Every major public project has a list of people who feel they weren't consulted enough — communities, investors, contractors, or oversight bodies who believe their interests were sidelined. Left unaddressed, that sense of exclusion is what turns into open conflict and stalls delivery, particularly on large-scale ventures tied to sectors like oil and gas where the public sector has significant say.

This Resolving Conflict Between the Public Sector and Stakeholders course, from the Arab British Fellowship Training Academy, focuses on the consultation and engagement side of that problem — building the skills needed to bring stakeholders to the table, manage difficult conversations, and keep projects on track instead of stuck in dispute.

Who Should Attend

• Project team members, managers and supervisors.
• Leaders of consultation and engagement teams responsible for stakeholder involvement.
• Staff accountable for the efficiency and consistency of consultative programmes.
• Graduates and professionals interested in stakeholder relations.

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Recognize the practices to avoid when engaging stakeholders and the wider community.
• Apply interest-based strategies and processes that support constructive consultation.
• Use role-play and simulation to practise handling difficult, high-participation situations.
• Identify and resolve stakeholder concerns efficiently, keeping work within agreed timeframes.
• Prepare for and hold sharp, meaningful discussions with opposing parties.

Module 1: Understanding Stakeholder Conflict

• What stakeholder conflict actually looks like, and what resolving it means in practice.
• The most common triggers of tension from the public-sector side.

Module 2: Barriers to Alignment

• Legal and regulatory frameworks that shape how stakeholders interact with public projects.
• Structural obstacles that get in the way of efficient, consistent engagement.

Module 3: Running Difficult Conversations

• Practical techniques for managing heated or high-stakes discussions.
• Preparing for productive debate, and rehearsing it through role-play scenarios.

Module 4: Engagement Programmes That Work

• Designing a structured, wide-reach stakeholder engagement programme.
• Interest-based consultation strategies, backed by proper planning and preparation.
• Monitoring, documenting and following up on contract obstacles.
• Evaluating a conflict and its damage, illustrated with real case studies.