INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS
New England Chapter

News and Views

In this issue:

Upcoming Events

Member Spotlights

CMC Corner

Welcome New Members

Share Your
Success Story

Member Feature Articles
Encouraging Creative Ideas in Client Meetings
by Jeff Govendo

On Writing Articles
by Marisa D'Vari

Breakfast Brainstorms Calendar

Book and Article Reviews

emerson consulting
group inc.
"We turn consultants into thought leaders!"

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News From Committees

Looking For Articles

The Newsletter Committee is looking for articles. Please contact Mike Kayat at if you have an article you'd like to submit.

From the Editor's Desk

Welcome to this month’s IMCNE newsletter.

In this month’s issue we have included two feature articles by IMCNE members. The first article by Jeff Govendo discusses how to facilitate innovation and problem solving with clients facing difficult challenges. The second article by Marisa D’Vari encourages us to sit down and write articles that will help establish our presence and credibility.

Have you received project leads from other IMCNE consultants, or opportunities to provide articles or make presentations? Have you teamed up with other IMCNE consultants on projects? If so, we all want to hear about your success story.

A number of IMCNE consultants are interested in learning more about health insurance plans that other members find acceptable. For the benefit of our group, I will volunteer to make a list of insurance providers and plans used by IMCNE consultants, if everyone can send me their preferences. If I receive responses, I can include these in the next issue.

The newsletter is an opportunity for you to provide news on your achievements and learn about your fellow consultant’s activities. Please send your news, articles, book reviews and commentary for the next newsletter, the June 2005 issue. Thanks!

Good consulting!
Michael Kayat

Important Note!

An important part of our Summer Retreat will be spent reviewing and revamping our communications plan, streamlining our efforts and limiting our future email correspondence to no more than one message per week. Our goal is to find the right balance of keeping our network informed while being respectful of peoples' inboxes.

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, June 1, 2005
The Thriving Consultant Seminar Series
Working On vs In Business -
Achieving an effective balance
6:30 - 8:30 PM
Center for Entrepreneurial Growth, Bedford, MA

Monday, June 6, 2005
Business Authors Festival
5:00 - 7:00 PM
Annual Meeting
Sheraton Lexington, Lexington, MA

Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Annual Summer Retreat
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
All are welcome.
Carriage Hill Clubhouse, Southborough, MA

Member Spotlights

Fifi Ball and Sally Brickell (Squared Away) spoke on a panel about business partnerships at the National Association of Professional Organizers’ annual conference in San Diego in April. In recognition of their years of voluntarism, they were nominated for a national award.

Elaine Crowley (The Crowley Group) spoke on “Authentic Communication, the Rx for Cynicism”, at the Hudson-Mohawk ASTD meeting on April 29th.

Charles Perry and Pat Kirton (Insight Management Group) were interviewed and quoted in the lead article of the May issue of PM NETWORK magazine. PM NETWORK is the professional magazine of the Project Management Institute. The article, From Finish to Start, discusses how senior executives can enhance enterprise project success by taking a few extra steps at kickoff and closeout. The article also included an insert that discussed project risk that was authored by Charlie and Pat. 

Tony Raymond (New Harbor Technical Management, LLC) recently spoke at this year’s ASQ BOSCON on April 7, 2005. This is the premier annual quality conference presented by the Boston section of the American Society for Quality (ASQ). Tony spoke on customer satisfaction issues and considerations of software product maintenance and support including a discussion of some practical solutions. 

Isn't it your turn to be in the spotlight? Send your name, your business name and 1) recent awards/distinctions/professional certifications you've received; 2) public speaking engagements; and 3) published articles. (Be sure to include key facts, such as when, where and for whom.) You must be an IMC member or affiliate to be featured. Email them to Mike Kayat at , Subject: IMCNE spotlight.

CMC Corner

For all of you who have been contemplating becoming CMCs but haven't known where to start, IMCNE will soon begin a 6-month mentoring program aimed at helping you not only get started but also get finished! With the help of an established CMC as your guide, you will complete all CMC requirements and finally get your goal of CMC status off the back burner. For details on this program, contact Bill von Achen, CMC at 978-440-8022 or .

An invitation to IMCNE CMC members — This section is dedicated to you. If you have commentary you'd like to share, here is a forum for you. Send your commentary to our Editor, Mike Kayat, for consideration. Email Mike at , Subject: CMC Commentary.

Welcome New Members

Martha Hopewell
Seven Centers Strategic Management Consulting

Roy Sequeira
Sequeira Consulting, LLC

Share Your Success Story

by Carol Bergeron

Did you get a speaking or writing engagement, new client or prospect or team up on a project or new business venture based on relationships formed through IMCNE? If so, then we want to hear your success story next month!

Member Feature Articles

Encouraging Creative Ideas in Client Meetings
by Jeff Govendo

Sometimes in our consulting work we are called upon to take a facilitative role with our clients in helping them come up with solutions to the daunting challenges they face. Nobody has a deeper understanding of a company and the obstacles it must contend with than its own employees.

But knowledge and experience alone doesn’t guarantee innovative solutions. Problem-solvers must think about these challenges in new ways to avoid coming up repeatedly with the same fixes. They need to use their imagination and creativity, both individually and in concert with their colleagues, to bring new thinking to these issues. A consultant can help facilitate this process.

How, then, can we encourage a client team to draw upon its expertise and creativity to explore new possibilities? Here are five tips:

1. Always have a clear objective for problem-solving

Too often a group goes into a meeting with only a vague sense of what they are supposed to be working on or the expected output. Problem-solvers are more willing to experiment with new ideas if they know what they’re trying to accomplish. Creative thinking is rarely linear, so a clearly stated objective serves as a touchstone in a process that may go in many different directions.

2. Encourage speculative language when brainstorming ideas

We need to give ourselves permission when trying out new, untested ideas. Particularly in groups, using phrases such as “I wonder if ...” or “Just suppose ...” reinforces the open-ended, speculative nature of creative idea generation, and discourages premature judgment and critique.

3. Listen to build, not evaluate

Every idea can lead to another that may be even more promising. Let all ideas put forth stand, and encourage participants to build upon them, rather than evaluate them. Later on, they can choose the most promising ones for further focus and development, without judging each one along the way.

4. Conclude with a set of action items or recommendations

Even an exciting, innovative solution is not likely to go anywhere without some clearly stated next steps, along with who is responsible for them and when. Be very specific about these, and insist that each person responsible follows through!

5. If your role is to facilitate, stay neutral to content

A facilitator’s job is not only to keep the process moving along, but also to safeguard ideas that have been put forth and support the people who offer them. When you appear to be “taking sides,” you compromise your ability to do this, and people will stop contributing. Your perceived neutrality is extremely important if you want them to take the risks necessary to experiment with new thinking.

Try instituting these guidelines and you’ll see more creative output from your client team meetings!

Jeff Govendo is president of The Innovative Edge™ Inc., a consulting firm that helps client organizations tackle tough challenges through creative problem solving.

On Writing Articles
by Marisa D'Vari

Imagine yourself jetting home from a popular conference, with colleagues and potential clients all around you. Now, feel yourself swell with pride as you see them open the Wall Street Journal or the In Flight magazine and read a business article you have bylined.

Articles are an excellent way to reach and impress your target market with your knowledge and expertise. Each published article acts as your own personal ambassador, spreading your name, message, and area of expertise throughout the universe.           

Why are articles so powerful?
When we see articles in print, we automatically assume the author is the leading expert in his field. The publication gives that author/expert the kind of official third party credibility money just can’t buy.

Articles have staying power.
Business talk TV shows are prestigious, but after the show, your appearance is reduced to a line in your media kit. Unless your personal network and your prospects watched the show, they missed the brilliance of your thoughts.

Your articles are available to anyone who wants to read it in a moment’s notice. You can use your articles in a number of ways:

• Carry them in your briefcase to distribute during meetings.
• Enclose them with letters you send to clients and colleagues.
• Post them to you web site where they can be immediately downloaded.

You can also use articles as the basis for a direct mail campaign to send to clients and colleagues in order to solicit referrals, generate leads, and create greater awareness of your services.

Ken Lizotte, Chief Imagination Officer of Emerson Consulting Group, Inc., frequently writes articles and maximizes publicity by sending the published articles to clients, prospects, and distributes them at association meetings. 

Articles Pre-sell you to prospects
When prospects come to know your value through your articles, you don’t have to be concerned with selling yourself during the initial meeting.

Getting Started
So, how do you go about writing articles if you have not written one before? First, consider the subject of your expertise. Next, frame your article idea in a way that would be of interest to your target reader who wants to learn “how to” accomplish something. Perhaps the best way to start is to observe the style of articles you typically read. Analyze their structural skeleton. Then write your first draft, beginning with an intriguing question or anecdote. Next, lay out the necessary steps, and  end with a snappy conclusion that sums up your point.

Remember that the real secret of successful writing is the re-writing. Polish your article well, and you may well see colleagues and clients reading your byline in a prestigious publication very soon.           

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Breakfast Brainstorms Calendar
Free to IMCNE members and affiliates, $10 for nonmembers

Monday, June 6, 2005
7:45 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
Radisson Hotel, Manchester, NH

Monday, June 13, 2005
7:45 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
Rebecca's Café, Burlington, MA

Want to host a Breakfast Brainstorm in your area? Contact for details.

Strategic Partner Events — Check out our Calendar of Strategic Partner and Other Events on our web site for more information on events of interest. Click www.imcne.org/spcalendar.html, then click on the appropriate link for detailed information that could save you money.

Book and Article Reviews

How to Get Your Point Across in 30 Seconds or Less

By Milo O. Frank
Simon and Schuster (1986)

Our career successes largely depend on our ability to quickly, confidently explain what we do for whom, why and how we do it for the benefit of who we are talking with.

The two main reasons why thirty seconds is an ideal time to get our point across:

• Time constraints: in a few words, a few seconds, people judge you
• Attention span: initial time to engage and hold the thoughts of your audience.

The Three Basic Principles of the thirty second message are:

• Develop a simple, clear objective of what you want to achieve
• Connect with the right person or group of people who can get it done
• Have the right approach with your audience to obtain your objective.

Create a set of “hooks” to start the conversation to bring the objective and the approach together, end with a clear “close” call to action.

Remember the three Ks of communicating: Katch’em, Keep 'em, Konvince ‘em.

(To be read in 30 seconds or less!)

Please send book reviews to Mike Kayat at
If you come across any interesting articles, please send those in.

Individual thoughts:

No one limits your growth but you. If you want to earn more, learn more.
Tom Hopkins

Find a need and fill it.
Ruth Stafford Peale

Know yourself. The unexamined life is not worth living.
Socrates

Eagles don't flock - you have to find them one at a time.
H. Ross Perot