Frequently Asked Questions
a)
Can we add in some extra sessions?
Yes, for in-house programs we are
happy to work with you to incorporate other sessions around the
program, and we routinely deliver the program as part of other
organisational activities such as regional and team conferences. We
do recommend extra sessions be scheduled before the negotiating
course begins, this ensures participants are fresh and can absorb
both activities.
b)
Can we observe the exercises?
Yes, but only if you attend as a
participant. We promise the participants a safe learning
environment where they can take risks, try new things, be coached
by our experts and not be afraid to fail. If they feel that their
performance might affect their career prospects they would be
reluctant to try out new techniques.
c)
Can we have more than 12 participants?
Yes. The course is structured
around sets of 6 so that by adding additional consultants, meeting
rooms and video equipment we can handle groups up to 36 with the
consequent increase in fees. However, as there are no economies of
scale we feel that it is usually better to handle groups of 12 at a
time.
d)
Can we have less than 12 participants?
Yes, however the minimum number of
participants on any program is 8 and our fee remains the same. We
recommend the Scotwork Open Course for clients who have less than 8
participants to train, Scotwork runs regular non-residential Open
(public) programs in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart and
Brisbane. Up to three participants from each company or
organisation can attend with a maximum of 12 ensuring a rich mix of
participants and organisations on each program. Public program
dates are available here.
e)
Can Scotwork arrange the administration?
Yes. Scotwork will help find a
suitable venue for your team, prepare and circulate comprehensive
joining instructions, supply all the course materials, arrange
consultant travel to your location, undertake all the course set up
and facilitation, handle any issues arising during the course,
dismantle and remove all the equipment afterwards and send out the
post-course documentation.
f)
Can we have customised cases?
We would need to understand your
objective in having us do this. We are there to teach participants
about the negotiating process and the skills of negotiation,
not
about the technical details of your
business. Extensive trials have shown that setting the cases in the
client's own business is generally a recipe for disaster, for
the
following reasons:
- the participants get bogged down in the technical detail, they
bring in external knowledge, and tend to try to problem-solve
rather than negotiate
- different participants have different levels of understanding
about the business
- the participants are reluctant to accept criticism when it is
set in their own job environment.
However, we do select cases from
our library that reflect the common business and negotiating
problems faced by your team and, during the feed-back sessions, the
consultants relate the learning points back to the participants'
work situations. The Group Issues session on the program also
provides an excellent opportunity to discuss and debate issues
specific to your business.
g)
Can someone join late or leave early?
We strongly advise against this. If
anyone misses the first evening and any one of the three lectures
on the first full day then they will not be able to make proper
sense of
the course and so will derive
little benefit from it. After that, if any single individual has to
miss one of the case-plays they will lose out on the skills
practise and so the
skill improvement will be
reduced.
h)
Is there a follow-up course?
Yes we have two follow up courses.
We offer a one day follow-up "refresher" session for those who have
attended the Advanced Negotiating Skills course and want ongoing
practice and skills coaching. These are usually arranged 6-12
months after the course after participants have had time to
practice and use the skills in their work and personal
environment.
We also offer "Scotwork - The Next Steps", a 3 day program
exclusively for those who have completed the Advanced course, which
covers strategic negotiating, corporate alignment and coaching
others through negotiations.
We also offer consulting services
to help clients prepare for large deals, more information is available here.
i)
Can we have feedback on individual participants?
No, this is a skills development
course, not an assessment course. (See
b above). We can however provide advice after the course on
themes, issues and challenges across your group and advise on post
course initiatives that would help reinforce the skills for the
participants.
j)
What job functions are appropriate for participants?
The course is appropriate for
anyone whose work gives them authority to agree to or vary the
terms of any commercial transaction, (e.g. timing, priority
delivery, price,
specification, employment terms).
We train people from sales, marketing, purchasing, operations,
human relations, project management and finance areas,
from young professionals up to
senior executives and CEO / leadership teams.
k)
Can we mix the job functions on a single course?
Yes, the greater the mix of job
functions the more the course will reflect real life. We encourage
clients to mix sales, marketing, purchasing, finance and operations
staff. Some of our clients invite their suppliers or their clients
to attend the course with them, which can dramatically enhance
their business relationships.
l)
Can we have direct reports on the same course?
Yes, and there can be some team
building benefits in doing this. However, wewould want to ensure
before the program that the manager will be comfortable
having his or her performance
critiqued by our consultants in front of the direct reports. We
would also want the reports to be comfortable being coached in
front of the boss. We can advise you on this, but ultimately this
is your decision - if this is likely to be a problem then we would
suggest the manager should attend a separate course.
m)
What industries do you work in?
We work extensively in accounting,
consultancy, corporate banking, venture capital, state and federal
government, food and beverage, the oil industry, engineering,
advertising, computing,
construction, the utilities, publishing, retailing, packaging,
insurance brokerage, pharmaceuticals, health, airlines,
telecommunications and the
chemical industry. Some of our
clients are listed here.
n)
Why is the Scotwork negotiating program more expensive than other
courses?
Unlike most training which is based
primarily on trainers delivering lectures and information, with
perhaps a small amount of time for role play, the Scotwork course
involves intensive, enjoyable skills coaching delivered by experts,
to quickly change behaviour and build capability.
Over 80% of the 27 hours of the
program is spent on practical activity, and you leave with
immediately applicable new life skills, not just information. We
are able to remove the weakest behaviours from participants in a
safe environment which is why the program has been so successful
since 1976.
Our costs reflect the experience of
our consulting team, the low ratio of 6 participants to 1
consultant for more personal attention, and the exceptional results
we consistently deliver for our clients.
o)
Can we get a discount if we buy more courses?
No, we do not discount our course
fee. We have a finite and limited resource in the form of our
consultants. As with any item in short supply, increased demand
often means a higher price, not a lower one. Our clients
consistently report that the program more than pays for itself
within 3 months, return on investment data from our clients is available here.
p)
Can we get copies of the feedback research?
Yes. For in-company courses, you
will receive copies of the end of course evaluation forms from your
team. You also receive aggregate responses to the 3 month follow-up
study from your participants, both in percentage and in absolute
terms. The data will not identify the name of the respondent as
anonymity is guaranteed. We are able to arrange a meeting after the
program to discuss advice on ensuring that the behaviour change and
processes can be embedded into the organisation.
q)
Is there a lower level course?
Yes. We offer a Negotiating
Foundation course for those who support negotiators, for those who
negotiate within strictly limited parameters and for trainees. This
is not a skills course - it is an information course. It is not
appropriate for anyone who needs skills training. As each course is
custom written we need a sizeable audience with identical training
needs. Please contact us for more information.
r)
What is the timetable and why is it so intensive?
The timetable is deliberately
intensive, fast-paced and lots of fun, running across one evening
and two and a half days, as follows:
- Monday 5:00pm - 7:00 pm
- Tuesday 8:30am - 7:00pm
- Wednesday 8:30am - 7:00pm
- Thursday 8:30am - 2:00pm
We deliberately run at this level
of intensity because it allows us to provide you with around 27
hours of information, practice and coaching typically with only
three days out of the office, and because ultimately, it works to
help change your behaviour in ways that will improve your
performance.
s)
Can we have a different timetable?
We always run a fast-paced and
intensive program, but yes, for in-house programs we have a large
variety of timetables that all retain the key features of the
Course and can work with you to meet your needs.
t) I
have never heard of you. How do you advertise?
Almost all of our new work comes
through recommendations from those who have attended the course. We
work extensively with a wide range of leading organisations, some
of our clients are here.
u)
How do I book?
Individuals can register to attend
our public programs here. To organise in-house training
sessions for your team, please contact us and will be happy to work
with you to put a challenging and rewarding program together for
your organisation.