The best ideas still need someone to bring people with them. Our Influencing Skills course builds exactly that: winning support, shifting opinions and getting genuine buy-in from stakeholders you don’t manage.

What is our Influencing Skills training?

Our Influencing Skills course is a practical, skills-based workshop that helps people win genuine buy-in from colleagues, senior stakeholders and clients, without relying on formal authority.

It’s built for real workplace influence: pitching an idea to leadership, winning over a reluctant stakeholder, building support for change across a team you don’t manage. Participants leave with a toolkit for building a case, telling it well, listening properly and holding their ground when it matters.

Suitable for anyone with key stakeholders to influence, from individual contributors managing upwards to senior leaders influencing across an organisation.

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What the course covers

Influence starts with being able to state a position clearly and hold it under pressure without tipping into aggression or backing down too easily. This module builds the assertive communication style that underpins everything else in the course.

People are far more likely to get behind an idea when they can see where it leads. This module helps participants shape a clear, compelling vision of the outcome they’re proposing, and articulate it in a way that other people can genuinely picture and want to be part of.

The most underrated influencing skill of all. Before anyone can be persuaded, they need to feel heard and genuinely understanding what someone else cares about is often what reveals the argument that will actually land with them. This module builds real, active listening skills, not just the appearance of listening while waiting to speak.

Vision and rapport only go so far. Most stakeholders also need a solid, logical case. This module covers how to structure an argument that stands up to scrutiny: clear reasoning, credible evidence, and a case built to withstand the questions it’s likely to face.

Facts persuade the head; stories persuade the whole person. This module teaches participants how to frame an argument as a story people remember and repeat, making the rational case land emotionally too, and far more likely to stick after the conversation ends.

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Who is this for?

For individuals

Builds real confidence to make the case for an idea, rather than staying quiet or deferring to louder voices
Develops a practical toolkit, vision, listening, rational argument, storytelling that applies to almost any influencing situation
Strong influencing skills are consistently linked to career progression, particularly for roles without direct authority over the people they need to persuade

For teams

Ideas get a fairer hearing when they’re presented well, rather than the best idea losing out to the most senior voice in the room
Change lands more smoothly when people are genuinely brought on board rather than simply told
Cross-team collaboration improves when people can influence peers they have no formal authority over

For the business

Good ideas are more likely to reach the people who can act on them, regardless of where in the organisation they originate
Reduces the friction and delay that comes from stakeholders who were told rather than brought on side
Builds a workforce that can drive change and win support horizontally, not just through hierarchy

The workshop

Influencing Skills is delivered as a live, facilitator-led workshop, practical throughout, so participants apply each technique to a real situation they’re currently facing, rather than a hypothetical case study.

Format and delivery

Face-to-face or virtual delivery, depending on what suits your team
Delivered as a group session, so participants get to practise coaching real people, not just case studies
Practical throughout, participants coach and are coached during the session itself
Led live by an experienced facilitator, with direct, constructive feedback

Customer reviews

Workshop of real situations really brought it to life. Presentation as a whole really engaging. Best training of the programme so far.
VERIFIED CUSTOMER
Good feedback and coaching techniques. Trainers brought to life the content and were engaging throughout.
VERIFIED CUSTOMER
The role play exercises were really useful with good hints and tips from the facilitators that I took away and put into practice in half year reviews.
VERIFIED CUSTOMER
Seriously impressed with the team that delivered the training. I wish more courses could be that enjoyable.
VERIFIED CUSTOMER
Roger and his co-hosts were excellent. Kept the day friendly, collaborative, and encouraged some great discussion. Thank you.
VERIFIED CUSTOMER

Ready to help your people win genuine buy-in?

Whether it’s one person struggling to be heard, or a whole team trying to land change across the business, our Influencing Skills course builds the practical skills to get people on board. Get in touch to talk through the right format for your team.

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Our expert team

Perform is delivered by a dynamic group of talented professionals, all focused on achieving exceptional results. Our offer is supported by a broad pool of experienced associates, bringing diverse expertise and real-world insight.