Strategic Communication: IMPACT through Influence

Engage, inspire action, advance ideas

In any leadership role, you are necessarily interacting with a variety of stakeholders and decision-makers—but when you communicate, are you really getting your message across? Maybe you feel like your ideas aren’t coming out as convincingly as they sound in your head, or that your voice is getting lost in the noise. Or, that no matter how carefully you plan or script it, others just don’t “get it” when you present new ideas or want to advance an initiative.

 

Influential leaders are seen as authentic, trustworthy, visionary, and pragmatic. They have the skill to harness effective tools and techniques that engage stakeholders, inspire action, and shape organizational narratives to advance new ideas.

 

The Strategic Communication program will enhance your ability to be an influential leader—one who can drive transformation through crafting compelling messages, understanding audience psychology, and leveraging storytelling techniques.

 

In this program, you will prepare to show up ready for any high stakes influencing opportunity. You will learn how to adopt the decision-maker/stakeholder perspective, draw on your strengths as an empowered change agent, and craft your ideas to resonate with others. This will allow you to more effectively influence decisions and action.

 

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Who Should Attend?

  • Executives who want to enhance their ability to influence stakeholders, drive organizational change, and effectively communicate their vision
  • Managers who lead teams and want to drive results through effective communication, influencing their team members, and building relationships with key stakeholders
  • Sales and business development professionals who want to strengthen their account management skills, enhance their persuasion skills to win new clients, build long-term relationships, and drive revenue growth
  • Government and nonprofit leaders who need to effectively communicate their initiatives, mobilize support, and navigate complex stakeholder landscapes
  • Entrepreneurs and business owners who want to master effective communication strategies to pitch their ideas, attract investors, and build strong partnerships
  • Professionals in consulting and advisory roles who want to strengthen their abilities to influence clients, deliver impactful recommendations, and effectively communicate complex ideas

More About This Program

Program Format

During three days of on-site executive instruction combining lectures, practice and simulations of real business opportunities, reflection, and feedback from peers and faculty, we will explore strategic frameworks that are not prescriptive, but rather adaptive and agile in their applications. We will focus on research-informed practice as a foundation for skills development—not just what and how, but why. You will practice with tools that can be leveraged for future use in any influencing context—and have direct application to initiatives you need to advance in your organization or career.

Each session is led by a faculty team with expertise in persuasion and influence, communication strategies, and leadership and change management.

Technology Requirements

To fully participate in the program, participants are required to bring a laptop to each session.

Program Location

All program sessions will be held at the JB Duke Hotel and Conference Center, a premier hotel, event, and meeting destination conveniently located on the Duke Campus.

 

Lodging at JB Duke, dinner on arrival the evening prior to the program as well as Day 1 and Day 2, and daily breakfast and lunch on Days 1, 2, and 3 are included in the registration fee. Snacks are also provided throughout the program day. 

Program Registration Calendar

Registration Cost
$6,900
Register Now
Registration Cost
$6,900
Registration deadline
April 8, 2024
Advanced Registration
$6,382
Advanced Registration Price available through February 8, 2024
Register Now

Contact Details

Duke Executive Education
100 Fuqua Drive
Durham, NC 27708-0120 USA

Office Hours
Monday - Friday
8:30 am - 5:00 pm

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Program Location and Accommodations

JB Duke Hotel Fuqua Executive Education
During your time in Durham, you’ll live and learn in the four-star JB Duke Hotel, a contemporary and tranquil retreat on Duke’s campus with state-of-the-art learning facilities.
JB Duke Hotel

Curriculum

Focusing on refining your communication skills and influencing strategies, you will learn to leverage strategic frameworks that empower you to engage effectively with a range of audiences and return to the office ready to have a greater impact within your organization.

 

Session Topics
  • Framing: Frame your messages to better resonate with specific decision-makers or stakeholders
  • Authenticity: Leverage your authentic self to communicate from your strengths and adjust your message with agility to align the necessary frame with your unique expertise
  • Impact: Better position yourself to increase the impact of your ideas through narratives and story structure which are critical to any change effort

 

Program Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of the program, you will be better able to:

  • Deliver your ideas in a way that is clear, crisp and compelling
  • Gain attention, focus, and be memorable
  • Frame your message to influence decision-makers in or outside the organization – delivering the “right” message for the “right” audience to get to “Yes”

Program Schedule

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Day 1: Framing

9:00 – 9:30 a.m.

Welcome & Introductions

9:30 – 10:00 a.m.

The Influential Leader Framework

10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Social Styles Assessment

12:30 – 1:30 p.m.

Lunch

1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

It’s Not About You: Influencing Decision-Makers

3:45 – 4:45 p.m.

Framing Simulation – Stakeholder Communication

4:45 – 5:00 p.m.

Day 1 Summary, Reflections, & Insights

Day 2: Authenticity

9:00 – 10:30 a.m.

Influence Superpower: Questions & Intentions

10:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Interpersonal Effectiveness & Empathy

12:30 – 1:30 p.m.

Lunch

1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

It’s Not About You: Organizational Content Strategy

3:45 – 4:45 p.m.

Authenticity Simulation – Idea to Influence in Dialogue

4:45 – 5:00 p.m.

Day 2 Summary, Reflections, & Insights

Day 3: Impact

9:00 – 11:00 a.m.

Crafting Your Storied Message

11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Building Your Persuasive Pitch

12:30 – 1:30 p.m.

Lunch

1:30 – 2:45 p.m.

IMPACT through Influence Simulation

2:45 – 3:00 p.m.

Program Summary, Reflections, Insights, & Commitments

Faculty

Professor Daisy Lovelace

Daisy Lovelace

Daisy Lovelace, PhD, is an Associate Professor of the Practice at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. She teaches leadership and communication and is committed to creating inclusive teams and organizations. Her professional interests include leadership, inclusive excellence, interpersonal communication, crisis management, persuasion, and influence. In addition to live instruction, she teaches short courses on the LinkedIn Learning platform. She earned her doctorate from the University of Virginia. In addition to teaching at Duke, she has held faculty posts at Indiana University-Bloomington, Princeton University, Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, Korea, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and the University of Virginia.

Photo of Richard Freishtat, Associate Dean for Executive Education at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business.

Richard Freishtat

Richard Freishtat, PhD, serves as Associate Dean for Executive Education at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. In this role, Freishtat leads all aspects of the Executive Education portfolio including strategy, business development, finance, curriculum, and program delivery focused on making a positive impact through the cutting-edge work of faculty.

In addition to serving as a leader in executive education organizations since 2018, Freishtat has deep experience as a faculty member in executive education, working directly with industry leaders to transform themselves and their organizations. He has been designing and delivering communications and leadership executive programs since 2013 to thousands of executives in organizations across the globe, from start-ups to Fortune 50 companies.

Freishtat has published several research articles and worked as a PI on NSF-funded grant projects. He earned his PhD in Education (Curriculum & Instruction) from Arizona State University and his MA and BA in Rhetoric & Public Address from Pennsylvania State University.

How to Register

For more information about how to register, please see our detailed instructions.

Registration Instructions

Frequently Asked Questions

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Frequently Asked Questions