580. Tish Baldez, Training Consultants

Key takeaways

P31 Consulting has effectively trained over 20,000 professionals in management consulting through a referral-only business model.
The Foundations for Consulting Skills Program is designed to equip new professionals with essential consulting skills and accelerate their effectiveness.
Storyboarding training helps professionals present technical information in a way that is accessible and relevant to business audiences.
Training programs combine online learning, intensive workshops, and neuroscience principles to enhance retention and skill application.
The demographic range of attendees includes both recent graduates and industry professionals in need of foundational consulting skills.
Experienced facilitators are crucial to ensuring that training translates into real business transformation and building lasting client relationships.

Summary

Introduction to Tish Beldez and P31 Consulting

In this episode of Unleashed, host Will Bachman welcomes Tish Beldez, co-founder of P31 Consulting and P31 Academy for Consulting Performance Excellence. Tish shares the evolution of her firm, which has offered management consulting training to over 20,000 professionals globally. The conversation dives into the origins of P31 Consulting, where independent consultants began collaborating to offer structured training, leading to a flourishing business model that relies entirely on referrals.

Foundations for Consulting Skills Program

Tish discusses their flagship offering, the Foundations for Consulting Skills Program, designed for smaller consultancies hiring new analysts, consultants, and engagement managers. This program provides foundational skills in consulting, including problem-solving, data synthesis, and effective communication. It combines online self-paced learning with in-person intensive workshops, ensuring participants gain practical, hands-on training through a 100-day experience.

Storyboarding Presentations

Another key offering from P31 is the focus on teaching storyboarding techniques for presentations, targeting 30-40% of their trained professionals. This training is particularly tailored for scientists and medical professionals, helping them present complex data in an understandable manner for business audiences. By learning to communicate effectively, these professionals can ensure their key messages resonate and lead to actionable insights.

Tailored Training Approach

Tish explains the program structure, which includes a three-day intensive workshop, individual and group coaching, and a focus on experiential learning through neuroscience. This holistic approach ensures that learning is engaging and sticks, promoting lasting behavioral change and practical skill application in real-world consulting scenarios. Unique training strategies, including brain exercises, are incorporated to facilitate better retention of skills.

The Demographic Reach of Training Programs

Tish sheds light on the diverse demographic profile of attendees, which includes fresh graduates and mid-career professionals who require foundational consulting training. They initially targeted new hires but subsequently discovered that many industry professionals also needed supportive training to become proficient consultants.

The Role of Facilitators and Business Transformation

The podcast also underscores the importance of experienced facilitators who can adapt to participant needs and guide learning effectively. Tish emphasizes that successful training extends beyond skill acquisition to encompass sustainable business transformation and building lifetime client relationships. As industry needs evolve, so too does P31's approach to remain relevant and valuable in delivering client outcomes.

Show notes

Tish Baldez, a leading expert in management consulting, has worked with small and mid-sized consultancies and 20,000 professionals worldwide. She shares the trajectory of her career from an independent consultant to a managing partner and leader at P31 Consulting LLC, a training program for professionals in management consulting, life science, IT consulting, finance, banking and more, and how they became a 100% referral-only business.

The Foundations of the Consultants Training Program

Tish introduced the foundations for consulting skills program about a year and a half ago, which enables small businesses hiring new analysts, consultants, and engagement managers without formal structure training on how to do consulting or work in a consultative way. The program focuses on providing foundational skills, storyboarding, and teaching how to synthesize data and communicate it meaningfully for clients. The program is currently running multiple sessions a year in the US, UK, and Latin America. The P31 Academy offer to help scale up and accelerate the learning curve of consultants, allowing them to be more effective and successful.

Storyboard Presentations for Consultants

Tish also trains 30-40% of their people on how to storyboard presentations in the traditional consulting way, teaching the principles of how it works and why it works. They also have a special version for scientists, medical professionals, and people working within Life Sciences or data science organizations, helping them become business fluent. This program helps them understand what they're presenting and translate it into language that is meaningful for their audience, making it easier for them to make decisions and take actions based on the presentations.

The Foundation for Consulting Skills Program

The foundation for consulting skills is a 100-day experience that combines online, self-directed, and self-paced learning in addition to a combination of in-person and virtual-led instruction with expert consultants. The program includes a three-day intensive, where participants work independently for a few weeks, then come together for a three-day intensive in different locations in the UK and the United States. The remaining weeks involve small group exercises and one-on-one coaching and group coaching sessions. The focus is on major transformational bills, such as skill development, practical application, and theory. The program ends with a celebration of completion. One unique aspect of the program is the incorporation of neuroscience, which is intentional about engaging the brain and getting synapses going to ensure learning sticks and becomes habitual. The program also uses brain exercises to activate both the left and right side of the brain. The program is fun, engaging and conducive to adult learning, with participants finding it challenging but ultimately gaining the necessary skills.

Breaking Down the Consulting Skills Program

The program typically has 20 participants, with four coaches in the room, two of whom serve as facilitators. Each pod is assigned to a coach, who ensures that the participants receive individual coaching and feedback. This approach helps maintain a one-to-five ratio, ensuring individual coaching and that participants feel comfortable participating without feeling overwhelmed. The program begins with framing the problem, teaching the hypothesis-based problem-solving model, breaking down analysis and synthesis into separate pieces. Storyboarding is introduced, with the principles and reasons behind its effectiveness, as well as articles and papers that have been studied and proven effective. The program also emphasizes content and messaging, with key messages supported by evidence. The final presentation is a case-based course that covers various industries, including science, data science, finance, and accounting. The purpose of the case-based training is to provide a good foundation upon which the participants can apply their skills.

The Demographic Profile of Attendees

Tish discusses the demographic profile of attendees, which includes people coming out of college, mid-career professionals, and robots. They initially intended to cater to individuals who were hired by their consultancies and needed training for their skills. However, they found that many consultants from industry had never been taught how to do consulting, leading to a need for foundational training. Tish also talks about the pricing for their programs, including a course that specifically addresses the unique needs of these experts, scientists, and medical professionals, who need to learn how to translate their brilliant work into meaningful messages that make sense for the business.

The Key Values of a P31 Coach

Tish discusses the role of facilitators in their business. They are looking for experienced consultants with a background in management consulting to facilitate effective training. They believe that consultants should not just be great lecturers but also be able to identify learning opportunities for the participants and make adjustments accordingly. The company has a core team with a leader in the UK, overseeing Latin American business, and overseeing the United States and Asia Pacific.The focus is on business transformation, not just skills development. The company aims to help consultants build relationships that last a lifetime, ensuring they bring value on an ongoing basis. As the business world has changed, the training they provide has evolved. One key aspect of their training is staying relevant and ahead of clients. Tish mentions that COVID-19 has changed the way they interact and engage with clients, and the skills needed to be effective have evolved.

Timestamps:

05:35: Training consultants for business fluency

09:46: Incorporating neuroscience into training programs to improve retention

13:25: Intensive three-day training program for consultants

18:23: Training programs for consultants and scientists to communicate effectively with business audiences

23:54: Hiring subcontractors for training with a focus on experience and relevance

28:26: Staying ahead in business by providing value and building relationships

Links:

P31 website: https://p31-consulting.com/

P31 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/p31-consulting-llc-us/

P31 Academy: https://www.linkedin.com/company/p31-academy-for-consulting-performance-excellence/

Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.