Intro to Stakeholder Management: Keeping the Difficult Ones on Side

Workshop Description

Why This Session, Now

Getting work done often depends on people you do not directly manage. Projects can stall when the right stakeholders are not aligned, when concerns are missed, or when the same message is used for every audience.

This 2-hour workshop introduces the basics of stakeholder management. Learners will understand how to identify key stakeholders, map their level of power and interest, recognise what they may care about, and adjust communication to improve support.

The session is designed as an introduction, not a full stakeholder strategy workshop. Learners will leave with a practical way to think about stakeholder buy-in before moving into the full 2-day course.

Learning Outcomes

What You’ll Learn

What stakeholder management means and why it matters.
How to identify stakeholders for a project or initiative.
How to use a basic power-interest grid.
How to recognise stakeholder needs, concerns and resistance triggers.
How to tailor communication based on stakeholder type.
How this preview connects to the full Stakeholder Management course.

Key Takeaways

What You’ll Leave With

A basic stakeholder-mapping lens you can reuse on projects and initiatives.
A simple power-interest framework for prioritising stakeholder attention.
A better understanding of stakeholder needs, concerns and possible resistance.
A basic approach for adjusting communication to different stakeholder types.
Awareness of common resistance patterns and why resistance is not always negative.

Target Audience

Who It’s For

Team leads and supervisors; first-level and mid-level managers; project owners and initiative leads; professionals working across teams or departments; and anyone who needs support from people they cannot directly manage.

Prerequisites

What to Bring and Preparation

No prior stakeholder management training is required. Some workplace or project experience is helpful. Bring one real stakeholder situation to reflect on if possible. No formal management role is required for the preview workshop.

Event Agenda

7.00pm

Welcome and working outcome

7.10pm

Stakeholder management basics

7.25pm

Identify your stakeholders

7.45pm

Phase 1: power-interest mapping

8.05pm

Short break

8.10pm

Phase 2: stakeholder concerns

8.30pm

Phase 3: tailor communication

8.50pm

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Your Trainer

Sufyan Bin Mohamad Ali

Stakeholder Management & Transformation

Sufyan Bin Mohamad Ali is a digital transformation leader and corporate trainer with 18+ years building business ecosystems, having onboarded 100+ technology partners into national networks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this suitable for non-managers?

Yes. It is useful for anyone who needs to work with people across teams, departments or seniority levels. No formal management role is required for the preview workshop.

Do I need prior stakeholder management training?

No. The workshop is introductory. Some workplace or project experience is helpful, but no prior stakeholder management training is required.

What should I bring?

Bring one real stakeholder situation to reflect on, if possible, such as a project, initiative, difficult conversation or decision that requires support from others.

Will I complete a full stakeholder engagement plan?

No. This is a preview workshop. The full course covers detailed stakeholder engagement planning.

Will managing up be covered?

Only briefly. The preview introduces why senior stakeholders need different communication. The full course covers managing up in depth.

Will resistance management be covered?

Yes, at a basic level. The workshop introduces common reasons for resistance and how to respond more thoughtfully.

How does this relate to the full course?

This preview introduces stakeholder mapping, motivation awareness and communication adjustment. The full course covers persuasive communication, managing up, credibility building, resistance diagnosis, influence strategies, simulations and 90-day engagement planning.