Introduction

A stakeholder refers to any individual, group, or entity that holds an interest in an organization due to the influence they experience or exert through its activities. Every entity, whether in the public or private sector, is affected by stakeholders. These stakeholders, who may be internal or external, require active engagement; it is crucial to grasp their expectations and to devise, plan, and execute strategies that address and acknowledge their issues. All stakeholder groups should be acknowledged and treated fairly as part of robust governance practices.

Managing stakeholders requires a blend of both hard and soft skills, including insights into human behavior, cultural dynamics, and communication, culminating in the ability to ethically influence and negotiate.

This Stakeholder Management training course offers an introduction to pertinent methodologies and a distinguished standard designed to enhance your capability to effectively and efficiently manage stakeholders. You will learn about the processes of stakeholder management, gain insights into human behavior and how to influence it, and develop communication strategies. Additionally, you will acquire skills in principled negotiation and influence without authority to achieve your objectives. The course combines brief theoretical segments with extensive interactive exercises and role-playing to allow you to practice your new skills in a supportive learning environment.

Course Objectives

• Detail the workflow, processes, and crucial documents required in stakeholder management.
• Illustrate methods to analyze the stakeholder environment, identify and prioritize stakeholders, and understand their expectations.
• Develop and disseminate communications aimed at engaging stakeholders.
• Showcase the ability to discern how personality traits and behaviors provide insights into managing stakeholders' hopes and expectations.
• Present examples of various cultural backgrounds and their effects on stakeholders’ perspectives.
• Demonstrate the ability to conduct effective negotiations using principled negotiation techniques.

Target Audience

• Senior executives and managers
• Emerging leaders, including junior managers and supervisors
• Professional staff across functions, such as HR and finance
• Individuals seeking a deeper understanding of stakeholder dynamics and engagement
• Participants in organizational transformation projects
• Team members from program, project, and PMO offices

Course Outline

Day 1: Fundamentals of Identifying and Defining Stakeholder Groups

• Introduction to stakeholder engagement and management
• The process of stakeholder engagement and essential documents
• Determination of stakeholders
• Compilation of a stakeholder register
• Development and analysis of stakeholder profiles
• Evaluation of stakeholder interests, both positive and negative
• Analysis of discrepancies between current and desired stakeholder perceptions
• Formulation of appropriate stakeholder management strategies

Day 2: Strategic Planning of Stakeholder Communication and Its Evaluation

• Formulation of communication plans for stakeholder engagement
• Identification and conveyance of key messages
• Construction of stakeholder communication strategies
• Organization and management of stakeholder meetings
• Addressing and resolving stakeholder concerns
• Advancement of unresolved stakeholder issues to higher management

Day 3: Interpersonal Dynamics in Stakeholder Management

• The role of empathy in managing stakeholder relations
• Trust as a pivotal foundation for relationships
• The distinctions and impacts of influencing, persuading, and manipulating
• Personality attributes and their relevance to stakeholder management (including feedback from a personality type questionnaire to be completed in the course)
• The interplay between behaviors, personality, and their interpretation
• Techniques for influencing without possessing authority
• Understanding and leveraging emotional intelligence

Day 4: Techniques for Successful Negotiation

• The context and setting for negotiations
• Definition of negotiation boundaries, potential zones of agreement, and optimal alternatives to negotiated agreements
• Contrasts between soft and hard negotiation methods and their significance
• Approaches to principled negotiation, aggressive tactics, and crucial decision-making
• Protocols and procedures in negotiations
• Conducting and overseeing negotiations

Day 5: Cultural Influences on Stakeholder Engagement and Management

• Exploration of cultural definitions
• Examination of national, regional, organizational, and business unit cultures
• Effective communication across different cultural contexts
• Strategies for negotiating across diverse cultures
• Course summary and certificate presentation