Here are some of the questions we are frequently asked
about our lectures, workshops, and training programs:

—   Who takes training from you?
—   How do you “customize” training?
—   Do you teach anything else than communication?
—   What are lectures, workshops, training programs?

 

Who takes training from you?

Our lectures, workshops, and training programs have already
addressed a broad range of audiences: in academia, seniors,
graduate students, and faculty members; in the “real world,”
engineers, researchers, executives, ... Each training session
is customized, even if the underlying principles are the same.

How do you “customize” training?

Customizing is ensuring that the session addresses the needs
of its audience. Identifying these exact needs is half the work.
The second half is providing relevant examples, so participants
see how the principles apply to their situation. Mostly, we work
from sample material provided by the participants, to identify
or confirm the needs as well as to select appropriate examples.

Do you teach anything else than communication?

We have addressed more technical topics on request. For clients,
we have developed and run programs on how to search the Web,
how to tackle variability in the life sciences, and how to calculate
an insurance premium. In such situations, the client comes to us
for our combination of technical background (so we can assimilate
the content rapidly) and expertise in communication and teaching.
Our session for underwriters, for example, was to be a program
in statistical thinking, without any equation—a challenge indeed.

What are lectures, workshops, training programs?

We distinguish lectures, workshops, and training programs
on the basis of duration and involvement of the attendees.

Lectures are formal presentations to a possibly large group
followed by questions and answers, for a total of 90 minutes.
They are a time- and cost-effective introduction to the topic,
but do not, on their own, help participants develop the skills.

Workshops are half- or full-day sessions for a small group
(5 to 25 participants, depending on the topic and the activity).
They are based on group discussion, analysis of examples,
and possibly exchange of experience or hands-on exercises.

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Training programs are extended workshops (several days),
with prepared exercises or homework assignments, on which
participants receive individual feedback. Whenever possible,
these assignments overlap with the participants' real tasks.