How to use the 20 questions L&D should ask... successfully!

I launched my book 20 Questions L&D should ask before talking about training! on October 20, 2020. If you haven’t yet, be sure to download your free copy right now.

“These questions aren’t rocket science; it’s how you use them!”

As I mention in the final chapter the 20 questions are not rocket science. It’s in how you use them where the magic lies. I use these questions as a tool to co-create the business case and do the business/performance needs analysis together with clients.

It’s all about having an active conversation. Writing down what they are saying, verifying if this is what they mean along the process. Showing them what you are writing down. It’s not a 1-hour meeting where we just talk. It’s a 2 to 2.5-hour workshop where we figure out what we know and what we don’t know and put it to paper. Make sure to let them know they are receiving this document you are working on together so they know they’re not investing their precious time for your sake but for their own. That’s how you create value at that moment already. This document is the ultimate outcome of your workshop. It is your common understanding of the problem and the road to a real solution. A solution that works!

It wasn’t until I had a chat with Donald Taylor for the Speexx Exchange Podcast that I realized how important the actual process of doing this together with your stakeholder is. Where you position yourself in the room when you’re together. How you connect personally when you do it virtually. It is al about creating an atmosphere of co-creation. You are not there for you, you are there to support them. That matters a lot. 

Going through this process together with your clients builds a relationship of trust. It shows you are the business partner they need and can rely on. And that’s a great start of a project.