EFFECTIVE STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS (G012)

Complete List > Stakeholder Communications

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?

Imagine you're about to launch a new policy, regulations, program or a project that can have a wide- ranging impact on your work and on your internal and external stakeholders. You need the collaboration and support of a variety of people. To get things done at work and to sustain continued successes, one must rely on the goodwill and support of others. Securing support from well-informed, influential, and powerful stakeholders can help win the much needed resources (human, financial, physical and other) for the successful completion of a program or a project. In order to gain stakeholders' active and sustained support, it is essential to communicate with them early, frequently, regularly about what you are doing and the benefits of your project for them.

The ability to build effective rapport and relationship with stakeholders provides managers with a distinct advantage in managing expectations, dealing with difficult situations and negotiating their way to a positive end result. Understanding the stakeholders' communication and decision-making styles and personal preferences as well as what motivates them, creates an effective pathway for a committed and results- driven business relationship. Stakeholder communication and engagement is a valuable strategy that successful people use to win others' support. The workshop outlined below will help you learn how to identify the key stakeholders who have to be won over and kept informed and involved in a way they like, prefer and appreciate so that your efforts lead to success.

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?

Successful completion of this workshop will enable participants to:

• Identify influential stakeholders for a project or program
• Gather critical information about stakeholders' communication needs
• Determine stakeholders' communication and decision-making styles
• Establish rapport and develop mutual understanding with stakeholders
• Create persuasive stakeholder presentations
• Determine your power or sphere of influence with each stakeholder group
• Apply best practices in stakeholder engagement and communication
• Understand the importance of moving from "transactions" to "relationship" mode

PRE-WORKSHOP PREPARATION

Prior to the workshop, you will be requested to prepare a summary of a program or a project you are involved in or have been engaged in the past. In this project or program, you have had to interact (or work with) stakeholders. Take the time to identify the stakeholders connected to your program/project. During the workshop you will be able to refer to this information (details changed to protect privacy and security of information) when you provide input in group discussions and the inter-active process of learning about stakeholder communications.

WHAT WILL YOU TAKE AWAY?

• A comprehensive participant work book and a case study
• A sample communications plan for stakeholder engagement
• Significant benefits of stakeholder communications
• Examples of best practices
• A checklist for communication with stakeholders during the life of a program/project from planning, development, operation and evaluation
• References

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COMPETENCY

• Engagement: Working effectively with people, organizations and partners
• http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/tal/kcl/ekl-eng.asp

Agenda
8:45 - 9:00	Introductions and Workshop Overview
9:00 - 9:45	Stakeholders: Their Role and Value This segment includes discussion of: Who are stakeholders in the public sector context Internal vs. external stakeholders Vertical, horizontal/lateral and other stakeholders and implications Distinguishing stakeholders as "political", non-political, others Communications policies, directives — function, role, application Stakeholder role and influence on project outcome Enlisting stakeholders' support — importance of communication Differences between communications and engagement A public sector project and the value of stakeholders' active role in a project's success or failure
9:45 - 10:00	Break
10:00 - 11:00	Stakeholder Analysis and Planning Profiling stakeholders — characteristics, power, interests, postures Groups as stakeholders — opportunities and challenges Prioritizing stakeholders Stakeholder consultation (determining project investment) Management plan (involvement, information requirements, control) Exercise: Prioritizing stakeholders according to established criteria. The group will work with a supplied public service scenario.
11:00 - 12:00	Communicating with Stakeholders: Value in building a Relationship Session to include coverage of: Consulting with and engaging the stakeholders Determining their communications and decision-making style Using appropriate communications protocol Building interest (stakeholders' interest in the program project) Asking the right questions and active listening Determining their interests and shaping a strategy to enlist support and to enhance chances of positive endorsement of your program project
12:00 - 13:00	Lunch
13:00 - 14:00	Stakeholder Communications: One Strategy or Many? The focus will be on: Identifying communications and engagement needs of internal and external stakeholders and audiences Collecting, retrieving and analyzing information Ascertaining the appropriateness of different communications and stakeholder engagement models, tools, techniques and technologies, including social media Anticipating communications and engagement problems and challenges Reviewing an example of a stakeholder communications plan Exercise: Create main points for an oral briefing for senior management
14:00 - 15:15	How to move Stakeholders from Supporters to Advocates and sustain their Support Participants will learn about best practices in building stakeholder support. This session will explore: The opportunities available to communications practitioners to move stakeholders along the change continuum from a position of non-support to support and then to a position of confirmed advocates Approaches to managing stakeholder expectations and potential points of conflict
15:15 - 15:30	Break
15:30 - 15:45	Group Exercise: Participants will work in small groups to prepare a specific stakeholder communications strategy. Each group will present its results followed by a discussion. Through this exercise the participants will understand the requirements for and issues involved in developing a stakeholder communication strategy.
15:45 - 16:15	Wrap-up and Evaluation Participants will complete a short evaluation