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Influencing Skills for Change

10th December 07, Palace Hotel, Manchester

Excellent influencing skills are critical for managers working in large, complex public sector organisations.  A network of stakeholders with competing priorities as well as the political environment in which you work call for a higher degree of skill in influencing and communicating effectively than might be necessary in other spheres. 

Developing your understanding of your personal influencing style, and your skill at using a variety of styles to be more influential, will greatly contribute to your personal effectiveness as a leader and manager of change.  Whilst everyone can see the logic in a good business case, this doesn’t necessarily translate into genuine commitment to your change programme and achieving your objectives for change is not simply a function of your technical skills alone.  Rather, well-honed influential and interpersonal skills will help you to get others on board and meet your change objectives. 

This one day workshop will help you to gain the right levels of commitment from peers, staff and senior stakeholders which will enable you to overcome barriers and resistance and make real progress.

You will learn:

This is a very practical and interactive workshop.  There will be some pre-course thinking required, as well as ample time to practice new skills during the day.  Since influencing is about interacting, this workshop will not be a day of theoretical input (although there will be some input around influencing models and styles). 

Participants should come prepared to work in both large and small groups and to give and receive feedback.  This workshop is most suitable for senior managers or those moving into a senior role, especially those involved in implementing change programmes.

100% of previous delegates rated this workshop good or exellent.

The facilitators
Gina Hayden is the Director of Sphere Consulting Services and has fifteen years’ experience in the people development arena.  She began her career managing a career development centre taking on a role as change and development facilitator for individuals, groups, teams and organisations at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Sphere’s workshops on Leading Change and Effective Influencing have been implemented in Africa, the US and the Middle East.  Current key clients in the private sector include ChevronCorporation, National Grid, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Barclays Bank and, in the public sector, the NHS, SOLACE Enterprises, London Borough of Sutton, Kinross Council’s executive team and the IDeA.  Gina’s clients describe her as intuitive, articulate and warm, with the ability to deliver incisive challenge. 

James Butcher does a great deal of work with Chief Executives and executive teams in the public and private sectors, as well as relationship skills building programmes.  He is interested in where people are already succeeding, and in how they can do more of what they do well.  His portfolio includes Head of People Development for SOLACE Enterprises where typical work has included coaching and team facilitation for the Chief Executive and senior management team at Connexions West Yorkshire, a top team coaching prgramme for Bristol City Council, a Collaborative Leadership Programme for chief executives and corporate directors of Scottish local authorities, and personal and team development for the Cabinet and Corporate Management Team of London Borough of Sutton.  James combines a warm and engaging manner with clarity of insight, and a gentle toughness that helps clients to hear challenging feedback. 

Participant fees
£370 + VAT per participant.  This workshop is open to public sector participants only.