Soft Skills IT Seminars
Simulations are used to ensure that the skills acquired carry over into real life applications.
The following is a list of OTA’s standard IT Soft Skills seminars and their outlines. Complete specsheets of each seminar can be obtained by communicating with OTA at : info@ota.ca
Also keep in mind that OTA seminars can be customized to meet your specific professional development requirements.
OTA’s Soft Skills Curriculum:
- Fundamentals of IT Consulting
(An overview of the consulting role in an ERP/IT context)
- IT Consulting Skills
(Maximising your value to your client)
- IT Selling Services
(A practical approach to the service offering concept)
- IT Consultant Soft Skills
(Improving your consulting effectiveness)
- IT Consultant Interview Skills
(Making your personal value proposition clear to the customer)
- IT Consultant Presentation & Communication Skills
(Maximising your impact on IT projects)
- IT Consultant Negotiation & Conflict Management Skills
(Bringing harmony and success to your IT projects)
Fundamentals of IT CONSULTING
(An overview of the consulting role in an ERP/IT context)
Description
This one-day workshop is designed as a lecture/discussion for large groups of new hires (up to 70) delivered at the beginning of a training boot camp.
The workshop also introduces the role that consultants play in the successful execution of an IT/ERP project.
Intended as an interactive presentation, this session is facilitated by a strategic change management professional from OTA that can describe the multiple facets of an ERP project implementation.
Objectives
This education workshop will enable participants to:
- Raise their awareness of the skills that IT consultants are expected to have.
- Position the IT Consulting/Field Services mission and portfolio of services.
- Describe types of engagements.
- Define management and customer expectations for professional and ethical behaviour.
- Introduce fundamental consulting and survival skills.
Course Outcomes
- A clear understanding of your role as an IT consultant
- The development of “best practices” for success as an IT consultant
- A path to achieve excellence in an IT consulting career
- The opportunity to do a “skill audit” so you can work towards improving on your weaknesses
*: To obtain the complete Specsheet of this seminar please contact OTA, at: info@ota.ca
IT Consulting Skills
(Maximising your value to your client)
Description
It takes more than product knowledge to make an effective consultant. Designed specifically for IT consultants working on IT/ERP implementations, this workshop allows participants to expand their customer interaction skills and have a greater impact on project success.
Interactive workshops, real-life examples and simulations focus on proven techniques to maximize value to the project and the organization.
Objectives
This education workshop will enable participants to:
- Improve consulting effectiveness
- Provide opportunities for skills development & sharing lessons learned among participants
- Understand the evolving responsibilities and challenges associated with a consulting role
- Identify the typical organizational and personal impacts of various IT solutions
- Establish trust and rapport with key project stakeholders and manage expectations
- Improve your ability to work effectively in complex project environments
- Ensure that your expertise is applied effectively
- Accelerate the adoption of project-driven innovations
- Practice proven “survival skills” for consultants
Course Outcomes
- Skill development through opportunities to practice in simulated situations
- A stronger commitment to excellence as an IT consultant
- A better understanding of how to succeed in complex IT/ERP implementations
- The ability to have more influence with relevant stakeholders
*: To obtain the complete Specsheet of this seminar please contact OTA, at: info@ota.ca
IT Selling Skills
(A practical approach to the service offering concept)
Description
Designed for Account Team members involved in the selling of professional services, this workshop helps participants articulate a unique value proposition focused on the specific requirements of their customers and prospects. Industry best practices and techniques are complemented by lessons learned, tips, tricks and simulations on fictitious services opportunities.
Objectives
This education workshop will enable participants to:
- Understand the What, When and How of selling services.
- Improve project success ratios.
- Achieve a better understanding of their role in a specific IT/ERP project context.
- Increase familiarity and usage of CEL (Customer Engagement Lifecycle) methods, techniques and tools.
Course Outcomes
- Knowledge of current market trends where IT services are sold, including an understanding of competitors and their strategy
- The acquisition of best practice tips and techniques for more effective selling of services.
- Skill development through simulations and practice to be capable of articulating a unique value-added proposition.
*: To obtain the complete Specsheet of this seminar please contact OTA, at: info@ota.ca
IT Consultant Soft Skills
(Improving your consulting effectiveness)
Description
Technical or functional knowledge is not a guarantee of consulting success. As Michael Hammer put it:‘The soft stuff is the hard stuff”.
Since 1995, OTA has worked with IT Companies in the US , Canada , Germany and Latin America as a change management partner, methodology developer and supplier of specialized seminars for their consultants, project managers and customers. The soft skills modules packaged in this 1-day workshop have been among the most popular sessions in our training portfolio. Contents are IT-specific with customer simulations that provide a challenging (and entertaining!) learning environment.
Contents can be customized to meet the needs of specialized audiences (Regional Industry Groups, Technical Consultants, etc.)
Objectives
This education workshop will enable participants to:
- Maximize opportunities for “hands-on” exercises and customer simulations
- Focus on proven and easily applicable customer-relevant techniques
- Provide opportunities for sharing lessons learned and best practices among participants, especially for challenging situations (ex. partner conflicts)
Course Outcomes
- The development of your skill to influence others
- An improvement in your ability to be more effective
- In your consulting engagements
- More best practice tools and techniques to add to your consultant “tool kit”
*: To obtain the complete Specsheet of this seminar please contact OTA, at: info@ota.ca
IT Consultant Interview Skills
(Making your personal value proposition clear to the customer)
Description
This highly acclaimed workshop helps IT consultants build up their confidence and performance when being interviewed for consulting engagements.
Two experienced instructors introduce a proven Interview Success Model (Connect / Content /Convince) that participants can apply to develop their own reusable personal value proposition.
Heavy emphasis is given to practice and skills development; each participant being involved in three simulated presentations/interviews.
Objectives
This education workshop will enable participants to:
- Develop a reusable personal introduction and value proposition (Interview Cheat Sheet).
- Apply techniques for dealing with objections and difficult questions.
- Share lessons learned for face-to-face and phone interviews.
- Practice interviews and receive customized feedback from the instructors and their peers.
Course Outcomes
- More confidence in interview situations (telephone and face-to-face) better understanding of what to expect in interviews
- A better understanding of how to have an impact in interviews
- An “edge” over other candidates for the position
*: To obtain the complete Specsheet of this seminar please contact OTA, at: info@ota.ca
IT Consultant Presentation & Communication Skills
(Maximising your impact on IT projects)
Description
It takes more than technical knowledge and problem-solving skills to drive IT projects to success. Successful IT professionals also need to build rapport, transfer knowledge and influence the client organization. This two-day seminar is designed to help participants establish credibility and communicate more effectively, both formally and informally, in project-related situations. Emphasis is on practice-practice-practice, with the participants delivering a variety of presentations in an IT project context.
The seminar goes beyond presentation skills to address issues related to group facilitation, consensus-building, objection-handling and resistance to change. The approach used has the participants deliver 2-3 presentations in a variety of contexts (ie. Sales support, cross-selling, project kick-off, etc.). Presentations are videotaped and each participant receives group and individual coaching from the class and the instructor.
Designed for account team members and consultants, this proven seminar helps participants develop or enhance their presentation and communication skills. Whether it be for presentations to executives or end users, participants will see dramatic improvements in their effectiveness as communicators and influencers.
Objectives
This education workshop will enable participants to:
- Improve their communication and listening skills in both professional and personal environments
- Have a greater impact on decision making
- Increase their productivity while sustaining their energy level
- Enhance their initiative and capacity for a more proactive consulting approach
- Increase their leadership skills
Course Outcomes
- The ability to make effective formal and informal presentations to a wide variety of audiences
- The skill to effectively manage negativity and deal with difficult questions
- A deep understanding of the process of influencing others and the knowledge of how to structure communication to obtain maximum impact
- The development of the skill to “think on your feet”
*: To obtain the complete Specsheet of this seminar please contact OTA, at: info@ota.ca
IT Consultant Negociation & Conflict Management Skills
(Bringing harmony and success to your IT projects)
Description
In today’s business environment, partnering and internal partnerships between departments have become critical to ensure ongoing success. Partnerships are present in almost every aspect of day-to-day operations. Some partnerships may be internal to the organization, while others may involve external entities such as suppliers or customers.
Either way, it becomes essential to understand the underlying factors that contribute towards successful partnerships as well as h ow to apply critical support skills such as negotiation and conflict management to ensure the long term profitability of these partnerships.
This workshop will use real life situations and experiences, presented by experienced OTA consultants, in order to enhance your productivity as well as reducing your stress factor caused by complex working environments.
Objectives
This education workshop will enable participants to:
- Better understand their environment
- Establish the foundations of an efficient negotiation
- Detect possible sources of conflict
- Learn how to manage conflicts and find solutions in which all parties are winners
Course Outcomes
- Increased self-confidence and skills to manage interpersonal relationships
- Mastering of efficient negociation techniques
- Increased productivity while sustaining your energy level
- Capacity to facilitate change through negotiation
*: To obtain the complete Specsheet of this seminar please contact OTA, at: info@ota.ca