Ready for some key ideas for solving problems and making decisions?

Discuss with your colleagues whether you are making the most of these suggestions when seeking solutions. Ask, 'Do we do that?', 'Are we making the most of that idea?' and 'What will help us most?'

Skillset's picks for discussion

1. Set the rules

Develop a charter to define your values or principles that will guide how you want to work. Like the foundation of a strong house, it shapes the way you think. You might include something like, 'We agree to focus on solutions, not just list problems.' 

2. Know your natural styles

Some of us are impatient and only want to get on with solutions. Some like to come up with all sorts of options, then choose. Some want to slow down to be sure they've covered everything. Others are sceptical as to whether a particular concept will be useful. Accept that you need all those styles, even if they are in conflict with your own.

3. Follow a process

A process gives structure to your group's problem-solving. Having a consistent approach makes decision-making more objective, efficient, and provides greater certainty in the way your team works together. (You'll find various decision-making processes on the Web, but if you can't find anything suitable, give us a call.)

4. Know your blocks

Most of us have blocks – ideas we resist, assumptions we jump to, 'facts' we never question. The solution? Encourage objectivity, ask probing questions, be emotionally honest, be imaginative and challenge yourself to grow by adopting new ideas. (Remember to have fun.)

5. Be specific as you define the problem

Einstein is quoted as saying that if he had one hour to save the world he would spend fifty-five minutes defining the problem and only five minutes finding the solution. Drill down before looking for a solution. 'Our staff are not achieving their KPIs' is a problem, but 'Our staff don't have the time or resources they need to achieve their KPIs' may be the real issue and the problem to solve.

6. Evaluate the options methodically

Assess each idea only after you have gathered all the ideas you can come up with. Tools like SWOT analysis, Thinking Hats, the Force Field, and cost-benefit analysis can all help. Amongst numerous others, they assist you thinking critically about the plans you hatch.

7. Match the size of the solution to the size of the problem

Before you make a decision, keep asking 'How big a problem is this?' What are the effects on our clients or our organisation?' 'What would happen if we did nothing about it?' Once you really know the size of the problem (or opportunity) you are ready to find a solution to match.

8. Brainstorm - but the right way

Brainstorming may be a well-known technique, but it's not well practised. Begin by having each participant 'brainwriting' – writing their own ideas before the group gets together. That preparation bypasses the tendency for 'group think'.

Treat each idea objectively. Does it matter whether the best idea comes from the CE or the cleaner?

Don't reject an idea without allowing it to spark another idea, maybe something more practical - even the opposite.

9. Be led by a compass, not a map

An effective plan is a work in progress. We need a compass to guide us, not a printed map with all the streets. Your compass will help you maintain your direction. Add the detail, but be flexible as you head towards your goal.

10. Take Responsibility

'I used to think somebody should do something, until I realised I was somebody.'

An effective meeting chair asks, 'Who will do what, by when?' Allocate DRIs – Directly Responsible Individuals, who update the team in regular follow up meetings to gauge progress and make expected changes.

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Do these common issues bug you too?

  • The process takes too long and seems to achieve very little
  • One mindset seems to control the process, but you see another approach
  • Lack of consistent steps or not defining the issues clearly
  • No one follows up on decisions

Skillset can help

A session with a skilled workshop leader could be a very valuable investment. Skillset can help both your leaders and your participants develop strategies to streamline their problem-solving and decision-making and produce better results.

Call us on 03 3653 164 or email us. We'll match you up with a specialist, not a salesperson. There'll be no pressure. (That's not our style.)

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