networking with confidence
Half-day masterclass for public sector professionals who want to network with confidence, bring all of themselves to their professional relationships, and use those relationships to move work forward faster and more successfully
Each of us has a full range to draw on: the drive to get things started, the warmth to connect, the steadiness to build trust and the care to get the detail right. We each tend to reach for some parts of that range more readily than others, and good networking asks for all of it at different moments. That makes this masterclass as useful for people who find networking uncomfortable as for those who enjoy it. Participants learn to network as all of themselves, to spend their networking time on the relationships that matter most, and to call on their network for the right things, in the right way.
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Network in a way that feels like you, drawing on your full range
Start, deepen and sustain professional conversations with confidence, reaching for what each conversation asks for
Focus your networking time on the relationships that matter most to your work
Know who in your network to call on, for what and how
Bring undecided colleagues and stakeholders on side
Follow up in a way that builds trust and keeps relationships active
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This is a practical, structured masterclass focused on individual application.
Participants work with real relationships and a current piece of their own work. They map who matters, prepare for the conversations ahead and practise the parts of networking that feel least familiar to them.
The session combines reflection, structured exercises and practice in pairs and small groups, so approaches can be used immediately.
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Half-day masterclass (3.5 hours)
Can be extended to a full day to cover additional objectives
Delivered in-person or virtually
Mixed groups from across teams
Level set to match the group on the day
Up to 20 participants
From £1,800 per session
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09:30 – 09:45
Networking, reframed
What professional networking looks like in public sector work, and a definition that feels authentic and purposeful. Why the best time to build relationships is before you need them, and why networking works best when you bring all of you to it
09:45 – 10:15
Know your style
Recognising the parts of your range you tend to reach for first and how they serve you. How to widen your reach to connect with people whose temperament differs from yours. Everyone has a way in
10:15 – 11:00
Networking with purpose
Mapping the people who matter for a current piece of your work by relationship, influence and commitment: Allies, Opponents, the Indifferent and the Torn. These describe where someone stands on this piece of work today, and stances change. Where to focus your networking time, why the Torn matter most, why you engage people one at a time, and what each relationship may be asking of you next
11:00 – 11:15
Break
11:15 – 11:45
Becoming a Connector
Leadership as a measure of influence. Building visibility and credibility across your organisation by being known for what you bring, and becoming the Connector others seek out. Every temperament has its own route to becoming a Connector
11:45 – 12:15
Working the room
A five-step approach for meetings, conferences, events and cross-team projects: Plan, Meet, Connect, Enlist and Follow Up. Each step asks for something different, from forethought and warmth to conviction and steadiness, so participants practise drawing on their full range across the whole cycle. Includes a menu of questions to open, deepen and sustain professional conversations
12:15 – 12:35
Your professional reputation
How online and offline presence work together to show the full range of what you bring. Using LinkedIn and internal platforms to build your professional reputation in line with your organisation's social media guidance
12:35 – 13:00
Commit and act
Building a personal 30-day relationship plan with specific, realistic commitments, including at least one conversation that asks you to reach beyond your usual way in. Agreeing check-ins with an accountability partner
