Day 1: Stakeholder Mapping and Expectations

Identifying the Real Stakeholders

• Expand discovery beyond formally named stakeholders
• Identify people affected by delivery/change
• Locate informal influencers with project leverage
• Build stakeholder list for the project

Influence and Position Analysis

• Estimate stakeholder influence on decision speed
• Identify levels of support and concern
• Understand expected interests gains and losses
• Create an influence and position map

Expectations and Success Criteria

• Elicit what different stakeholders consider successful
• Expose expectations inconsistent with approved scope
• Identify issues requiring early negotiation
• Prepare a project expectation register

Day 2: Engagement and Communication Strategy

Selecting the Engagement Level

• Distinguish informing, consulting, involvement, decision participation
• Identify decisions stakeholders can meaningfully influence
• Avoid unnecessary involvement of every stakeholder
• Build engagement plan by stakeholder segment

Applied Communication Planning

• Define message channel and responsible sender
• Adjust detail to recipient information needs
• Set reporting and meeting frequency
• Prepare a project communication matrix

Reports and Messages

• Present status and decisions with clarity
• Explain variance without concealment or exaggeration
• Adapt messages for sponsors and teams
• Rewrite a weak project update

Day 3: Resistance, Dialogue, and Escalation

Managing Changing Expectations

• Explain scope/schedule change impacts
• Discuss alternatives before making commitments
• Record agreements reached with stakeholders
• Simulate a difficult stakeholder update

Dialogue During Disagreement

• Separate underlying interests from stated positions
• Use questions to uncover resistance sources
• Negotiate options protecting project outcomes
• Role-play dialogue between conflicting stakeholders

Applied Engagement Laboratory

• Lead meetings with differently positioned stakeholders
• Respond to unexpected objection and escalation
• Adapt communication plans using observed reactions
• Prepare engagement actions for next phase

• Influence and position maps applied to an authentic project
• Communication plans and messages designed for different stakeholder groups
• Role-plays covering resistance conflict and difficult expectations
• Multi-stakeholder meeting simulation under project pressure