Explore inclusive leadership practices that promote equity, belonging, and respect in the public sector.
This course provides a comprehensive examination of the importance of external stakeholders to organizations, including other agencies, local/city/federal governments, contractors, vendors, and the general public. Participants will develop the skills to analyze the significance of these stakeholders, cultivate effective interagency working relationships and partnerships, and understand the impact of communication with the public and customers.
Target Audience
This course is appropriate for employees who have been in a formal position of authority for 5 years or more. These positions require leading others as well as understanding the bigger strategic picture of the organization.
What You'll Learn at a Glance
- Analyze the importance of external stakeholders (other agencies, local/city/federal governments, contractors, vendors, and the public) to the organization.
- Develop interagency working relationships and partnerships.
- Analyze the impact of communicating with the public/ customers.
Course Syllabus
Module 1: Analyze the Importance of External Stakeholders to the Organization
- Define external stakeholders and classify levels of involvement (active, affected, interested, influential) and why engagement matters (pp. 6–7).
- Map, prioritize, and plan engagement/communications (methods, frequency, roles) using the Power–Interest Grid (p. 12) and stakeholder tables (pp. 9–10, 13–16).
- Analyze stakeholder needs with targeted interview/survey questions for other agencies, end users, and contractors; align to core requirements (pp. 11–12).
- Strengthen communication skills—active listening, clarity/conciseness, feedback, and channel selection—to keep stakeholders informed and satisfied (pp. 12–14).
Module 2: Develop Interagency Working Relationships and Partnerships
- Explain why work gets done “through and with others”; use guiding questions for interagency projects (plan, customers, milestones, shared resources) (pp. 17–18).
- Differentiate informal partnerships, public-private partnerships (P3), and people-public-private (P4); weigh benefits and risks, and leading collaboration practices (pp. 18–20).
- Establish work agreements and MOUs—purpose/scope, roles, duration, confidentiality, risks, and signatures—with legal/ethical considerations (pp. 21–23).
- Nurture relationships and review for success: watch for warning signs (e.g., duplication, unclear accountability) and use metrics/alliance management to improve (pp. 24–26).
Module 3: The Impact of Communicating with the Public and Customers
- Apply fundamentals of effective, ethical, and culturally sensitive communication; match styles and channels (in-person, virtual, web, phone, text, email) to audience needs (pp. 28–31, 38–43).
- Build a strategic communications plan—purpose, audience, channel, timing, and ownership—and a service strategy with clear standards and feedback loops (pp. 31–32).
- Analyze citizen experience end-to-end; ask the right questions, focus on what can be done, and address gaps between promises and delivery (pp. 32–35).
- Evaluate effectiveness with KPIs and methods such as focus groups, discussion forums, control groups, tiger teams, and web/social analytics (pp. 37–40).
