The Skilled Facilitator Teleclass Series - The Most Damaging Mistakes...

We have a saying at my firm: "No bad contracting goes unpunished." Most of the problems we've faced with our clients have stemmed from key missteps in the contracting process.

I've seen the same thing with thousands of leaders, facilitators, consultants, coaches and trainers over the last 25 years. They miss or avoid key issues as they start to work with groups, and pay the price later in credibility, work performance, wasted time and stress. I've come to believe that the most important and powerful intervention we can make with a group is to build a high-quality agreement on how to work together.

I've designed this teleclass to help you learn our hard-won lessons on contracting; if you apply what you learn, you'll help your clients get dramatic, positive results much more frequently. You'll also find that it makes it easier to work with clients, and less stressful for you.

On this teleclass, you'll learn the approach I take to create contracts with groups. This is an approach that holds you, and everyone you're working with accountable for their behavior – without blaming or shaming – so that the group gets all the information on the table that's relevant to its work. This often contributes to dramatic improvements in a group's effectiveness.

My clients feel my approach to contracting is one of the most surprising and valuable things I bring to the table. I think you may discover the same thing.

You will get enough information and personal experience with my approach to decide whether and how you want to apply it in your real world. I'll help you maximize your learning curve and minimize the challenges on your way.

My colleagues and I use the contracting approach I'll be teaching you. We have worked for 25 years to develop and apply this approach, and have learned what works and what doesn't. This approach is outlined in our two books: The Skilled Facilitator and The Skilled Facilitator Fieldbook.

Your stories, opportunities, questions and challenges will be the practice field. I'll share some key concepts – mostly via advance reading – and we'll quickly move into "clinic" mode, where we work together to make the material practical and meaningful for you.

We'll do all this in a fast-paced, focused way, and the class will be highly interactive. We're limiting participation to 12 people to ensure this, and the teleclass will be 90 minutes long.

There will be a short written assignment beforehand, as well as some prereading. This will help us focus, in the call, on your learning and your real situations.

If you can't attend, you can purchase a recording of the entire class. If you choose this option, you will still receive all the supporting materials and assignments.

The Challenges of Contracting. We'll talk about the most damaging missteps in contracting. I'll share some stories to illustrate these points. We'll use these stories to understand the dilemmas that contracting presents, and how typical approaches handle these dilemmas counterproductively.

How and Why I Contract. Early in the call, I'll demonstrate the approach I take, and then we'll unpack my reasoning. This will help you quickly identify your reactions to our approach.

Building a High-Quality Contract. I'll raise the essential elements of a good contract here, and we'll discuss them. This will include contracting with your boss (or key client), the stages of contracting, and the importance of modeling your approach.

If you are still reading, I think you'll find the teleclass quite valuable. I invite you to participate.

The advance assignment and course materials to help you get the most out of the teleclass.

The digital recording of the teleclass. We will send you a link to download it, along with the materials above. If you require a CD copy instead of a downloadable recording, let us know.

The complete transcript of the call, if purchased with your order.

If you think this program is what you're looking for, I invite you to join in right here.