Communication and Influence Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Line Managers, Newly Promoted Managers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-CS-130

Before you join: Participants should have at least six months of experience working with colleagues, customers, suppliers or internal stakeholders.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Line managers are expected to explain decisions, secure commitment, give clear direction and address performance concerns without relying solely on formal authority. Poorly framed messages, weak listening and avoidance of difficult conversations create rework, delayed decisions, unresolved conflict and low confidence. This course develops the communication discipline needed to influence colleagues, senior stakeholders, direct reports and cross-functional partners when priorities, interests or perspectives differ.

Participants learn to diagnose audiences, structure concise messages and select an influencing approach suited to the situation. They practise active listening, purposeful questioning, constructive feedback and difficult-conversation techniques. The course covers stakeholder analysis, communication under pressure, interest-based negotiation, meeting leadership and influencing without authority. Participants learn how to distinguish positional disagreement from underlying interests, respond to resistance without becoming defensive and turn broad requests into clear agreements on action, ownership and follow-up.

Teaching combines short instructor briefings with realistic management cases, group analysis, paired simulations and structured feedback. Cases reflect situations such as securing resources for a bank transformation programme, addressing missed deadlines in a public-sector project, resolving disagreement between operational and technical teams, and communicating a change affecting employees. Participants receive a personal communication and influence action plan, supported by reusable message, stakeholder, feedback and conversation-planning templates.

The course is suited to managers and professionals who must gain cooperation across reporting lines, communicate decisions with confidence and handle sensitive discussions constructively. It is particularly valuable for newly promoted managers, project leaders and technical specialists moving into broader stakeholder-facing responsibilities.

What you will be able to do

  • Diagnose stakeholder interests, influence positions and communication risks using stakeholder mapping
  • Construct concise management messages using the SCQA and pyramid principles
  • Apply active listening and questioning techniques to uncover concerns and priorities
  • Adapt communication style to audience needs, decision rights and organisational context
  • Deliver behavioural feedback using the SBI model and clear improvement requests
  • Plan difficult conversations using facts, interests, options and agreed next steps
  • Influence without authority through reciprocity, credibility and coalition-building methods
  • Produce a 90-day communication and influence action plan for workplace priorities

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Greater confidence leading sensitive one-to-one and team conversations
  • Clearer messages that reduce misunderstanding and repeated explanation
  • Practical language for challenging assumptions without damaging working relationships
  • Stronger credibility when presenting recommendations to senior stakeholders
  • A focused 90-day plan for improving a live workplace communication priority

For your organisation

  • Faster alignment on decisions, ownership and delivery commitments
  • More consistent feedback conversations between managers and team members
  • Reduced escalation caused by unresolved misunderstandings and stakeholder resistance
  • Improved cross-functional cooperation on projects, change initiatives and service delivery
  • Clearer management communication during operational pressure and organisational change

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can assess communication situations and choose an appropriate managerial response.

  • Communication purpose, audience, context and desired action defined before speaking
  • Managerial credibility built through competence, consistency, care and candour
  • Stakeholder mapping identifies influence, interest, expectations and likely resistance
  • Formal authority compared with expert, referent and informational power sources
  • Communication channels selected by urgency, sensitivity, complexity and audience reach
  • Assumptions separated from observable facts before interpreting stakeholder behaviour

Participants can build concise messages that support understanding and decision-making.

  • SCQA structure frames situation, complication, question and answer for senior audiences
  • Pyramid Principle places the governing thought before supporting evidence
  • BLUF statements communicate the bottom line upfront in operational updates
  • Key messages limited to three linked points with supporting evidence
  • Recommendations distinguish decision required, rationale, risks and next actions
  • Plain language replaces jargon, ambiguity, passive voice and unnecessary qualifiers

Participants can use listening and questioning to identify concerns and clarify meaning.

  • Active listening demonstrates attention through paraphrasing, summarising and accurate recall
  • Open questions reveal priorities, constraints, assumptions and stakeholder concerns
  • Closed questions confirm facts, ownership, deadlines and decision boundaries
  • Ladder of Inference exposes untested conclusions behind disputed interpretations
  • Reflecting emotions acknowledges impact without conceding the underlying issue
  • Clarifying questions separate requests, positions, needs and non-negotiable requirements

Participants can adapt communication style without weakening the core message.

  • Audience analysis considers expertise, authority, concerns, language and preferred detail
  • SCARF model identifies status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness and fairness triggers
  • Communication pace adjusted for urgent decisions, consultation and sensitive messages
  • Detail level matched to executive, technical, operational and customer audiences
  • Written updates distinguish information, decisions, requests and escalation points
  • Non-verbal signals aligned with message content, confidence and respect

Participants can give balanced feedback that results in clear improvement actions.

  • SBI model describes situation, behaviour and impact without personal judgement
  • Feedforward requests focus on future behaviour, support and measurable expectations
  • Recognition links specific contributions to team, customer or organisational outcomes
  • Performance concerns addressed promptly using evidence, standards and examples
  • Questions invite employee perspective before agreeing corrective action
  • Follow-up arrangements specify milestones, support required and review dates

Participants can prepare and lead difficult conversations while maintaining professionalism.

  • Conversation planning identifies facts, assumptions, interests, options and desired agreements
  • Neutral opening statements describe the issue without blame or accusation
  • DESC script structures description, expression, specification and consequences clearly
  • Defensive responses handled through acknowledgement, enquiry and restated expectations
  • Emotional escalation reduced by pausing, naming concerns and lowering language intensity
  • Boundaries stated clearly when conduct, safety or policy requirements apply

Participants can build support for proposals across functions and reporting lines.

  • Cialdini principles applied ethically through reciprocity, consistency, authority and social proof
  • Influence objectives distinguish awareness, agreement, commitment and behavioural change
  • Stakeholder interests translated into benefits, evidence and relevant trade-offs
  • Coalition mapping identifies sponsors, allies, blockers and undecided stakeholders
  • Reciprocal exchanges clarify contributions, dependencies and mutual commitments
  • Resistance anticipated through credible evidence, options and early stakeholder involvement

Participants can manage disagreement by focusing on interests, options and agreed criteria.

  • Interest-based negotiation separates people, problems, interests and positions
  • BATNA analysis establishes alternatives before entering resource or priority discussions
  • Objective criteria test proposals against policy, data, standards and precedent
  • Thomas-Kilmann modes identify competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding and accommodating responses
  • Conflict reframed from personal accusation to shared operational problem
  • Agreements record concessions, responsibilities, deadlines and escalation routes

Participants can lead focused meetings and communicate decisions with clear accountability.

  • Meeting purpose defined as information, consultation, decision or problem-solving
  • Agenda design assigns outcomes, owners, timings and pre-reading requirements
  • Facilitation techniques balance participation, challenge, pace and decision discipline
  • Decision logs record options considered, rationale, owners and review points
  • Briefing openings establish purpose, relevance, priorities and expected response
  • Action summaries confirm commitments, deadlines, dependencies and escalation triggers

Participants can convert course methods into a practical plan for a current workplace priority.

  • Current workplace challenge defined through audience, outcome, constraints and timeline
  • Stakeholder map prioritises conversations by influence, urgency and relationship quality
  • Message plan combines governing thought, evidence, objections and requested action
  • Conversation checklist prepares questions, listening points, boundaries and follow-up
  • Feedback from peers identifies wording changes and likely stakeholder reactions
  • Ninety-day action plan schedules communication commitments, measures and review dates

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Stakeholder mapping template
  2. SCQA and Pyramid Principle message planner
  3. SBI feedback conversation checklist
  4. Difficult conversation preparation canvas
  5. Influence and coalition-building plan
  6. 90-day communication action plan

Who should attend

  • Line Managers — need cooperation, accountability and clear performance conversations
  • Newly Promoted Managers — require practical methods for leading former peers
  • Project Managers — must secure decisions and resources across matrix teams
  • Technical Specialists — need to explain recommendations to non-specialist stakeholders
  • Programme Managers — coordinate competing priorities among senior sponsors and delivery teams
  • Team Leaders — need consistent communication during change and operational pressure

Skills and tools covered

Stakeholder analysisMessage structuringActive listeningConstructive feedbackDifficult conversationsInfluencing without authority

Tools and standards

SCQA framework, Pyramid Principle, SBI feedback model, Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to introduce models, followed by case analysis, group discussions, paired simulations and structured peer feedback. Participants work with realistic management scenarios involving conflicting priorities, poor performance, change communication and cross-functional decisions. Simulations allow participants to test message structure, listening, feedback and influence techniques under time pressure. Facilitators provide targeted coaching on wording, questioning and response choices. Each participant converts course methods into an application plan linked to a current workplace challenge.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have at least six months of experience working with colleagues, customers, suppliers or internal stakeholders. They should be familiar with routine meetings, written updates and workplace decision-making, and should bring one current communication challenge to consider during the course. Prior management experience is helpful but not essential. No formal qualification, personality assessment, public-speaking background or negotiation training is required. The course assumes participants can contribute to discussion in English and reflect constructively on their own communication habits.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants need practical experience communicating with colleagues, customers or internal stakeholders. No previous management, negotiation or presentation course is required, although current workplace responsibility will make application more immediate.

Participants should bring details of one current communication, stakeholder or performance issue they can examine during the course. Sensitive names and commercially confidential information should be anonymised.

The course is designed primarily for line managers, team leaders, project managers and professionals who need cooperation from people outside their direct reporting line. It also suits technical specialists preparing for broader management responsibilities.

Presentation skills courses focus mainly on formal delivery to an audience. This course covers the wider management communication cycle: listening, feedback, difficult conversations, stakeholder influence, negotiation, meetings and decision communication.

Participants receive templates for planning messages, stakeholder engagement, feedback and difficult conversations. They leave with a 90-day action plan tied to a real workplace priority, allowing immediate use in meetings and one-to-one discussions.

The five-day programme runs from 08:30 to 16:30 each day, with approximately 6.5 contact hours daily. Time is divided between instructor input, case work, discussions, simulations, feedback and application planning across ten modules.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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