My stakeholder wants a course – now what?

Your stakeholder walks in and asks for a course. Say yes or say no? Laura and Michelle think that’s the wrong choice to make. In this episode, they reframe the course request entirely – not as a problem to manage, but as a trigger for curiosity and a doorway into a different kind of conversation. Drawing on real stories, including a food safety programme that turned into a behaviour change campaign, and a costly mistake that came from moving too quickly from explorer to expert, they explore what it looks like to tune in before you respond. It’s an episode about presence, professional identity, and why the question underneath the question is almost always more interesting than the one being asked.

Resources

The L&D Leader – Principles and practice for delivering business value by Laura Overton and Michelle Ockers (book)
learningchangemakers.com/resources/the-ld-leader/

The Learning Value Spectrum
learningchangemakers.com/introducing-ld-value-spectrum/

Performance Consulting: A Strategic Process to Improve, Measure, and Sustain Organizational Results – Dana and James Robinson
amazon.com/Performance-Consulting-Strategic-Process-Organizational/dp/1626562296

The Yes And Principle – Check out Neil Mullarkey’s book In the Moment to explore how improv comedy techniques can be applied to stakeholder conversations

Case Studies:

Coca-Cola Amatil food safety programme – Michelle Ockers (detailed in the book)

Leading learning transformation at NAB with Damien Woods – Learning Uncut interview
https://learninguncut.global/podcast/61/