About McGrath Communications Group
Founded by Mark McGrath almost 25 years ago, we have successfully navigated the changing waters of Medical Education. Evolving from workshops that focused only on “platform skills” through the OIG compliance restructuring, and now through the drastic changes demanded by Covid, we have adjusted the what and the how of our training. The skills we help speakers adopt are “real world,” and we always use the approved content as our source. Our workshops are active, problem-based, and exercise-driven - resulting in a genuinely engaging learning environment.
When you unpack the things that make our training work so well, it boils down to 3 things...
1. Our Focus
2. Our Method
3. Our Team
1. We Focus on Skills and Tools, Not Tips and Tricks
In much of what passes for skills training, groups are bombarded with various communication tips and tricks in the hopes that something will stick.
Instead of zeroing in on the “whats” of good communication, we structure your training around discovering those skills that impact their success. Speakers practice those skills with strong peer feedback and effective coaching
Providing your speakers with the tools they need to communicate effectively is important, but we ensure they discover the best ways to use those tools. The most powerful tool in the world is useless if you don’t know how to use it. This approach helps learning “stick!”
2. Our Training Methods Align With the Way Your Speakers Learn
We don’t tell your team what to do or think. We help them focus on the communication goals and guide them in discovering the best ways to get there. They own the content because they articulate it themselves! Look in on one of our workshops, and you see groups of engaged participants working through the best ways to communicate their content and share what they find with others. There is robust dialogue, strong and focused feedback, and a challenging environment for growth. It can get a little noisy sometimes, but there is a method to the madness!
People learn best when invested in deciding what needs to be learned. The connection between the content and their world must be immediately apparent, or they will disengage. Every aspect of our workshop is specifically designed to facilitate this learning environment, from how the room is set up to how the facilitator opens the session. There are no didactic data dumps, nor are we simply asking good questions to get the appearance of interaction. We create real challenges and set the groups on the journey of discovering how to master them. And we do this using their real-world content.
3. Our Facilitators Know What They’re Doing
None of this dynamic happens by accident. We don’t just hope it works. We invest a ton of effort in certifying our facilitators. Before any McGrath facilitator trains a single program, they are certified by our staff to lead with our content. The average time someone has been training with us is over 15 years. What’s more, they practice what they preach.
Their experience shows up in the sessions. They steer the conversations where they need to go, keep everyone engaged, weigh in when they should, and coach your team for greater effectiveness. They are well trained in adapting to the group's needs and know how to prioritize when timing and/or needs change and adapt accordingly. They focus on developing and modeling what you want to see from your speakers.
Kick the Tires
We realize that every training company sounds the same on paper, and when you need to invest in training, it can be difficult to tell one vendor from another. You probably need to experience a McGrath session to see how our approach increases impact and retention. Call us, and we will work to arrange a free 1-hour “Kick the Tires” workshop for you and a part of your team. After that, you decide for yourself. Any Questions?