Who is this for?
Anyone with limited authority who seeks to enhance their communication effectiveness. Business, technical and support professionals, team leads, coordinators, supervisors and junior to mid-level managers in particular will benefit from attending.
"Gail is an engaging and insightful instructor who will encourage your learning with a variety of instructive and hands-on techniques. The course provides a mix of tools and techniques you likely haven't used before to encourage more successful communication with people you do not have authority over."
Benefits for you
- Develop a more constructive mindset and behaviours when you are working from a position of limited authority
- Become more efficient and effective when planning and delivering your message upwards or laterally
- Acquire a new toolkit of skills for informing and persuading others assertively and diplomatically
- Explore internal and external communication obstacles and apply methods to overcome them
- Engage others quickly and with maximum impact
- Acquire buy-in and support from individuals and groups at all levels
- Enhance your power, credibility and confidence when addressing others, despite your lack of authority
Program content
Day One
Module 1: Communicating Upwards with Confidence
- Identify your self-defeating obstacles when communicating upwards
- Tips for motivating people with more authority to give you their respect and commitment
- Strategies for crafting messages with impact when communicating upwards
- Practice a real-life conversation and create an action plan for communicating upwards more effectively
Self-directed resources:
- Self-assessment: your style when communicating upwards
Module 2: Communicating Laterally with Assertiveness and Tact
- Strategies for becoming more assertive when communicating laterally
- How to convey sensitive messages with empathy and tact
- Practice planning, crafting and delivering messages that balance assertiveness with diplomacy
Self-directed resources:
- Evaluate your assertiveness when communicating laterally; tips for improvement
- Guidelines for how to be more diplomatic
Day Two
Module 3: Communicating Clearly to Inform
- What is and is not relevant when informing others—guidelines for informing with impact
- The WSN Technique for communicating to inform with clarity and tact
- Create an action plan for crafting and delivering impactful informative messages
- Practice a real-life conversation informing someone you have no authority over
Self-directed resources:
- Checklist: how effective are you at informing others?
- Planning template and examples for communicating to inform
Module 4: Communicating Persuasively to Influence
- Essential components of an effective message to persuade when you do not have authority
- Strengthen your message’s persuasion appeal with the ROBA technique
- Craft and deliver a persuasive message using ROBA in a real-life conversation
- Create an action plan for communicating more persuasively
Self-directed resources:
- Planning template for crafting and delivering a persuasive conversation without authority
- Assessing your persuasion power: guidelines for success
Program leader

Dr. Gail Levitt
Upcoming sessions
Note: participants in this program may qualify for up to $10,000 in funding through the Canada BC Job Grant program. Find out if you qualify.

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Contact a learning advisor for more details.
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Get in touch
604.822.8400 or 1.800.618.3932
exec.ed@sauder.ubc.caVisit our contact page for more information.
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