Online Advocacy Strategy and Influencing Skills

Overview

This online course introduces participants to the core skills needed to influence powerful stakeholders and policy processes in a range of contexts. It also gives participants a thorough understanding of how to develop and monitor effective advocacy strategies. The course is articulated in 8 weekly modules, with a combination of seven live sessions and independent learning.

The live sessions are designed in a way to maximise interaction between participants, through skilled facilitation and techniques such as virtual whiteboards/scrapbooks and break-out groups. You will have access to videos / screencasts, slides, links to videos and background reading, all accessed through INTRAC’s e-platform. Using these inputs, you will be asked to complete 3 – 4 assignments each week in order to consolidate your learning and prepare for the next week’s live session. Some core assignments are mandatory while others are optional – for those who may want to dig deeper.

A one-to-one mentoring session with the course trainer (on Skype or Zoom) is offered to each participant as part of the course, providing space to work through and identify potential solutions to specific advocacy challenges you are facing or support for getting started if you are new to advocacy.

Who is this training course suitable for?
This course is particularly relevant to those who are intending to engage in some form of advocacy in the near future. It will benefit those who have some prior advocacy experience but who now want to take a more systematic approach so as to maximise impact. However participants do not need to have had formal work experience in this area. In line with INTRAC’s approach, we encourage participants to apply the course skills and tools to a real live issue on which they wish to see change. 

This e-learning course provides flexibility and enables you to take part in an INTRAC course wherever you are. For more details on the course content and timetable of the live sessions, please visit https://www.intrac.org/how-we-work/training/upcoming-courses/

Course fee:  GBP 750.00

Application deadline:  Friday, 24 September 2021.  Applications are now being accepted. Please note that we may close the applications earlier if the course is fully booked.

Course trainer:Helen Collinson is an experienced advocate with thirty years’ experience in this field, who still works part-time in a senior advocacy role in a large international development NGO. Helen has been an INTRAC Associate since 2008, training civil society and providing them advocacy strategy support in parts of Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Eastern Europe.

What you will learn

Summary of course content

• Identifying common tools and techniques behind successful advocacy initiatives
• Developing an advocacy strategy – key steps
• Analysing the context for your advocacy and where power lies
• Developing a theory of change and an advocacy roadmap
• Tools and techniques for monitoring and evaluating advocacy, including advocacy indicators
• Developing and communicating an advocacy message
• Persuasive techniques

What is the course format?

The online Advocacy Strategy and Influencing Skills is a facilitated, interactive and collaborative e-learning experience. You will have access to:

• Seven interactive live sessions facilitated by our highly experienced consultant and an instructional producer, including small groups discussions and exercises. Each webinar lasts 90 minutes.
• All programme materials on the INTRAC e-learning platform, including videos and self-paced activities.
• Opportunities to interact with other participants on the programme through the platform discussion forums and the live sessions.
• One 50-minute individual mentoring session via Skype Feedback on your individual assignments.

What you require

What are the IT requirements?

You will need a laptop and ideally also a headset, as well as access to broadband internet. You will need to be able to download software (Zoom) to access the live sessions. INTRAC’s e-learning platform (Moodle) is accessible via browser.

If you have any doubt about these requirements, please do get in touch.