Approaches and Practices

Anyone considering industrial or corporate consulting should be aware of two important factors. First, when evaluating the success of a training program, clients typically use one principal measure: employee productivity. Rhetorical concerns aside, instruction must translate directly into increased job effi ciency. Second, clients may hire writing consultants to solve alleged writing problems that are, in fact, disguised management problems. Consultants need to perform their own careful diagnosis and be alert for organizational issues having little to do with writing deficiencies. This article explores these two ca veats in the context of a six-week training program held for engineers and technicians of a manufacturing firm.