Building effective business relationships

Is this course for you?

Whether you're managing suppliers, working with internal stakeholders, leading a team or delivering services to clients, your success depends on the quality of your professional relationships.

Many workplace and facilities professionals are technically capable but find relationships challenging when priorities conflict, expectations differ or difficult conversations arise. You may struggle to gain stakeholder support, manage competing demands or influence decisions when you have no direct authority.

This course gives you practical tools to build stronger working relationships, communicate more effectively and gain greater support for your ideas and objectives.

It's particularly valuable for facilities managers, workplace professionals, contract managers, service delivery managers and anyone whose role depends on collaboration, stakeholder engagement and influencing others.

Common challenges this course will help you overcome

This course is designed to help you tackle everyday workplace challenges, including:

Struggling to gain buy-in from stakeholders, clients or colleagues
Managing difficult supplier, customer or contractor relationships
Influencing decisions when you do not have direct authority
Handling conflict and challenging conversations constructively
Building trust with new stakeholders and teams
Adapting your communication style to different personalities
Creating stronger collaboration across departments and functions
Maintaining productive working relationships during periods of change

What will you learn?

Upon completion of this course, you will understand:

Effective communication

How to build rapport quickly, communicate with greater confidence and adapt your approach to different individuals and situations.

Behaviour

How to recognise four distinct behavioural styles and tailor your communication to improve engagement, reduce conflict and strengthen working relationships.

Respect

How to manage differing viewpoints constructively, turn challenging interactions into productive conversations and build mutual understanding.

Developing trust

Practical ways to establish trust, strengthen credibility and create a positive working environment where individuals feel supported and accountable.

All our learning outcomes match the essential skills required by the profession day-to-day.

By the end of the course, you'll be able to approach stakeholder relationships with greater confidence, handle difficult situations more effectively and build the trusted partnerships that help workplace and facilities services succeed.

How long is it for?

This is an intensive one-day course comprising workshops and practical tasks.

Delivery method

In order to be part of our virtual training session, you will need:

Access to a computer (PC or Mac) with a microphone and webcam
A quiet area where you can participate fully in discussions and practical activities

Course trainer

Gillian Hayter (MBA)

Founder and CEO, Reboot Ltd and the Facilities Learning Hub

[email protected]

Gillian Hayter (MBA) is the founder and CEO of Reboot Ltd and the Facilities Learning Hub. She is Chief Examiner for an Awarding Organisation and has published several academic texts and study guides. As a lead trainer, assessor and tutor for IWFM her knowledge of FM supports professional development and qualifications. She has written articles for several publications including the FMJ. Gillian is passionate in the area of careers within FM, focusing on fair pay and career development.

She was recently (and for the third year), a delegate at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UK).

In her spare time, Gill plays golf, tennis and recently published her first non-workbook - Mahjong for Beginners!

She has published ‘ Complete in a Week Series to provide a guide for the units at Level 3 and 4 for the IWFM qualifications and her book for FM will be published in September – An Introduction for New Facilities Managers.