Courses

The self-paced courses provide core knowledge and materials in a certain topic. Certificate-Series provide core skills and materials in a certain skill set.  Each course includes the following:

  • Online, self-paced and student-friendly access for maximum flexibility
  • Access to relevant, practical downloadable tools and resources
  • Clear and concise video presentation featuring industry experts
    (videos can be stopped and resumed)
  • Brief, focused self-assessments before and after each course
  • Learning Journal for focused reflection, learning and development (Journals for Courses do not receive individual feedback as they do in Series)
  • Optional pathway to Certificate-Series
  • Networking and private discussion group with students and faculty

Learners can choose to complete only certain components of a course, or all of the components to earn a Certificate in a Series.  It takes 60-90 minutes to complete a course sufficient to qualify as a course in the Certificate-Series.  Courses must be completed within 30 days, unless an extension is granted.  Fees range from $25 to $35 for each course.

Professional Consulting (3 Courses)

Image of a meeting with two men shaking hands while a woman looks at them

Roles, Goals and Reasons in Consulting

Grasp the foundational concepts, terms and practices you need to know as a consultant. Classify the type of consultant that you are. Understand the most common overall approaches for solving complex problems with clients. Recognize who your real client — your most influential person — is at different times in a project.

time-to-complete-icon60-90 minutes

Image of business woman talking on cell photo with hands around her holding glass of water, cell phone, day planner

Primary Methods—and Myths—in Consulting

Don’t make the mistake of using the wrong method at the wrong time. Know which methods to use and when, and how to switch seamlessly among them. Also, get more clarity with clients by dispelling the most common myths about methods – and about you as an internal or external consultant.

time-to-complete-icon60-90 minutes

Image of a man in business suit with fingers crossed behind his back

Standards, Principles and Risks in Consulting

Immediately recognize risks that can threaten the success of your consulting and your business. Establish your most important principles to navigate the complex ethical challenges that can occur in consulting. Know exactly what to do and whom to involve when needed.

time-to-complete-icon60-90 minutes

Authentic Engagement with Clients (4 Courses)

Image of a business woman holding a key up in her right hand

Understanding Yourself as Consultant

Your personality is the most powerful tool in your consulting. How you interact with clients can make – or break – the success of your consulting. Understand your biases, style of consulting, how you handle conflict and feedback – and what you see and don’t see in your clients’ organizations.

time-to-complete-icon60-90 minutes

Image of a close-up handshake between two businessmen

Building Trust, Commitment and Collaboration With Clients

Your clients will hire you and use your recommendations only if they trust you. In today’s highly stressful and diverse organizations, trust can be hard to earn – and maintain. Know which interpersonal skills are most important, how to use them and when.  Nurture successful relationships in any situation.

time-to-complete-icon60-90 minutes

Image of a man in business suit speaking to group of individuals seated at table

Facilitating Group Decision-Making and Problem Solving

You can leverage the most impact when working with teams in your clients’ organizations. Equip yourself with practical techniques and tools for any purpose in your facilitating. Always gain maximum participation, productivity and learning for team members.

time-to-complete-icon60-90 minutes

Image of two business women seated at a table having a discussion

Coaching Conversations for Momentum, Actions and Learning

Coaching conversations are a very powerful method to support clients through the challenges and complexities of change in their organizations. Learn how and when to use coaching to generate motivation, momentum and learning for yourself and others during your consulting.

time-to-complete-icon60-90 minutes

Organizational Consulting (4 Courses)

Image of a brightly colored organizational system

Grasping the Big Picture In Organizations

Gain credibility and clarity with your clients by understanding the world in which they work. Don’t be afraid to talk about the “hard skills.” Understand your client’s organization and what needs to happen within it to make it successful. Know different kinds of leadership and when each is needed.

time-to-complete-icon60-90 minutes

Image of organizational chart with blue background

It’s All About Performance in Organizations

The bottom line for your client is performance – achieving the goals needed for their success. Learn how to design realistic and systematic project plans always focused on performance, and build in practical indicators to recognize and communicate successes.

time-to-complete-icon60-90 minutes

Image of a hand sketching a flow chart of issues within organizations

Perspectives on Change in Organizations

This highly focused course and its many practical handouts explain the foundational principles and practices needed for successful change in any organization, including to ensure continued focus on performance, change and learning. Learn the barriers to change and how to overcome them.

time-to-complete-icon60-90 minutes

Image of a woman leaning against a chalkboard while looking to the right and at arrows draw on the chalkboard

Current Trends in Organizations

Organizations are changing like never before. Understand the most important trends affecting you and your clients. Know the new structures and strategies to recommend to your clients for them to remain sustainable and strong well into the future.

time-to-complete-icon60-90 minutes

Collaborative Consulting (7 Courses)

Image of a bunch of business mens hands coming together in a huddle

Collaborative Consulting for Performance, Change & Learning

Learn the non-proprietary and flexible framework that underlies most of the successful approaches to solving complex problems and achieving significant goals in clients’ organizations – and that generates deep learning for you and your clients. (This is the foundation course for the Certificate-Series “Collaborative Consulting Training.”)

time-to-complete-icon60-90 minutes

Image of a close-up handshake between two businessmen

Consulting Phase 1: Contracting

Learn how to conduct the critical first meeting with your client. Gain quick methods to learn about your client, their organization and their problem to solve. Decide if your client is really ready for a project. Carefully conclude if the client and you are a good match. Know the most important elements to include in a contract.

time-to-complete-icon60-90 minutes

Image of a group of men and women having a business meeting around a table

Consulting Phase 2: Discovery

Efficiently gather the most important facts to separate symptoms from the true causes of your client’s problem. Target your consulting to solve the problem for the long term. Clearly and concisely share your recommendations so they’ll be implemented by your client.

time-to-complete-icon60-90 minutes

Image of a hand sketching a flow chart of issues within organizations

Consulting Phase 3: Action Planning

Develop relevant, realistic and flexible action plans to implement each recommendation from the Discovery Phase. Include practical strategies to evaluate status, adapt plans as needed and communicate status to all necessary stakeholders.

time-to-complete-icon60-90 minutes

Image of a group of young business people having a consulting meeting

Consulting Phase 4: Implementation

Grasp the techniques for you and your client to sustain the motivation and momentum needed to implement all of the action plans to solve your client’s problem. Learn to manage the natural resistance – the client’s and yours – when dealing with change.

time-to-complete-icon60-90 minutes

Image of a group of business people meeting around a large white conference table

Consulting Phase 5: Evaluation

Learn how to conduct focused and efficient evaluations to decide if your client’s problem has been solved or not. Collect many other benefits, including about what you and your client have learned about solving similar problems well into the future.

time-to-complete-icon60-90 minutes

Image of a close-up handshake between two businessmen

Consulting Phase 6: Termination

Learn to terminate the consulting project ethically, legally and administratively with a high level of professionalism. Recognize if the project needs to cycle back to an earlier phase in the consulting cycle, and how to do that in a smooth and orderly manner.

time-to-complete-icon60-90 minutes

Facilitating Strategic Planning (5 Courses)

Image of a man in business suit speaking to group of individuals seated at table

Facilitating Group Decision-Making and Problem Solving

Leverage the most impact when working with teams in your clients’ organizations. Gain practical techniques and tools for any purpose in your facilitating. Always gain maximum participation, learning and productivity for team members during your facilitating.

time-to-complete-icon60-90 minutes

Image of a group of people having a strategic planning meeting

An Overview of Sensible Strategic Planning

Understand what is needed to efficiently produce a strategic plan that always remains relevant, realistic and flexible. The course is ideal for orienting your planners to a planning process that will position their organization to thrive well into the future.

time-to-complete-icon60-90 minutes

Image of a group of smiling business people at a meeting

Customizing Your Strategic Planning Process

When a strategic plan sits untouched on a shelf, it’s because the planning was not customized to the client’s organization. This course shares practical models, guidelines and handouts to quickly customize a planning process that will produce a relevant, realistic and flexible strategic planning process.

time-to-complete-icon60-90 minutes

Image of a white board with the word strategy written on it

Deciding Your Strategic Priorities

Learn how to efficiently develop a mission statement that reflects the true purpose and priorities of your client’s organization. Identify strategic priorities based – not on wishful thinking – but on real strategic thinking and discussions. Begin completing the course’s adaptable template for a strategic plan.

time-to-complete-icon60-90 minutes

Image of a group of business people making assignments

Making Assignments and Monitoring your Strategic Plan

Make your plan a reality by developing practical action plans for each strategic priority. Select the best format for your plan document based on its target audience. Finish your plan document by completing the adaptable template provided in the course “Deciding Your Strategic Priorities.”

time-to-complete-icon60-90 minutes

How it Works: To Enroll & Get Started

Enrollment Instructions

1-icon Create your account. Go to CDI’s learning site. Read the brief “Welcome” section and click on “Create new account”.

2-icon Select a course or series. Click on CDI’s Catalog of Courses and Certificate-Series, and select the desired course or series.

3-icon

Enroll. Click on “Enroll me” in the course or series. Use Paypal for major credit cards, or enter an enrollment key if you have one.

Log-in & Learning Instructions

4-icon Log in. If you are not already logged in, then log into CDI’s learning site, using your username and password.

5-icon Start your course. Click on your course in the upper right. (For a series, follow the specified order of courses.) In the course, follow “Start Here”.

6-icon Proceed at your own pace. Interact with others in the discussion group. For support, see CDI Help Center. Email us if you finished a Certificate.

support-icon

Got a question? Want to talk to us?

Contact CDI at info@ConsultantsDevelopmentInstitute.org or its sponsoring organization, Authenticity Consulting, LLC, at (763) 971-8890.