Stakeholder Management in L&D: Why It Matters and How to Get It Right

Whether you're an internal L&D professional or an independent training consultant, stakeholder management is one of the most critical – yet often overlooked – parts of the job.

It’s tempting to dive straight into designing engaging content and creating the perfect workshop. But without buy-in from key stakeholders, even the best-designed learning interventions can fall flat, be poorly attended, or fail to deliver meaningful outcomes. Stakeholders can make or break the success of your learning solution, whether you're employed or working as a freelancer consultant.

What Do We Mean by 'Stakeholder'?

In the context of L&D, your stakeholders are anyone with a vested interest in the learning solution you're providing. That might include:

• Senior leaders who want results aligned with business goals

• Line managers who need their teams to perform better

• HR partners who are responsible for wider people strategies

• Learners themselves – your end users

• Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who might help to shape the content

• External partners such as platform providers, accreditation bodies or freelance facilitators

Each of these groups has different priorities, levels of influence, and expectations.

Why Good Stakeholder Management Matters

Too often, L&D professionals find themselves firefighting – responding to vague briefs, delivering “tick-box” training, or struggling to prove impact. Effective stakeholder engagement helps you:

• Clarify the real problem before jumping to a solution

• Align learning outcomes with business needs

• Set realistic expectations around time, scope, and success measures

• Build trust and credibility as a partner, not just a service provider

• Secure ongoing support and resources

In short, it moves L&D from a reactive function to a strategic enabler.

Practical Tips to Manage Stakeholders Effectively

Here are some practical strategies to improve how you engage and manage your stakeholders:

1. Map Them Early

Use a simple stakeholder mapping grid (influence vs interest) to identify who your key players are. Prioritise time and communication with those who are both highly influential and highly interested.

2. Ask Better Questions

Go beyond "What training do you need?" and instead ask:

• "What’s happening that makes you think this is needed?"

• "How will we know if this has worked?"

• "Who else is affected by this issue?"

This helps uncover the real drivers and enables you to design more relevant solutions.

3. Tailor Your Communication

Not everyone wants the same level of detail. A senior leader might want a one-page summary of outcomes and ROI. An SME may want to discuss every learning activity. Adapt your message accordingly.

4. Set Expectations Clearly

Be upfront about what you can and cannot deliver. Clarify timelines, resources required, and what you’ll need from them. Put it in writing if needed – it shows professionalism and avoids confusion later.

5. Keep Them Involved (But Not Overloaded)

Involve key stakeholders in milestone moments – e.g., needs analysis results, draft outlines, pilot sessions – without bogging them down in every detail, or letting them get too involved and take you off track.

6. Handle Conflict Diplomatically

Stakeholders won’t always agree, especially when priorities clash. Listen carefully, look for shared goals, and offer evidence or examples to support your recommendations.

7. Follow Up and Close the Loop

After delivery, share outcomes, learner feedback, and next steps. This reinforces the value of your work and helps build support for future initiatives.

Everyone needs to manage stakeholders

It's not just the L&D function that needs to manage stakeholders. No-one works in isolation, and these days it's more important than ever to build collaborative relationships. If you'd like a ready-made bite-size workshop to help people in your organision build stakeholder management skills, check out the editable Power Hour session:👉 Manage Stakeholders (Face-to-Face and Virtual) It includes everything you need to run a short, practical training session for anyone wanting to sharpen their stakeholder management skills.

Building Effective Working Relationships is closely related to this, and something that can be done with every interaction, making stakeholder management (when it's needed) far easier!