You’re a Higher Education consultant. What skills do you need to stand out from the crowd?

Master data analysis! Turn student surveys, reports, and financials into actionable insights to drive institutional improvement. #higher education #consulting #data"

To stand out as a Higher Education consultant, you need strong communication, problem-solving, analytical, interpersonal, project management, and adaptability skills, along with expertise in educational trends and policies, and a client-focused approach.

While effective communication is crucial, it's equally important to emphasize active listening and empathy in your interactions. For instance, during a recent consulting project, I found that truly listening to faculty members' concerns and empathizing with their challenges led to more fruitful discussions and collaborative problem-solving. Building rapport and trust through empathetic communication can enhance your credibility and effectiveness as a consultant, ultimately leading to better outcomes for your clients.

Compassion and Support. Based on personal experience, showing genuine concern for the well-being of others, particularly in times of stress or change is crucial. This includes offering support and encouragement not only to students but also to educational leaders and staff navigating difficult transitions.

Communication can be derived from the art of story telling. For students, it is difficult to understand science and principles in every conversation. Sharing thoughts, experiences, and concepts in the form of story telling has a larger impact on the students understanding and creates a longlasting impact for the consultant as well.

Definitivamente un muy buen consultor debería considerar que las habilidades de comunicación son una piedra angular para cumplir su rol, ya que primeramente debe generar la confianza necesaria con las personas con quienes va a trabajar, donde los participantes deben reconocer primeramente su experticia en el tema a desarrollar, como también la claridad y facilidad para apoyar y dar respuestas a las inquietudes de forma precisa y contextualizada. En este siglo, los consultores deben ser comunicadores efectivos y eficientes, dando prioridad a dar respuestas concretas a las necesidades de los participantes y a la vez, compartir experiencias y soluciones creativas, somos facilitadores de posibles soluciones.

La comunicación lo es todo, sobre todo en estos tiempos de desconexión. Nuestra comunicación debe tener claridad y concisión, expresar las ideas de forma sencilla y fácil de entender, evitando el uso de jergas o terminología compleja que pueda confundir a la audiencia. La escucha activa, es más importante escuchar, que hablar, prestar atención a las preocupaciones y opiniones de los demás, y respondiendo de manera apropiada. De igual manera, la empatía, tratar de comprender los sentimientos y perspectivas de los demás, comunicarse con consideración y respeto hacia ellos, es fundamental. Finalmente, no olvidar la comunicación no verbal que incluye gestos, expresiones faciales, postura y tono de voz, ayudará a una comunicación asertiva.

Being adaptable and proactive in managing risks, timelines, and changes is key to delivering results that align with both institutional goals and stakeholder expectations. The ability to balance quality with efficiency is critical to driving long-term impact and success in these dynamic environments.

Project management is not luxury anymore; its a day-to-day tool like instagram or any other mobile application. Juggling and managing multiple projects is not a skill everyone is born with; however, learning these skills becomes important just to survive in the day-to-day education world.

A crucial skill for higher education consultants is not just possessing subject matter expertise, but continuously updating it. The higher education landscape is rapidly evolving with digital transformation, globalization, and changes in student demographics. Successful consultants distinguish themselves by staying ahead of trends, such as online learning platforms, international collaboration models, and inclusive education practices. For example, I spearheaded a project integrating AI tools into curriculum development, significantly improving student engagement and outcomes. This demonstrates the importance of not only having deep knowledge but also applying innovative solutions to meet emerging challenges in higher education.

Understand that being a subject matter expert (SME) as a higher education consultant is about understanding the global market and shifting needs in institutions of higher learning internationally. Your expertise needs to be flexible with cultural context depending on your geographical project location. The higher education landscape is rapidly evolving with digitalization and changing student demographics; thus, understanding and forecasting student needs is crucial as an SME. Consultants, particularly in the international sector, distinguish themselves by staying ahead of trends and being thought leaders through international collaboration and education practices.

Entrepreneurial and communication skills are essential, but you also need to know your stuff! The more you specialize, the easier it is to become a subject matter expert, as higher ed is a vast and constantly evolving field. To develop expertise, determine: What organizations do I need to join? What publications or online newsletters should I subscribe to? Which experts should I meet with to better understand the landscape? Whom should I follow on social media? What courses (if any) do I need to take? Becoming an expert may seem daunting at first, but if you spend time every day on these steps, you'll experience steady progress.

One of the biggest issues I see in the space is that consultants lack a niche. They try to be everything for everyone. As a result, it's had for them to differentiate themselves from what is a very crowded market. The best way to find out what you're an expert in: - What have you done successfully when you were in leadership? - What did you most enjoy doing as a leader when you were leading? - What did you dislike doing as a leader? (Avoid this stuff because you probably weren't great at it, which is why you might not have liked it). - What do people in the work come to you for advice about? Within those four questions is probably the start of your niche.

La experiencia del consultor debe ser un requisito primordial en el desarrollo de su trabajo. Si bien el conocimiento teórico es relevante, se debe articular con la experiencia del área a exponer, ya que la consultoría implica compartir experiencias, no necesariamente siempre exitosas, como instancia de diálogo y retroalimentación con los participantes. Todo esto debería permitir que las intervenciones a realizar, estarán condicionadas a considerar por parte del consultor, el contexto, la dinámica de trabajo, las personas involucradas, el tiempo y las posibles soluciones.

This is, maybe, the hardest job for consultnats coming from the High Education industry, since quite a few of them (or us) is usually introspective and shy. To overcome this gap, entrepreneurial (and marketing and sales) skills may help to understand your job (as a consultant) more like a product to be sold and yourself as a lecturer, not just as a salesperson.

A small investment in learning sales skills will go a long way. I rarely hear from consultants or vendors who demonstrate they've done any research into the school. Often, their pitch is far too broad, or honestly, I'm not sure exactly what they are selling based on the pitch. Take a class, read a book on consulting, or get a coach. You'll save yourself time and aggravation if you qualify your leads and communicate effectively when you contact them.

You have to a) understand clearly the problem you can solve; b) talk about how your solution will uniquely fill it; c) have results that justify why you are the right choice. The biggest mistake I see folks making is not measuring their impact enough. Without a way to share impact, it makes it hard for partners to choose you in a crowded market.

My problem is this. 99% of the international education industry serves 1% of the student population. Most schools in the Global South could never afford the concept of paying for advice... when they cannot afford simple learning materials. Stay humble. Ask yourself what you can do to truly change the world a bit... Consider volunteering as much as you possibly can...

Understanding the mindset of students, understanding the student behaviour becomes important, giving them space and time to think is really crucial, and no matter which institute you are representing, providing valuable insights and non-bias solutions becomes very important.

Un consejo sería incorporar historias y anécdotas de tu propia experiencia en la educación para lograr una comunicación más vívida y memorable. Estas experiencias personales agregan autenticidad y pueden ayudar a conectar con tu audiencia a un nivel más humano y emocional.