While working for a training firm, I was asked to take over a project in trouble. A major federal agency was not happy with previous attempts to deliver a 7-part leadership curriculum to be delivered by its own trainers on-site, so it was important that this version meet their approval. Only a senior salesperson was allowed to be the liaison with the agency, so I did not have the normal opportunity to speak directly with the client. But after one look at the previous versions, I knew what was needed.
I decided that the curriculum needed to be redesigned from scratch. The client wanted a lot of interaction and activities, and was very sensitive to the images used in both the workbooks and the Power Point decks. I also wanted a cleaner, more updated style. I had control over the content, design, and image selection, but the schedule that had been set up by others was a bit daunting, because it had very short, overlapping client review dates for the workbooks, Power Points (usually done after the workbook is approved) and the facilitator guides (usually done last.)
However, because I understood the client’s needs and concerns, the client accepted the first workbook on first draft with only minor changes–mostly related to tweaking some images. After that, workbooks, PPTS and facilitator guides flowed quickly through reviews–and the schedule was no longer a problem. The client also was thrilled with more diversity in images than I had originally been told they wanted, because, as I suspected, this agency had a staff that reflected very broad demographics.
Perhaps most important, these courses set a new style and direction for the training firm, and became the foundation for a whole new approach using modular design, open and clean design, higher quality images and references, and highly creative and interactive exercises that made learning experiential and provoked self-reflection.
Here are some sample pages from the Diversity and Inclusion workbook:
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© Chanda K. Zimmerman, 2012-2021
Chanda K. Zimmerman 