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.

Anyone who knows me knows that I have strong views how to manage stakeholders and 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 and do something. So I developed a course specifically for content designers.

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. You will learn to:

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

• Develop an effective stakeholder management strategy

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

• Demonstrate how you will get buy-in from stakeholders for your work

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

Structure of the course

This course is divided into 2 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: The training covers 2 days - the first day is about 6 hours, and the second is about 5 hours. It’s online only.

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 great:

• for new content designers, who might be dealing with these challenges for the first time

• as a refresher for more experienced content designers - particularly if you’re feeling a bit bruised and unhappy about your current engagement with your stakeholders

How does it work?

This course is online only.

But while I offer this course for established teams, I also offer courses for people who want to sign up individually.

Find out more about my stakeholder management training.

About me

Hi. I’m Jane Van de Ban. After decades of working in the UK public sector, I now work for myself. And I’m on a mission to empower you. Right now, that means 2 things:

• Stakeholder management training for content designers: I was a union activist and content design lead for years, and that meant that managing stakeholders was the key to getting things done. So I’m good at it, and want to help you.

• Coaching for content designers: Before I was a content designer, I was a web editor. Before that, I was a print editor. Content is something I know a lot about - and as a former team lead, I understand the challenges you face. If you’re struggling with an aspect of your work, I’d like to help.

Let’s have a chat! Contact me to figure out how we can work together.