Influential Communication Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Managers, Project 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-151

Before you join: Participants should have experience communicating with colleagues, managers, clients or other professional stakeholders and should be able to bring a current workplace issue requiring support or action.

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

Influential communication determines whether sound ideas receive attention, gain support and lead to action. Professionals often face decisions shaped by competing priorities, incomplete information, senior stakeholders with limited time and colleagues who interpret the same message differently. A technically correct proposal can fail when its purpose is unclear, evidence is poorly framed, objections are anticipated too late or the communicator cannot adapt to the audience.

This course develops the practical communication and influence skills needed to move ideas from initial concept to agreed action. Participants learn to analyse stakeholders, define communication objectives, structure persuasive messages, present evidence credibly and handle challenge without becoming defensive. They practise adapting messages for senior leaders, technical specialists, clients, regulators and cross-functional teams. The course also covers listening, questioning, constructive disagreement, feedback conversations, meeting influence and ethical use of persuasion techniques.

Teaching combines concise instructor briefings with realistic cases, message-design work, group analysis, simulations and structured peer feedback. Participants apply the methods to current workplace situations such as obtaining approval for a project, addressing resistance to a change initiative, presenting a recommendation, influencing without formal authority or conducting a difficult conversation. Each participant leaves with a stakeholder influence plan, a persuasive message map, a presentation structure and practical conversation tools for immediate use.

The course suits professionals whose work depends on gaining commitment from colleagues, clients, managers or external partners. It is particularly relevant where authority is limited, decisions involve multiple interests or recommendations must be communicated clearly under scrutiny.

What you will be able to do

  • Analyse stakeholders using a power-interest map and influence strategy
  • Construct persuasive messages using message maps, evidence and audience priorities
  • Apply Cialdini's influence principles ethically in workplace communication
  • Frame recommendations using problem, impact, options and requested decision structures
  • Deliver concise executive presentations with clear calls to action
  • Use active listening and diagnostic questioning to surface interests and concerns
  • Handle objections through acknowledgement, reframing and evidence-based responses
  • Create a practical influence plan for a current workplace objective

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Present recommendations with greater clarity, credibility and decision focus
  • Gain practical language for responding to challenge without becoming defensive
  • Increase confidence when speaking with senior or difficult stakeholders
  • Build stronger support for ideas when formal authority is limited
  • Prepare high-stakes conversations using repeatable planning tools

For your organisation

  • Faster decisions through clearer recommendations and explicit requested actions
  • Better cross-functional alignment around projects, priorities and changes
  • Reduced rework caused by unclear messages and untested stakeholder assumptions
  • More constructive handling of disagreement, resistance and competing interests
  • Stronger representation of organisational proposals with clients and partners

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can define an influence objective and establish the credibility required to pursue it.

  • Influence defined as changing understanding, commitment, behaviour or decisions
  • Credibility built through competence, trustworthiness, intent and consistency
  • Communication objectives distinguished from activity, output and desired stakeholder action
  • Ethical boundaries between persuasion, manipulation, pressure and informed consent
  • Aristotle's ethos, logos and pathos applied to professional communication
  • Personal communication habits assessed against credibility and influence requirements

Participants can assess stakeholders and select an appropriate influence approach for each group.

  • Power-interest mapping identifies decision-makers, supporters, blockers and affected parties
  • Stakeholder needs analysed through interests, concerns, incentives and perceived risks
  • Salience model distinguishes power, legitimacy and urgency among stakeholder claims
  • Influence routes compared: direct authority, expertise, relationships, coalition and evidence
  • Map informal networks shaping opinion before formal decisions occur
  • Engagement priorities sequenced by stakeholder impact and readiness for change

Participants can create concise messages tailored to a stakeholder's priorities and decision context.

  • Message maps organise core assertion, supporting reasons and credible evidence
  • Audience analysis identifies knowledge, attitudes, language preferences and decision criteria
  • Frame benefits around stakeholder outcomes rather than communicator activity
  • Problem-impact-options-request structure converts analysis into an actionable recommendation
  • Pyramid Principle places the governing thought before supporting detail
  • Translate technical detail into operational, financial and strategic implications

Participants can use evidence and persuasive framing to strengthen a recommendation without overstating certainty.

  • Cialdini's reciprocity, commitment, social proof, authority, liking and scarcity principles
  • Evidence hierarchy distinguishes data, examples, expert opinion and anecdote
  • Loss and gain framing selected according to audience risk perceptions
  • Comparative options clarify consequences, trade-offs, costs and implementation requirements
  • Quantify claims using relevant baselines, assumptions, ranges and confidence limits
  • Avoid cognitive biases including confirmation bias, anchoring and availability effects

Participants can listen diagnostically and use questions to identify underlying interests and concerns.

  • Active listening demonstrates attention through paraphrasing, summarising and checking meaning
  • Open questions reveal priorities, constraints, assumptions and desired outcomes
  • Funnel questioning moves from broad context toward specific decision criteria
  • Ladder of Inference separates observations, interpretations, assumptions and conclusions
  • Reflect emotions without agreement when concerns affect discussion quality
  • Test understanding before responding to objections or proposing solutions

Participants can contribute strategically to meetings and guide discussion toward clear decisions.

  • Meeting purpose specified as information, consultation, recommendation or decision
  • Decision rights clarified using RAPID roles and approval responsibilities
  • Agenda design allocates time for evidence, challenge, options and commitment
  • Open meetings with context, intended outcome and decision required
  • Intervene constructively when discussion drifts from agreed decision criteria
  • Close discussions with owners, deadlines, assumptions and recorded next actions

Participants can deliver concise briefings that help senior audiences make informed decisions.

  • Executive briefing structure leads with recommendation, rationale, risks and requested action
  • Three-part openings establish relevance, urgency and the decision needed
  • Slide headlines state conclusions rather than merely label content
  • Data visualisation selects charts matching comparison, trend, distribution or relationship
  • Signposting guides audiences through logic, transitions and supporting evidence
  • Finish presentations with a precise call to action and ownership

Participants can respond to objections constructively while protecting relationships and decision quality.

  • Objection types classified as factual, practical, political, emotional or value-based
  • Acknowledge concerns before clarifying evidence, assumptions and possible responses
  • Reframing shifts discussion from positions toward shared interests and criteria
  • Interest-based negotiation separates people, interests, options and objective standards
  • Difficult conversations prepared through facts, impact, intent and requested dialogue
  • De-escalation language reduces defensiveness during disagreement and challenge

Participants can conduct feedback and performance conversations that lead to specific behavioural commitments.

  • SBI feedback describes situation, observable behaviour and resulting impact
  • Feedforward focuses discussion on future choices and agreed actions
  • DESC script structures difficult requests using description, expression, specification and consequences
  • Separate observable facts from judgements when raising sensitive concerns
  • Calibrate directness according to relationship, stakes and cultural expectations
  • Agree behavioural commitments, support required and review arrangements

Participants can prepare an ethical influence plan for a live professional objective.

  • Select a live influence objective with defined decision and timeframe
  • Stakeholder influence plan links interests, messages, channels and engagement sequence
  • Communication risk register identifies resistance, misunderstandings and mitigation actions
  • Prepare message variants for sponsors, peers, technical experts and affected groups
  • Set leading indicators for engagement, understanding, support and commitment
  • Application plan schedules conversations, follow-ups, evidence and review points

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

What you take back to work

  1. Stakeholder power-interest mapping template
  2. Personal influence planning canvas
  3. Audience-centred message map
  4. Executive recommendation briefing template
  5. Objection response preparation checklist
  6. Difficult conversation planning guide

Who should attend

  • Managers — gain commitment for decisions, priorities and change initiatives
  • Project Managers — align sponsors, delivery teams and affected stakeholders
  • Business Analysts — present evidence-based recommendations that prompt decisions
  • Technical Specialists — communicate complex proposals to non-specialist decision-makers
  • Client-Facing Professionals — build credibility and guide productive client conversations
  • Emerging Leaders — influence peers and senior colleagues without relying on hierarchy

Skills and tools covered

Stakeholder analysisPersuasive messagingExecutive presentationActive listeningObjection handlingInfluence planning

Tools and standards

Cialdini's Principles of Influence, Pyramid Principle, RAPID Decision-Making Framework, SBI Feedback Model

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to introduce practical models, followed by case analysis, message-design work, group discussion and facilitated simulations. Participants work with realistic scenarios involving project approvals, stakeholder resistance, senior-level recommendations and difficult conversations. Structured peer and instructor feedback focuses on message clarity, evidence, listening behaviour and response to objections. Application planning links each method to an individual workplace objective, enabling participants to leave with materials ready for use after the course.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have experience communicating with colleagues, managers, clients or other professional stakeholders and should be able to bring a current workplace issue requiring support or action. Familiarity with routine meetings, presentations, reports or project discussions is helpful. The course assumes participants can reflect on their own communication style and receive peer feedback constructively. No prior formal training in communication, psychology, negotiation or public speaking is required. It does not require specialist sector knowledge, advanced presentation software skills or responsibility for managing staff.

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 should have experience of routine workplace communication, such as meetings, presentations, reports or client discussions. No formal training in communication, negotiation or public speaking is required.

Participants should bring details of a current professional objective that requires agreement, support or a decision. This might be a project proposal, change initiative, client recommendation or difficult stakeholder conversation.

The course is suited to managers, project professionals, specialists, analysts and client-facing staff who need others to act on their ideas. It is especially useful for professionals who influence across teams without direct authority.

Presentation skills courses concentrate primarily on delivery to an audience, while negotiation courses focus on reaching agreements between parties. This course addresses the wider process of stakeholder analysis, message design, meetings, objections, feedback and influence planning.

Participants use current workplace situations throughout the course and develop materials for those situations. The stakeholder map, message map, briefing structure and influence plan can be used in subsequent meetings and conversations.

Each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. Time is divided among instructor input, cases, message-design work, group activities, simulations, feedback and application 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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