Influence and Stakeholder Management (Leadership)

Enhance your competencies in interpersonal skills and communication

Influence and Stakeholder Management is a two day course where participants will learn about stakeholder management and methods to meet or exceed stakeholder expectations. This course will address the often neglected art of listening, interviewing, conducting effective presentations and leading meetings. You will learn to use the psychology of power and persuasion to engage and influence stakeholders. Individual and team exercises will be utilised to advance verbal and nonverbal communication techniques and skills. Using an in-class case study, you will be introduced to proven methods of negotiation and conflict resolution. Each participant will have an opportunity to practice key skills involved in communication, persuasion, and negotiation. Some claim that a manager’s job is over 80% communications but it is the one area that we make many of our greatest assumptions.

What You Will Learn

• During the course participants will gain knowledge on the following topics:
• Basic communications planning
• Stakeholder management
• Communication styles (e.g., generational differences)
• Communication mediums
• Silence and non-verbal communication
• Conflict resolution and negotiations
• How to determine power bases, influence, and persuade
• Create a detailed communication plan
• Create a stakeholder management plan
• Increase stakeholder buy-in
• Conduct effective interviews
• Have heightened awareness of non-verbal cues
• Understand and use techniques of power, influence, and persuasion

As managers we use communications to meet or exceed stakeholder expectations, to assign and monitor work, to resolve conflicts and negotiate for successful completion of work requirements, however, we do a great deal of talking that isn't really communication. Communication needs to be purposeful and requires sufficient planning to increase the likelihood of success and even though the concept can be simply, they are often difficult to apply. Through this course, you will learn these concepts and how to overcome difficulties in applying them. You will also practice key sills involved in communication, persuasion and negotiation.

Much of the communication we learn in management programs is about verbal communications that only accounts for a small portion of communication. In this course you will spend time understanding and applying effective listening and non-verbal communication skills.

Program Content

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Create a detailed communication plan
• Create a stakeholder management plan
• Increase stakeholder buy-in
• Conduct effective interviews
• Have heightened awareness of non-verbal cues
• Understand and use techniques of power, influence and persuasion

Management Competencies addressed:

Participants will enhance their competencies in interpersonal skills and communications.

Instructional Approach:

This course is made up of short lectures, multiple table exercises, a case study, video clips, and games. You will undertake individual and team exercises. You will also use peer reviewed exercises to gain personal awareness, and to become more adept at providing feedback to other team members. You are guaranteed not to be bored!

Agenda

day 1

8:30 to 9:00 Introduction

9:00 to 9:30 Stakeholder Management Fundamentals and Model

• Who are Stakeholders
• Why is Stakeholder Management Important
• Stakeholder Model
• Identify Stakeholders
• Understand Stakeholders
• Build Trust
• Respond to Stakeholders
• Monitor and Control Stakeholders

9:30 to 10:00 Stakeholder Identification

• Stakeholder Identification Methods including the Salience Model
• Exercise – Fraser River Debris Program

10:00 to 10:15 Break

10:15 to 12:00 Stakeholder Understanding and Mapping

• Stakeholder Assessment
• Determining Urgency/Legitimacy/Power
• Determining Needs and Expectations
• Preferred Communication Styles
• Exercise – Stakeholder Map

12:00 to 1:00 Lunch

1:00 to 2:00 Build Trust

• What is Trust?
• The Business Case of Trust
• Exercise
• How do you Build Trust?
• How do you Repair Broken Trust?

2:00 to 3:00 Respond To Stakeholders

• Psychology of Influence and Persuasion
• How to Achieve and Maintain Stakeholder Buy-in

3:00 to 3:15 Break

3:15 to 3:45 Exercise – Case Study

3:45 to 4:15 Stakeholder Monitoring and Control

• Expectation Management
• Engagement Management
• Exercise – Stakeholder on a Page

day 2

8:30 to 9:00 Communication Models

• Sender Receive
• 3 Way

9:00 to 10:30 Non Verbal Communication

• Para Verbal
• Exercise – Stakeholder Sort
• Non Verbal
• Exercise – ABC Game

10:30 to 10:45 Break

10:45 to 11:00 Communication Mediums

• Face to Face
• E-mail/Text
• Telephone
• Shared Data Bases
• Web Conferencing
• Exercise – Three Hour Tour

11:00 to 12:00 Communication Styles Assertive vs. Expressive

12:00 to 1:00 Lunch

1:00 to 1:30 Communication Barriers

• Noise
• Generational Differences

1:30 to 2:00 Communication Plan

• Goals and Objectives
• Key Messaging
• Distribution, Retention, and Knowledge Management
• Exercise – Communication Key Messaging

2:00 – 3:00 Issue and Conflict Management

• Issue Identification Ownership and Resolution
• Conflict Resolution Styles

3:00 to 3:15 Break

3:15 to 4:15 Negotiation

• Negotiation Model
• Prepare
• Discovery
• Bargaining
• Commitment

4:15 to 5:00 WRAP UP