Christopher Adams | SpeakerHub

Personal Details

Bio

Christopher Adams, PhD is a nationally recognized thought leader in the field of Performance Consulting. With over twenty-five years of rich experience, he is know for his ability to empower teams on the "people" side of organizations with a practical approach to forming strategic partnerships that produce real business impact.

Chris is Principal Consultant for Performance Change Strategies LLC. In his work there, he has facilitated capability building workshops for leading companies in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. He also writes and speaks about performance consulting, leading educational sessions at international conferences for ATD, Training Magazine, the Learning Guild and ISPI. Chris co-authored the 2019 TD@Work: Focus First on Results.

Chris holds a doctorate in Instructional Design and Technology from Old Dominion University and has been personally endorsed by Jim and Dana Robinson, authors of the book Performance Consulting, to carry forward their work of building strategic capability in talent teams.

As a public speaker, Christopher Adams is noted for his dynamic and engaging presentation style. He effortlessly weaves research-backed insights with real-world stories, delivering content that is not only informative but also deeply relatable. His constant focus is to provide audience with useful, practical tools and techniques they can apply, to navigate performance challenges and find deeper meaning in their work.

Current position (1)

Principal Consultant

Performance Change Strategies LLC

Degrees (1)

Instructional Design and Technology

Old Dominion University

2019 to 2022

Presentations

Presentations (6)

Performance Consulting Fundamentals

"We are not making our revenue numbers. The sales force is not negotiating effectively. Do you have some type of training to improve their negotiating skills?"

Sound familiar? Another request that comes with a predetermined solution or tactic, but how do we know the solution provided is needed or sufficient to solve the problem?

In this workshop, learn how to ask powerful questions that will be viewed as supportive and strategic in approach. You will leave the workshop with a starter kit of questions to use in future meetings for learning requests.

Becoming a Strategic Partner

A goal for consultants is to be “at the table” with clients, assisting them in the process of translating business plans and strategies into human performance requirements and needs, determining the solutions that are required. But who are the “right” clients with whom this partnering must be done? And how do you gain the access, credibility and trust to work as a strategic partner? This session will provide a model and proven practices for deepening relationships with internal and external clients.

What to Do When Learning is Not the Answer

Most instructional designers are adept at conducting needs assessments. A challenge occurs when needs assessment data indicates that learning solutions will not address the needs that have been identified. This session describes three root cause categories which contribute to business and performance problems. For each category, possible solutions will be provided. A process for navigating this discussion with a client to ensure the appropriate set of solutions is selected will also be discussed.

Asking Powerful Questions

“Our customer satisfaction ratings are declining. I’d like to discuss what training you can provide that will enhance our customer service skills.” The manager making this request has jumped to a training solution when it may be insufficient or even unnecessary. The goal is to engage the manager in a discussion that focuses on the performance and business results that are needed, and not the solution that was requested. This reframing discussion is a skill used by Performance Consultants and requires that we ask powerful, thought-provoking questions. This presentation focuses on the mental model and powerful questions used by Performance Consultants to reframe solution requests into discussions of strategic, business results.

Transitioning Your Department: Get into the Strategic Performance Business

An increasing number of HR and learning departments are transitioning from a tactical to a more strategic focus. Essentially, the department’s mission changes from providing HR and learning solutions to an enlarged purpose of “enhancing workplace performance in support of business goals.” This transition is not a small change; it cannot be made by only adding some new skills. A successful transition requires actions to align the department’s work process with its organizational structure and performer capabilities. This presentation will reveal the six major differences between a traditional and a strategic approach. The three levels within the department that must be aligned to successfully support a strategic performance approach will also be discussed, along with actions proven to work in making this transition.

3 Core Principles of Instructional Design

3 Core Principles of Instructional Design is a skill-building workshop focused on an instructional design approach and process that aligns with sustainable business results. Participants are encouraged to bring real-world cases to the workshop. Using these cases, participant teams will practice conducting an analysis, writing relevant performance objectives, and developing assessment strategies.

The workshop is intensely interactive. Concepts are briefly presented in a lecture format, supported by various individual and group activities. Focus is given to rich examples and applied group practice and in-depth feedback.

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Expertise (6)

Leadership

Business

Education