Communication and Relationship Management Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Managers and Team Leaders, Project and Programme Professionals 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-131

Before you join: Participants should have at least one year of professional experience involving regular communication with colleagues, customers, suppliers or other 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

Projects, client accounts, regulatory programmes and operational changes often stall because people leave meetings with different interpretations, avoid difficult issues or fail to maintain confidence after a setback. Managers and specialists must communicate decisions clearly while reading interests, adapting to varied working styles and preserving relationships under pressure. This course addresses the practical work behind those conversations: turning ambiguous requests into agreed actions, giving feedback without damaging trust, influencing stakeholders who do not report to you, and resolving disagreements before they become delivery, service or retention problems.

Participants build a disciplined approach to communication and relationship management. They analyse audiences, construct concise messages, listen for stated and unstated concerns, ask questions that surface facts and interests, and adapt their style without becoming inauthentic. The course covers assertive communication, emotional self-management, stakeholder mapping, trust building, ethical influence, difficult conversations, conflict resolution and interest-based negotiation. Participants use established models including DISC, the Johari Window, SBI feedback, the Thomas-Kilmann conflict modes and BATNA preparation.

Teaching combines short instructor briefings with sector-relevant cases, group analysis, communication simulations and structured feedback. Participants work with situations such as managing a dissatisfied internal client, obtaining agreement on a delayed programme, addressing poor performance, handling resistance to change and negotiating commitments with a supplier or partner. They leave with a personal communication and relationship management toolkit, including a stakeholder relationship map, difficult-conversation planner, feedback script and 90-day application plan.

The course suits professionals who already communicate regularly with colleagues, customers, partners or senior stakeholders and need more reliable methods for handling conversations where the outcome, relationship or reputation matters.

What you will be able to do

  • Analyse audiences, interests and communication risks using stakeholder and message-planning methods
  • Construct concise messages using purpose statements, message pyramids and channel-selection criteria
  • Apply active listening, perception checks and structured questioning to clarify stakeholder needs
  • Deliver developmental feedback using the SBI model and specific improvement requests
  • Use assertive communication techniques to set boundaries, refuse unreasonable requests and escalate issues
  • Build stakeholder relationship maps and trust plans for priority professional relationships
  • Conduct difficult conversations using conflict diagnosis, de-escalation and repair techniques
  • Prepare interest-based negotiations using BATNA, reservation value, ZOPA and concession planning

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Handle difficult conversations with clearer preparation and less avoidable anxiety
  • Give feedback that identifies observable behaviour and agreed improvement actions
  • Set professional boundaries without appearing dismissive or hostile
  • Influence stakeholders through evidence, interests and credible follow-through
  • Build a documented 90-day plan for improving priority working relationships

For your organisation

  • Fewer delays caused by unclear ownership, unresolved assumptions and weak follow-up
  • More constructive feedback conversations between managers, staff and internal clients
  • Earlier resolution of stakeholder concerns before they become formal escalations
  • Stronger cross-functional cooperation on projects, service delivery and change initiatives
  • Better relationship continuity with customers, suppliers, partners and community stakeholders

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can plan purposeful messages for specific audiences, channels and decisions.

  • Communication process mapped through sender, message, channel, receiver, feedback and noise
  • Purpose statements distinguish inform, consult, influence, decide and resolve
  • Audience analysis identifies interests, authority, knowledge, concerns and preferred channels
  • Message pyramids place the main point before evidence and detail
  • Channel selection balances urgency, sensitivity, record-keeping and participant access
  • Communication contracts establish response times, decision rights and escalation routes

Participants can adapt communication style while testing assumptions and respecting differences.

  • DISC behavioural styles interpreted without stereotyping colleagues or customers
  • Adapt tone, pace, detail and evidence to listener preferences
  • High-context and low-context communication patterns compared in multinational teams
  • Directness, hierarchy and face-saving considered when framing sensitive messages
  • Johari Window distinguishes open, blind, hidden and unknown information
  • Perception checks test assumptions before attributing intent or commitment

Participants can listen actively, clarify requirements and provide evidence-based feedback.

  • Active listening uses attending, paraphrasing, reflecting feelings and summarising
  • Open, probing, closed and funnel questions elicit decision-relevant information
  • SBI feedback separates situation, behaviour and impact without judging character
  • Clarifying questions expose ambiguous requests, constraints, ownership and deadlines
  • Silence, pauses and minimal encouragers support fuller stakeholder responses
  • Listening barriers include rehearsing, filtering, rescuing and premature problem-solving

Participants can make clear requests, decline unsuitable demands and escalate issues professionally.

  • Assertive communication differentiates passive, aggressive, passive-aggressive and assertive responses
  • DESC script structures difficult requests, refusals and boundary-setting conversations
  • I statements state observations, effects, needs and specific requests
  • Broken-record technique maintains a clear boundary under repeated pressure
  • Calibrated language replaces blame, absolutes and loaded interpretations
  • Written escalation messages document facts, prior actions, requested decisions and deadlines

Participants can manage emotional triggers and respond constructively during tense exchanges.

  • Emotional intelligence links self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management
  • Trigger mapping identifies bodily cues, assumptions and unhelpful default reactions
  • Name emotions precisely before choosing a response or pause
  • Reappraisal separates observable facts from interpretations during tense exchanges
  • Empathy statements acknowledge impact without conceding disputed facts or responsibility
  • Psychological safety behaviours invite dissent, questions, uncertainty and error reporting

Participants can identify priority relationships and build trust through reliable working practices.

  • Trust equation assesses credibility, reliability, intimacy and self-orientation in relationships
  • Relationship maps identify sponsors, blockers, users, influencers and decision-makers
  • Stakeholder salience assesses power, legitimacy and urgency of competing claims
  • Expectation agreements clarify scope, roles, milestones, communication and escalation
  • Reciprocity builds goodwill through relevant support, follow-through and introductions
  • Credibility repairs address missed commitments with ownership, remedy and prevention

Participants can gain commitment by connecting proposals to stakeholder interests and evidence.

  • Interest-based influence distinguishes stated positions from underlying needs and concerns
  • Cialdini principles applied ethically: reciprocity, consistency, social proof, authority, liking, scarcity
  • Stakeholder messages connect proposals to operational, financial and risk priorities
  • Evidence ladders combine data, examples, expert judgment and implementation implications
  • Framing choices present trade-offs, consequences and recommendations without manipulation
  • Commitment questions secure owners, next steps, resources and review dates

Participants can diagnose conflict and conduct structured conversations to reach workable agreements.

  • Thomas-Kilmann modes guide competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding and accommodating choices
  • Conflict diagnosis separates task, process, relationship, values and status issues
  • Prepare difficult conversations using facts, impact, interests, options and requests
  • Ladder of Inference identifies assumptions driving defensive interpretations and responses
  • De-escalation lowers heat through pace, acknowledgment, choice and procedural fairness
  • Repair conversations address harm, accountability, restitution and future working agreements

Participants can prepare and conduct negotiations that protect relationships and secure clear commitments.

  • BATNA, reservation value and ZOPA define negotiation boundaries and alternatives
  • Preparation sheets distinguish interests, issues, concessions, criteria and authority limits
  • Objective criteria anchor proposals to policy, market data or precedent
  • Package offers trade across priorities rather than splitting every difference
  • Concession strategy exchanges value conditionally and records reciprocal commitments
  • Closing summaries confirm agreements, owners, deadlines, contingencies and communication

Participants can maintain effective communication across written, remote and ongoing stakeholder interactions.

  • Email structures use clear subject lines, purpose, action and deadline
  • Remote meetings establish agenda, participation, decision rules and follow-up
  • Nonverbal signals include posture, eye contact, voice, timing and silence
  • Cross-functional relationship plan prioritises stakeholders, touchpoints, commitments and risks
  • Personal communication audit identifies recurring strengths, gaps and development priorities
  • 90-day application plan assigns behaviours, measures, accountability and review dates

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

What you take back to work

  1. Audience and message-planning template
  2. Stakeholder relationship map
  3. SBI feedback conversation script
  4. DESC assertiveness planner
  5. Difficult-conversation preparation checklist
  6. 90-day communication application plan

Who should attend

  • Managers and Team Leaders — need clearer conversations, feedback and working agreements
  • Project and Programme Professionals — depend on stakeholder commitment across competing priorities
  • Client Relationship Managers — must protect trust while managing expectations and service issues
  • HR and People Professionals — handle sensitive employee conversations and workplace conflict
  • Technical Specialists and Subject-Matter Experts — need to influence decisions without formal authority
  • Procurement and Partnership Professionals — require stronger negotiation and relationship-maintenance methods

Skills and tools covered

Stakeholder communicationActive listeningAssertive communicationFeedback deliveryConflict resolutionRelationship management

Tools and standards

DISC behavioural styles, Johari Window, SBI feedback model, Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to introduce each model, followed by case analysis, paired practice, group exercises and structured simulations. Participants prepare messages, diagnose stakeholder interests, practise feedback and difficult-conversation techniques, and review communication choices against observable criteria. Cases can be adapted to public sector, financial services, NGO, corporate or technical environments. Facilitators provide practical feedback throughout, while individual reflection and application planning connect the methods to current workplace relationships.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have at least one year of professional experience involving regular communication with colleagues, customers, suppliers or other stakeholders. They should be familiar with routine meetings, email communication and the need to coordinate work with others. The course assumes willingness to discuss realistic workplace situations and receive structured feedback on communication choices. No prior training in psychology, negotiation, coaching, DISC or conflict management is required. Participants do not need to hold a management position, although those with supervisory responsibilities will find immediate applications.

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

You should have experience communicating regularly in a professional role, such as participating in meetings, coordinating work or dealing with customers and colleagues. No previous course in communication theory, negotiation, psychology or management is required.

Bring examples of real communication or relationship challenges that you can discuss without sharing confidential information. A laptop or notebook is useful for completing templates and developing your application plan.

It is designed for managers, project staff, client-facing professionals, HR practitioners, technical specialists and professionals who work across functions. It is particularly useful where participants need commitment from people outside their direct reporting line.

Presentation skills courses focus primarily on formal speaking to groups, while negotiation courses concentrate on reaching agreements between parties. This course addresses the wider daily discipline of listening, feedback, trust, influence, boundaries, conflict and relationship maintenance.

Participants use workplace scenarios to prepare messages, identify stakeholders and plan difficult conversations. The final application plan identifies priority relationships, observable behaviours and review dates for the next 90 days.

Each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides approximately 6.5 contact hours. The five days cover ten modules in teaching order, combining instructor input, case work, group exercises, simulations and individual planning.

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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