Calling my bluff in 2025: my stakeholder management course for content designers

Last year, former colleagues told me to stop talking about stakeholder management and do something. So I've developed a course for content designers. Find out more here.

Anyone who knows me knows that I have strong views on stakeholder management - particularly about how to do it well. But I also have a lot of experience - not just as a content lead, but also as a senior union negotiator and as a Governor for 2 institutions. And I really like to talk about it.

In 2024, former colleagues* challenged me to stop talking about it and do something.

So I developed a course for content designers. And I want to tell you about it.

Why focus on content designers?

Lots of people have to engage with and manage stakeholders - so you may well be asking, why focus on content designers? 

Well, when it comes to stakeholders, content designers face a unique challenge. 

Unlike web developers, for example, who are recognised and respected as specialists, content designers are often seen by colleagues and stakeholders as project ‘add-ons’ or blockers, whose particular skills are no different to their own. 

So stakeholder management for content designers isn’t just about getting project buy-in or access to particular knowledge or expertise. More often than not, it is also about establishing their right to be involved in the work they’ve been hired to deliver and advocating for the discipline as a whole.

Working in such a contested space can be exhausting and demoralising. It is not uncommon to hear content designers say that they simply don’t want to engage with stakeholders, as they no longer have the energy to address the same old existential challenges.

There is a better way

We all know what the challenges are for content designers; if you work in content, you'll have heard about them and experienced them. 

But, as someone who has led teams through digital transformation that relied on stakeholder buy-in and support, I know that stakeholder management skills and expertise can be learned and honed through training and practice. 

And I also know that learning these skills has the potential to be genuinely transformative: 

• For end users who will be better represented by confident content designers who know how to get buy-in and support to deliver the content that meets their needs

• For employers who will see content designers lead on partnership working that contributes to better deliverables

• For stakeholders who will benefit by working with talented content designers who genuinely want to leverage partnership working with them

• For content designers who will be able to move beyond other people’s limiting beliefs and increase their influence and impact, as well as do the work they've been hired to deliver

What will attendees learn from this training?

Considering how fundamental stakeholder management is to the work of content designers, it is surprisingly common for employers to expect them to learn how to do this on the job. Not only does this incur a personal cost, with inexperienced content designers not knowing how to get the best out of working with stakeholders, but it's inefficient. Because we then make content designers have to learn all their skills through challenging experience.

I want to change that model, which is why I've created this bespoke course for content designers.

I want attendees to be able to:

• Explain why it is important to be good at stakeholder management, as a content designer

• Know how to develop an effective stakeholder management strategy

• Stop worrying about why stakeholders are behaving the way they are; start to think strategically about their engagement with key stakeholders

• Demonstrate how they will get buy-in from stakeholders for their work

• Learn about negotiation and compromise as tactics in their wider toolbox of skills and expertise

What is the structure of this course?

This course is divided into 3 stages:

1. Survey: a week before the course, attendees will be asked to complete a short survey about their experience of content design and stakeholder management

2. Training: I offer a 5-hour course (including breaks!), either online or in person (depending on the needs of the organisation) for a maximum of 6 attendees 

3. Action learning sets: to ensure that the learnings are applied and not theoretical, I offer 2 action learning sets (1.5 hours each) for attendees, on topics that they choose

I also ask attendees to complete a feedback survey, so that I can continue iterating and developing the course for new attendees.

Who should attend?

This course is designed to provide a solid foundation for content designers to become effective stakeholder managers, so they can get on and do what they've been hired to do.

Although it will work as a refresher course for more experienced content designers, it’s probably better for those who are relatively new to the content design role or new to working as a content designer, particularly in the public sector.

Want to find out more?

I have already booked some sessions in with fantastic content designers, but would love to work with you.

Contact me if you want to talk about how we can work together to upskill and empower your content designers.

*To my lovely former colleagues, thank you for calling my bluff. But if you think this is going to stop me talking to you about stakeholder management, I'm afraid I have bad news for you...