Political Savvy and Emotional Intelligence Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Middle 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-PE-047

Before you join: Participants should have at least two years of professional experience and regular contact with colleagues, managers, clients or stakeholders whose cooperation affects results.

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

Political savvy is the ability to read decision processes, identify legitimate sources of influence and build support without damaging trust. Emotional intelligence provides the self-awareness, self-control and interpersonal judgement needed to use that influence well. Managers and specialists can have sound ideas yet lose momentum when they misread stakeholder interests, react defensively to challenge, or rely on formal authority where relationships and timing determine outcomes.

This course develops practical judgement for working through competing priorities, informal networks and difficult conversations. Participants learn to map stakeholders, assess power and interest, identify decision makers and influencers, frame proposals for different audiences, and build coalitions around shared interests. They also practise recognising emotional triggers, regulating responses under pressure, listening for unstated concerns, giving feedback and handling conflict without escalating it. Ethical boundaries are addressed throughout: political skill is used to create clarity, agreement and responsible action, not manipulation.

Instructor-led sessions combine short briefings with public-sector, banking, NGO and corporate cases, group analysis, stakeholder simulations and structured reflection. Participants apply the methods to a live workplace situation, such as gaining support for a cross-functional initiative, resolving a disputed priority or influencing a senior decision. They leave with a political influence plan, stakeholder map, communication strategy and personal emotional-intelligence action plan. The five-day programme is available in classrooms in more than 50 cities or live online, with approximately 32.5 contact hours and a certificate of completion.

The course suits professionals whose results depend on cooperation beyond their direct reporting line, particularly managers, project leaders, business partners and subject-matter specialists moving into broader influence roles.

What you will be able to do

  • Map stakeholders using a power-interest grid and relationship analysis
  • Diagnose formal and informal power dynamics affecting a workplace decision
  • Apply emotional self-regulation techniques during high-stakes conversations
  • Frame proposals around stakeholder interests, risks and decision criteria
  • Build an ethical influence strategy for a live organisational objective
  • Use active listening and calibrated questioning to surface unstated concerns
  • Handle conflict using the Thomas-Kilmann conflict mode framework
  • Produce a 90-day political savvy and emotional intelligence action plan

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Greater confidence influencing decisions without overusing formal authority
  • Clearer judgement about whom to involve, when and with what message
  • More controlled responses to criticism, pressure and political tension
  • Stronger credibility with senior stakeholders and cross-functional peers
  • A practical plan for building strategic workplace relationships

For your organisation

  • Faster alignment on cross-functional decisions and change initiatives
  • Fewer avoidable conflicts caused by poor communication or stakeholder assumptions
  • More ethical and transparent use of informal influence
  • Stronger collaboration between technical, operational and leadership teams
  • Better retention of high-potential staff moving into influence-based roles

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can distinguish ethical political skill from manipulation and assess how decisions are really made.

  • Political savvy defined through influence, judgement, timing and relationship credibility
  • Formal authority, expert power, network power and referent power compared
  • Decision rights mapped through RACI, governance forums and approval routes
  • Informal networks identified through information flows, alliances and trusted advisers
  • Ethical influence boundaries: transparency, reciprocity, consent and organisational values
  • Common political mistakes: bypassing stakeholders, public challenge and premature escalation

Participants can create a stakeholder map that guides engagement priorities and influence choices.

  • Power-interest grid separates manage-closely, keep-satisfied, keep-informed and monitor groups
  • Stakeholder salience assessed through power, legitimacy and urgency
  • Decision makers, gatekeepers, champions, blockers and connectors distinguished clearly
  • Relationship maps reveal trust levels, dependencies and communication channels
  • Stakeholder interests separated from stated positions and preferred solutions
  • Engagement priorities set using impact, influence, readiness and relationship strength

Participants can recognise emotional patterns that affect their judgement, communication and influence.

  • Mayer-Salovey ability model: perceiving, using, understanding and managing emotions
  • Trigger mapping links situations, interpretations, emotions, impulses and consequences
  • Ladder of Inference exposes assumptions behind rapid workplace conclusions
  • Johari Window identifies visible strengths, blind spots and feedback needs
  • Emotion vocabulary improves precision beyond anger, stress and frustration
  • Values conflicts distinguished from preference differences and personal sensitivities

Participants can use practical regulation techniques before and during difficult professional interactions.

  • STOP technique creates pause, observation, perspective and purposeful response
  • Cognitive reappraisal tests threat interpretations against available evidence
  • Physiological regulation uses paced breathing and grounding before critical conversations
  • Implementation intentions prepare responses to predictable triggers and provocations
  • Name the emotion, separate facts, then choose the next action
  • Recovery routines prevent emotional spillover after conflict, criticism or setbacks

Participants can interpret stakeholder behaviour without making unsupported assumptions about motives.

  • SCARF model identifies status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness and fairness concerns
  • Observable behaviour separated from inferred intent during stakeholder assessment
  • Active listening captures facts, emotions, interests and unspoken reservations
  • Calibrated questions invite explanation without accusation or leading language
  • Cultural norms considered when interpreting status, disagreement and directness
  • Context scanning identifies deadlines, incentives, risks and competing organisational priorities

Participants can strengthen the relationships needed to gain credible support over time.

  • Credibility built through competence, reliability, integrity and relational warmth
  • Reciprocity planned through useful information, introductions and practical support
  • Trust deposits made before requesting sponsorship, resources or difficult decisions
  • Stakeholder contact plans specify purpose, cadence, channel and desired outcome
  • Sponsorship distinguished from mentorship, advocacy and informal advice
  • Reputation signals managed through follow-through, discretion and constructive disagreement

Participants can select ethical influence approaches and build support for a proposed course of action.

  • Cialdini principles applied ethically: reciprocity, authority, consistency and social proof
  • Influence currencies identified: task, position, relationship, inspiration and personal currencies
  • Coalition maps identify early supporters, persuadable stakeholders and committed opponents
  • Mutual-gains framing connects proposals to stakeholder priorities and organisational outcomes
  • Sequencing conversations builds momentum before formal decision meetings
  • Pre-wiring reduces surprises through individual consultation before group discussions

Participants can communicate recommendations clearly to stakeholders with different priorities and authority.

  • Pyramid Principle structures recommendations, supporting evidence and requested decisions
  • Message framing adapts benefits, risks and trade-offs for each stakeholder
  • Decision briefs distinguish context, options, recommendation, ownership and next steps
  • Executive presence combines concise language, composure, listening and purposeful silence
  • Objections anticipated through stakeholder concerns, evidence gaps and implementation risks
  • Meeting interventions use advocacy, inquiry and summary at appropriate moments

Participants can address disagreement directly while protecting working relationships and decision quality.

  • Thomas-Kilmann modes compared: competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding and accommodating
  • Interest-based negotiation separates people, positions, interests and options
  • SBI feedback structures observations, behavioural impact and requested change
  • Nonviolent Communication distinguishes observations, feelings, needs and requests
  • Difficult conversations planned around purpose, facts, emotions and mutual respect
  • Escalation decisions based on risk, authority, impact and failed resolution attempts

Participants can produce a practical plan for applying political savvy and emotional intelligence to a live objective.

  • Live influence objective defined with measurable outcome, deadline and decision owner
  • Stakeholder map converted into tailored engagement actions and communication priorities
  • Personal trigger plan identifies warning signs, regulation techniques and accountability support
  • Relationship gaps prioritised using influence value, trust level and access
  • Ninety-day action plan schedules conversations, milestones, reviews and course corrections
  • Ethical risk check tests transparency, fairness, consent and organisational consequences

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

What you take back to work

  1. Power-interest stakeholder map template
  2. Relationship and coalition analysis worksheet
  3. Emotional trigger and self-regulation plan
  4. Stakeholder-specific communication planning template
  5. Difficult conversation preparation checklist
  6. 90-day political influence action plan

Who should attend

  • Middle Managers — need support from peers, senior leaders and other functions
  • Project Managers — must gain commitment without relying on direct authority
  • Business Partners — need credibility when advising leaders on contested issues
  • Programme Leaders — coordinate stakeholders with competing delivery priorities
  • Technical Specialists — need to translate expertise into influential recommendations
  • New Senior Leaders — need sound judgement in informal power structures

Skills and tools covered

Stakeholder mappingEthical influenceEmotional self-regulationConflict managementStrategic communicationRelationship building

Tools and standards

Power-Interest Grid, SCARF Model, Ladder of Inference, Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short faculty briefings to introduce influence, emotional intelligence and conflict frameworks, followed by realistic cases and structured group analysis. Participants work with stakeholder maps, decision scenarios and difficult-conversation simulations drawn from corporate, public-sector, banking and NGO settings. Facilitated feedback identifies behavioural choices, emotional triggers and communication patterns. Individual application planning connects each method to a current workplace objective, with peer challenge used to test assumptions and strengthen proposed actions.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have at least two years of professional experience and regular contact with colleagues, managers, clients or stakeholders whose cooperation affects results. They should be able to bring a current workplace objective, decision or relationship challenge for confidential application during the course. No previous training in emotional intelligence, negotiation, psychology or organisational politics is required. The course does not assume management responsibility, but participants will gain more value if they work across teams, functions, projects or reporting lines.

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 professional experience working with colleagues or stakeholders whose support affects results. No prior study of emotional intelligence, negotiation or organisational politics is required.

Bring a current workplace objective that requires support from people outside your direct authority. This may be a project, change proposal, disputed priority or important relationship challenge.

It is designed for managers, project leaders, business partners and specialists working across functions or reporting lines. It is especially useful for people moving into broader leadership or stakeholder-facing responsibilities.

Negotiation courses focus mainly on reaching agreements in defined bargaining situations, while leadership courses often focus on leading teams. This course concentrates on everyday influence, informal power, stakeholder relationships and emotional judgement inside organisations.

Participants develop a stakeholder map and influence plan for a live professional objective. They can use the communication, self-regulation and difficult-conversation tools in their next meeting, briefing or conflict discussion.

The programme provides approximately 32.5 contact hours, normally from 08:30 to 16:30 each day. Time is divided among faculty input, case analysis, group work, simulations, feedback and individual 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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