Integrated Consulting Exercise (ICE) at Xelay Acumen
At Xelay Acumen, we conduct intensive off-site training retreats several times a year as part of our dedication to Develop Our People. This several day off-site training course encompasses a step-wise methodical progression through the core Xelay consulting skills and Xelay Mindset training modules. Within these individual training modules, proprietary materials and content developed here at Xelay is taught in a dynamic presentation format with a majority of time devoted to actual exercises to reinforce understand and ensure a high threshold ability for each skillset. The Integrated Consulting Exercise (ICE) is a comprehensive and culminating training exercise towards the end of the off-site course that integrates all of the consulting training modules while consolidating the learning in a fast, real-time competitive teamwork environment addressing an actual client issue, formulating hypotheses, refining strategy and approach, interviewing clients and experts, and synthesizing recommendations into a final presentation, all within few hours.
- Competitive Teamwork Environment: ICE is conducted in teams to simulate actual consulting teamwork with a team lead and several team members, allowing for the best ideas to surface as well as efficiently leveraging the team in a prioritized 80/20 fashion to accomplish project tasks. Furthermore, CRISP Communications skills are put to the test in this rapid iterative team setting. As multiple teams are concurrently working on the same client issue, it adds a competitive element of pacing relative to other teams
- Actual Client Issue: For most ICE projects, real client issues and data are used as the raw material to ensure that the exercise is as realistic as possible while allowing participants to see how “months” of effort can be compressed into half a day
- Hypothesis Driving Strategy and Approach: Each core Xelay consulting skill and Xelay mindset topic covered in the offsite course is incorporated and utilized in the team’s structured approach to problem solving
- Client and Expert Interviews: Adding opportunities to gather information and understand the perspective from live client and expert interviews allows refinement of the 2-person interviewing technique for focused, productive, and informative meetings while building relationships
- Final Presentation: Leveraging not only presentation visuals, but live verbal presentation skillsets to deliver recommended solutions in the final client presentation as well as field Q&A from the audience
