STAKEHOLDERS MANAGEMENT

In the context that businesses increasingly need consensus from many parties, management skills and stakeholder persuasion have become the core competencies of experts and managers. This course provides mindsets, tools, and practical techniques to help students identify the right stakeholders, build trust, and make an effective impact. Through group exercises, case studies and simulations, students will be able to immediately apply them to real work.

Participants

Specialists, team leaders, managers of departments
Project managers or people who regularly work with multiple related teams.
Those who want to improve their skills in building relationships, influencing and persuading internal and external stakeholders.

Identify and categorize stakeholders and understand their needs and expectations.
Analyze and prioritize stakeholders
Build trust and foster cooperation.
Adopt the right influence style and tactics to gain support
Develop a specific action plan to improve the level of engagement and strengthen long-term relationships with stakeholders.

Part 1: UNDERSTAND AND MANAGE STAKEHOLDERS EFFECTIVELY

v Overview of Stakeholder Governance

· Understand the importance of governance and stakeholder engagement

· Identify common mistakes (e.g., ignoring the “silent influence”).

· Group activities: Discuss the differences in “success” in stakeholder governance.

v Step 1 – Stakeholder Identification

· Who are the Stakeholders? Importance.

· Identify internal and external stakeholders.

· List of stakeholders:

o People affected by your work

o Influencers at work

o People who care about whether the final result is successful or not

· Identify & build relationships using the RASCI model.

· Understand their concerns.

· Acknowledge the need.

· Project life cycle and expectations – goals of stakeholders.

· Team activities: list 5 important stakeholders, identify needs – expectations – concerns and make a plan to build relationships.

v Step 2 – Prioritize Stakeholders

· 5 steps to analyze stakeholders.

· Apply the Power/Interest Matrix with an example for each function.

· Screening key stakeholders.

· Correcting discrepancies when working with stakeholders.

· Build and maintain stakeholder commitments.

· Team activities: building a stakeholder map according to the actual project

v Step 3 – Engagement Management

· 5 levels of stakeholder involvement

· Classification of stakeholders:

o Comprehensive support

o Conditional Support

o Non-advocating/obstructing

· Cohesive evaluation matrix.

· Track engagement.

· Collect feedback using the Feedback Grid.

· Team activities: build an Engagement Matrix based on real-life situations.

Part 2: BUILDING TRUST & EFFECTIVE INFLUENCE

Approach

Practical and easy to apply: The training principle is 70 – 20 – 10, in which 70% experience and practical application, 20% interaction and feedback, and 10% theoretical foundation.

Step-by-step learning: Skills are broken down, making it easy to practice and apply effectively before combining comprehensively.

Learning by doing: Each skill is practiced through practical exercises and feedback from instructors, ensuring high applicability.

Connection through companionship: An opportunity to practice with a classmate or Buddy and maintain academic performance after the program.

Building Trust with Stakeholders
Why personal credibility is important in stakeholder relations.
Trust Equation by Charles Green.
Recognize signs of declining confidence.
Restoring trust with the 6A model.
Team activities: analyze real situations in building and maintaining trust with stakeholders.

Make an Impact with Stakeholders
The 5 Power Foundations of French & Raven.
4 styles of influence:
- Assertive Persuasion (AP)
- Reward & Punishment (R&P)
- Participation & Trust (P&T)
- Common Vision (CV)
When each style fits/doesn’t fit.

Personal influence tactics
Hard – soft tactics and appropriate use.
Move from “compliance” to “commitment”.
The technique shifts from “pushing” to “pulling” with empathy & co-ownership.
Activity: simulating a situation that convinces stakeholders.

Communication & Influence at Levels
Communication upwards: persuade the leader.
Downward communication: team/contractor coordination.
Peer-to-peer communication: inter-departmental cooperation.
Activity: present persuasive pitching to key stakeholders.

Summary and harvest after the course:
Drawing practical lessons
Q&A
Practical action plan in work and life