“I Need an E-learning Course”…. Using Performance Consulting to Transition from Order Taker to Valued Partner

Whether in an internal or external role, each of us in the learning field has likely received requests that assume we’ll just “go do.” What do you do in the face of requests like this? If you simply move ahead to develop the course, you become seen as an order taker. And, more importantly, the value you deliver may be less. However, if you ask the customer some key questions, you can be sure the solution you deliver is the right one. Furthermore, long term, performance problems will be more effectively solved and you will be valued as a partner that delivers results.

In this session, performance consultant Valerie Brown will cover the basics of how to use performance consulting skills to:

• Understand the performance problem
• Ensure training will solve the problem
• Deliver the right training solutions where appropriate
• Deal with customer resistance to your recommendations

About the Presenter

Valerie Brown, Owner, V.S. Brown Consulting, LLC., and President, West Michigan ATD

Valerie Brown is a performance consultant with 40 years’ experience conducting and leading projects focused on improving human performance through learning. Her experience includes consulting with clients to develop: organizational learning strategies; curriculum architectures; a wide range of learning solutions; and evaluation studies. She has conducted projects related to sales training, policies and procedures, manufacturing processes, research and development, and large-scale systems implementations, among others. She has also worked with a wide range of industries: automotive, banking, food, chemical, direct-selling, information technology, office furniture, and pharmaceutical/medical device, as well as nonprofit organizations and government agencies.

Brown has presented at the international, regional, and local meetings of the Association for Talent Development (ATD) and International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI). She was awarded a Human Performance Intervention Award of Excellence from ISPI for her work on a performance improvement project done in partnership with Amway International. She co-wrote a related article, “Using Performance Modeling to Drive Consistent, Strategic Performance of Amway Distributors Globally,” which was published in ISPI’s Performance Improvement Journal and then excerpted in the 2012 edition of  Fundamentals of Performance Technology: A Guide to Improving People, Process, and Performance.

Brown has a master’s degree in human resource development from Western Michigan University.