Certificate in Government Relations and Lobbying Training Course

Why select this training course?

No business or institution operates in silos. To successfully grow a business, there is a firm reliance on many factors, including governmental regulations and policies. Good government relations can bring tremendous value to all business cycle stages. Therefore, professionals must understand how government relations and lobbying work entirely.

What do government relations and lobbying mean?

The term “Government Relations” refers to the process of influencing public policy at all levels of government: local, regional, national, and even global. This is almost the same for lobbying, which involves individuals or institutions attempting to influence the government’s actions through different forms of communication. However, although they have close similarities, what counts as lobbying differs from state to state or region to region.

Why is government relation significant?

Government relations are concerned with persuading government officials to alter or sustain policies to better meet a particular group’s demands. Major organizations try to get policies that favor them through effective relations and lobbying. It takes consistent training and skills to become an influential lobbyist; therefore, Rcademy has put together the Certificate in Government Relations and Lobbying Training Course to empower its participants with ground-breaking information on the most efficient ways to maintain relationships with government officials.

Who should attend?

The act of lobbying requires precision and the ability to influence; it is majorly carried out by high-level professionals and senior managers who have the desired level of skills required to represent the institution or organization and also be able to engage the governmental body in favor of the organization. Therefore, Certificate in Government Relations and Lobbying Training Course by Rcademy is most applicable to the following set of professionals:

• Project managers who understand the current projects of the organization and how government relations affect the project
• Country managers who manage the operation of the organization in selected countries
• Corporate affairs managers who are responsible for the governance of an organization and corporate affairs
• Government relations managers who are responsible for all government relations and affairs
• External relations managers who constantly interact with external partners in the best interest of the organization
• Political risk analysts who can predict the political clime of a country and how it can affect the organization
• Operations managers in charge of leading operations of the organization in different regions
• Legal practitioners that serve as legal counsel to the organization to ensure compliance with laws and regulations
• Risk managers are responsible for identifying and managing risks that can ensue from organization operations
• Public affairs officers who constantly relate with the media and external partners to preserve the reputation of the organization
• Personnel interested in learning government relations and the act of lobbying

What are the course objectives?

At the end of the Certificate in Government Relations and Lobbying Training Course by Rcademy, the course aims to achieve the following objectives:

• Able to add more value to the business with a strategic government relations strategy
• Acquire in-depth knowledge of how to assess, forecast, and mitigate political risks to the organization
• Learn to build and implement a government relations strategy that is appropriate for the organization’s demands
• Know several techniques and approaches that can enhance the capacity to handle government relations in a variety of settings
• Understand the different aspects and departments available in an organization and how synergies between government relations and other departments can be established
• Determine the proper mechanism and medium that can be used in participating in the legislative and policymaking processes
• Create a plan for integrating public affairs into the organization to further strengthen operations
• Conduct consultations with senior government officials to influence policies and create strategic alignment
• Engage the media, including digital media, to generate public opinion and generate more engagement

How will this course be presented?

Rcademy training courses utilize various learning strategies and methodologies to ensure participants’ effective learning practices. The course establishes the use of practical sessions, including scenarios, case studies, and role-playing among participants. The teaching methodology guarantees the transition from theoretical learning to practical learning.

The course is fully optimized to meet all the needs of the participants; each module contains new topics that are extensively discussed during learning. The course content is delivered by experts and professionals in Government Relations and Lobbying and enables participants to be well-trained. Rcademy focuses on using a participant-centered approach in delivering the course.

What are the topics covered in this course?

Module 1: Introduction to Effective Government Relations

• Definition of Effective Government Relations
• Importance of government to businesses
• Ethics and principles guiding relations and lobbying
• Laws and legal matters
• Reputational management

Module 2: Applications of Government Relations

• Understanding government relations
  – Context
• Establishing new organizations
  – Local
  – Regional
• Expanding areas of operations
• Mergers
• Acquisitions

Module 3: Public Affairs Strategy 

• Overview of public affairs and Government Relations
• Principles of public affairs
• Role of public affairs
• Public Affairs and Government Relations Strategy
• Stakeholder Analysis and management in public affairs
• Mapping political landscapes

Module 4: Political Risk Analysis and Mitigation

• Overview of political risk
  – Risk affecting business
• Identifying political risk
• Analyzing political risk
• Mitigating political risk
  – Mechanism for mitigation
• Stakeholder engagement
  – Relation
  – Communication

Module 5: Managing Change

• Understanding change
  – Organisational context
• Change Equation
• Advocacy and lobbying
• Understanding government agenda
• Managing government agenda
• Creating or causing change

Module 6: Government Relations Toolbox

• Components of Government Relations Strategy
  – High-level engagement
  – Policy debate
  – Collaboration
• Implementation of Government Relations
• Strategies and plan of action
• Monitoring results
• Assessing performance

Module 7: Engaging in Government Relations

• Rule of Engagement
  – Engaging with government relations
• Establishing relationships with government officials
• Framework for lobbying
  – Direct lobbying
  – Integrated lobbying
  – Grassroots lobbying
• Regulation of lobbying activity
• Professionalism while carrying out lobbying

Module 8: Planning Advocacy and Lobbying Campaign

• Overview of an advocacy campaign
  – Characteristics
• Advocacy cycle
• Steps of action
• Creating an advocacy action plan
• Implementing actions
• Monitoring and evaluation

Module 9: Media Strategy in Government Relations

• Proactive media relations
• Media appearances
• Advocacy advertising
• Press coverage
• News media
• Campaign management

Module 10: Resolving Conflicts

• Business diplomacy
• Avoiding conflicts
• Resolving conflict with government and stakeholders
• Creating middle grounds for different parties
• Conducting due diligence