Course Outcomes

This delegation skills course will:

  • Help participants understand how they will benefit from improving their abilities to give tasks to others.
  • Provide a model for effective delegation.
  • Offer a process for using questions to promote ownership and generate buy-in.
  • Prepare participants to manage the tasks they have assigned.

Course Overview

People who are good at managing projects and daily tasks understand the value of delegation. They are able to balance workloads, focus on strengths, and develop others. This interactive half-day workshop focuses exclusively on delegation skills. During this program, we will explore the value of delegating, delegation models, barriers to successful delegation, and a proven process for generating buy-in, confirming authority, monitoring tasks, and rewarding good performance.

Program Objectives

At this program’s conclusion, participants should be able to:

  • Describe the value of delegation.
  • Recognize barriers to successful delegation.
  • Explain the steps in effective delegation.
  • Choose the right person for the right task.
  • Delegate the correct level of authority.
  • Use questions to generate buy-in, coach, and confirm understanding.
  • Monitor delegated tasks.

The following outline highlights some of the course’s key learning points. As part of your training program, we will modify content as needed to meet your business objectives. Upon request, we will provide you with a copy of the participant materials prior to the session(s).

Workshop Outline

Walking on Coals: Why Delegate?

To begin, participants will explore delegation challenges, the advantages and disadvantages of delegating, and how their work life could improve if they leverage delegation correctly. To generate buy-in and highlight the importance of dividing work, group members will work in teams to complete several rounds of a memory game. After discussing that game’s learning points, participants will review the session’s plan and shape the agenda.
 

A Model Approach: Learning the Steps

This part of the course looks at the delegation process. Working in teams, participants will draw on their existing knowledge of delegation and construct a model. Next, the groups will share their models and compare them with well-known delegation frameworks. This activity will provide us with an opportunity to discuss the process of delegating and the importance of a methodical and consistent approach to delegation.
 

Igniting the Passion: Who Is the Right Person for the Task?

Not all people are suited for all tasks, and a big part of good delegation is being good at matching people with tasks. In this workshop segment, participants will explore tools for determining who should do what. Next, they will discuss the importance of getting buy-in from others and how to do it. Finally, we will examine an eight-step checklist to ensure they cover all the bases when delegating. 
 

A Measure of Authority: How Can You Avoid Hot Water?

This portion of the program looks at the four levels of authority that can be assigned when delegating and when each is appropriate. During this section of the seminar, participants will learn how to give better instructions, and they will practice giving direction.
 

Asking Not Telling: The Value of Questions

Questions can spark curiosity, ignite creativity, and generate a sense of project or task ownership. During this part of the course, participants will explore the value of questions in the delegation process and role play several delegation scenarios. We will also discuss the value of questions when delegating to different types of people: the rock star, the apprentice, the reluctant employee, and others.
 

Checking the Temperature: Monitoring Delegation

Even people who have experience with delegating can find themselves skipping part of the process – monitoring. When people aren’t recognized for doing a good job or coached when they get stuck on completing some aspect of a task, they quickly lose interest in taking on more. This final workshop segment examines the importance of following up and tips and tricks for monitoring tasks without turning into a micromanager.
 

By the conclusion of this course, participants should have a firm idea of how delegation will help them manage their time and projects, and they should know how to implement a range of tactics for assigning and managing work when back on the job.