Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Conduct advanced stakeholder analysis, mapping power, interest, and influence to inform strategy.
• Master the principles of organizational diplomacy, balancing advocacy with compromise and relationship building.
• Develop and execute tailored communication plans to secure buy-in from diverse, high-priority stakeholders.
• Identify potential sources of political opposition and develop proactive strategies to neutralize or convert them.
• Build strong, durable coalitions across functional and organizational boundaries to support strategic initiatives.
• Apply negotiation and influence skills to manage competing resource demands and departmental agendas.
• Lead politically sensitive meetings and discussions with emotional intelligence and strategic poise.
• Translate complex technical or strategic content into persuasive, audience-specific business cases.

• Senior Managers and Directors leading cross-functional or enterprise-wide projects
• Project and Program Managers with high external/internal dependencies
• Internal Consultants and Strategy Development Professionals
• Leaders responsible for managing governance and steering committees
• Individuals seeking to enhance their political acumen and relational influence

• Group workshops conducting advanced **Power/Interest Matrix** mapping and analysis for a complex case study project.
• Role-playing politically sensitive scenarios (e.g., managing a hostile committee meeting, asking for resources).
• Individual exercises developing a tailored communication plan for a C-suite executive and a frontline team.
• Case studies analyzing organizational political failures and successes in major corporate transformations.
• Workshops on ethical decision-making in ambiguous political contexts.

Unit 1: Foundations of Stakeholder Analysis

• Defining stakeholders (internal, external, primary, secondary) and their impact on project success
• Mastering the Power/Interest Matrix and its application to engagement strategy
• Techniques for systematically identifying and prioritizing all critical organizational interest groups
• Analyzing stakeholder motivations, interests, constraints, and underlying agendas

Unit 2: Organisational Diplomacy and Political Acumen

• The principles of effective organizational diplomacy: balancing advocacy, integrity, and relational capital
• Techniques for identifying and addressing latent political resistance and 'turf wars'
• Strategies for managing competing resource demands between departments (Internal Negotiation)
• The ethical dimension of organizational politics and maintaining leader integrity

Unit 3: Strategic Communication and Buy-in

• Developing a clear, customized communication strategy for each major stakeholder group
• Mastering the art of translating technical content (e.g., IT, Finance) into executive-level business value
• Using storytelling and vision to create emotional commitment rather than mere compliance
• Techniques for running politically sensitive meetings and managing dominating personalities

Unit 4: Coalition Building and Alignment

• Strategies for building strong, durable coalitions and identifying mutual value propositions
• Techniques for mobilizing internal champions and key influencers for a project
• The process of engaging reluctant stakeholders and converting opposition into neutrality or support
• Mastering 'managing up' to secure executive sponsorship and continuous endorsement

Unit 5: Measurement and Sustained Engagement

• Designing a stakeholder engagement plan with clear milestones and measurable outcomes
• Techniques for continuous monitoring of stakeholder sentiment and addressing evolving interests
• Conducting effective 'After Action Reviews' of major engagement initiatives
• Strategies for maintaining long-term, high-trust relationships with critical external partners