Stakeholder Engagement (including Simulation)™

Who is it for?

Anyone who needs to engage and influence their stakeholders and manage key relationships.

This workshop is not just for Project Managers; it's for individuals and teams at any level who need to engage and communicate effectively with their stakeholders.

The AI-powered simulation has been utilised in project and general management training programs, as well as various leadership initiatives. It simulates many of the issues associated with corporate responsibility, including how to define the ultimate success criteria of projects and the value of reputation.

What's it all about?

Your career success depends on getting results. Stakeholders play a key part in business today. Building consensus and coalition among your stakeholders can make or break your success.

This workshop brings to life the universal challenge of gaining buy-in and building consensus across a range of people, many with conflicting agendas, by closing the learning gap between 'knowing what to do' and 'actually doing it'.

For many years, team-based computer simulations have been used by medics, airline pilots, racing drivers and the armed forces to hone their skills and reactions in life-like scenarios, without risk. The simulation is unique to this workshop; it will have you pitting your wits against intelligent, interactive software. You will engage with your "virtual stakeholders", decide upon a course of action and deliver (and manage) the consequences. Building your communication 'soft' skills, as well as testing your 'hard' project skills. 

A trained facilitator will help you maximise your potential and will give a comprehensive review of the results. Through this process, you can benchmark performance and devise an individual action plan for use back in the workplace. The simulation (based on a package originally commissioned by Shell) is used by blue-chip organisations across the globe and by many of the leading MBA programmes.

What will you get out of it?

Wouldn't it be sensible to have some form of 'driving lesson' for those leading projects? After all, aircraft pilots have simulators for their 'big projects' – so why can't we have management simulators? Mistakes in simulations don't cost anything, we combine 'learning by doing' with facilitator feedback, a range of knowledge, tools and techniques to help you:

• Identify, understand, engage and manage different levels of stakeholders, whether internal or external.
• Gain buy-in to your plans by following a consultative approach to stakeholder engagement.
• Boost your productivity, accelerate project timelines, and navigate ambiguity with greater authority and confidence.

"The whole point of simulations is to show cause and effect, where people aren't going to commit huge amounts of money, and create huge delays to real projects.  In the discussions and arguments that this simulation creates... I can hear the reality. So I am quite sure that this is the most powerful training tool in project management there is."  Dr Martin Barnes, CBE.  President of the Association of Project Management & Board Member of the Major Projects Association.

Typical workshop content

• Introductions, objectives and background.
• Identify your stakeholders and their challenges.
• Simulation warm-up exercise.
• The simulation.
• Simulation de-brief.
• Transferring skills back into the workplace.

"The small number of hours you spend on the simulation is very, very powerful stuff. We use it on all our projects, in the early stages, and also during interim stages, as we are growing our management structure" - The  Mace Group.

Workshop benefits

This workshop provides a range of knowledge, tools and techniques to help you -

Develop skills by doing:

• Consult with your virtual stakeholders.
• Decide upon a course of action.
• Deliver (and manage) the consequences.

Change your behaviour:

• Discovering is more powerful than being told.
• A trained facilitator will help you maximise your potential with a comprehensive review.

Benchmark your performance:

• Leave with a personal work action plan.

How it all works

TIME EFFICIENT: Run over one day, this time-efficient programme is pragmatic for your people in today's time-poor environment. Teams of three people go through the experience together, allowing them to verbalise, reflect and learn from the decisions they make and their results. For in-house workshops, we recommend that four teams of three participate, which adds a fun, competitive and lively element to the experience that delegates relish.

YOUR EXPERT INDIGO TRAINER:  Your facilitator, with proven project management and management experience, runs the workshop. Drawing out the learning and facilitating delegate discussions of how the learning relates to their real project challenges, delegates will develop their own action plan to take back and implement.

MIXED CHALLENGES:  Most of our clients tell us that running a small project is challenging but doable; it's the people, the politics, and the personalities that cause the headaches. This workshop allows delegates to practice these 'people skills' through the medium of meetings, emails, phone calls and the media, without actually making career-limiting mistakes.

Who is a stakeholder?

A stakeholder can be an individual, a group – internal or external to your organisation, or another organisation that has an interest in, can be affected by, or can affect your project or programme.

What is a Simulation?

Our AI-powered simulations are a business game version of reality, where attendees practice in a safe environment and hone their skills in a realistic (but not real) setting. Mistakes here don't cost your organisation anything or harm personal or business reputations.

Duration and delivery methods available

A practical one-day workshop that is available as a public workshop, as online learning for groups and teams, or at your choice of date and location, worldwide, if you have a group or team to train.

Training for trainers

Accrediting your own trainers is the most cost-effective way to offer Stakeholder Engagement™ within your organisation or to your clients. After attending the workshop as a delegate, you or your in-house trainers will be taught by some of Indigo's globally recognised Master Trainers, who have been specially authorised to train these programmes to other trainers, to the highest standard. Once successful, you will be authorised to dovetail our award-winning programmes into your organisation's training plans, at a fraction of the normal cost.

• Find out more about the public Trainer Accreditation.
• Find out more about the steps you need to take to become an Accredited Trainer.
• Enquire about training for trainers.