Tel: 0844 394 8877

Boulden Management Consultants

Core Communications Skills  >  Half-Day Courses

Political Savvy

Training course in the politics of business

Influencing without formal authority

Half Day Course

Course Brochure Download
Political Savvy brochure
  • Realise the importance of developing ‘power bases’
  • Analyse different types of influencing tactics and when to use them
  • Promote a business case by ‘coalition building’

Overview

Some people feel very uncomfortable actively engaging in influencing others (especially when ‘office politics’ is involved) but this is a naïve view. Nothing happens in an organisation without building a level of support for a given action, and the only question is if the objective being targeted is based on an individual’s narrow self-interest or the ‘greater good’. The plain truth is that if you are not actively influencing what is happening in a company, you are at the mercy of someone else who is (and they may not have your best interests at heart!) So influencing (especially in the absence of ‘formal authority’) is a core business skill. This workshop considers the elements involved in identifying the key people involved in an issue and selecting the appropriate influencing strategy to engage with them on a win/win basis.

Learning objectives

By attending this highly interactive and practical half-day course you will:

  • Understand why influencing is a key business skill
  • Learn how to prepare a stakeholder analysis
  • Realise the importance of power and how to develop ‘power bases’
  • Analyse different types of influencing tactics and when to use them
  • Appreciate how to ‘make a success of office politics’

Who should attend?

This course is ideal for Managers and Technical Experts who need to influence peers, colleagues and senior executives without using formal authority.




Workshop

Key principles of effective influencing

Exploring the approach, attitude and philosophy of expert influencers.

  • Understanding how decisions really get made
  • The Influencing Process
  • The importance of good timing
  • The expert influencer’s ‘mind-set’
  • Common errors when seeking to influence others

Exercise: identifying current thinking and highlighting areas for change

Stakeholder Analysis

Appreciating the value of identifying, and connecting with, decision makers.

  • Defining Stakeholders
  • Stakeholder Mapping: Mendelow’s Grid
  • Managing Stakeholder Expectations

Exercise: drawing a stakeholder map

Coalition Building

How to develop a consensus in favour of your proposals

  • 4 Stage Coalition Building Process

Exercise: Assessing your current performance against the 4 factors

Lobbying and the CIA speech

How lobbying sets the scene for successful Coalition Building.

  • Why lobby?
  • The CIA speech
  • Corridor conversations

Exercise: practicing a CIA speech

Sources of Power

Understanding the nature of power and how to acquire it.

  • Why power matters
  • The nature of power - understanding the nine power bases
  • Personal power bases
  • Position power bases
  • Power Bases & Career Development

Exercise: the PIE self assessment questionnaire

Influencing tactics

Identifying the key influencing tactics and understanding when to use them

  • Giving instructions
  • Legitimising
  • Rational arguments
  • Consulting
  • Friendship
  • Negotiating
  • Negative Consequences

Exercise: case studies



Feedback

Feedback is based upon peer review using Boulden assessment checklists. Completing the Boulden assessment checklists is not only valuable to the people involved in a given role play or case study, it also helps those completing them to gain an in-depth understanding of the building blocks that make up effective influencing strategies.


Remote Training

All of our workshops can be delivered as Remote Training via e-learning modules plus Zoom based virtual workshops. Please see our Virtual Training page for more information.


Contact

Further information on this course is available by contacting
Boulden Management Consultants:
via our Contact form
Tel: 0844 394 8877