TRAINING
Our bespoke workshops are tailor-made to your needs and can take place in our office or yours. The best group size is 6-10, and they require a minimum of 4 persons to run.
We occasionally offer workshops that are open to the public. We welcome you to join us. Sign up quick because spots go fast!
BRUSSELS OUTSIDERS
Break the Brussels Bubble
BRUSSELS INSIDERS
Leaning in to PA careers
SPECIALS
Soft skills for hard facts
Essential PA Toolbox
Jumpstart your career (junior professionals)
Sitting on the Hot seat
PA for Business Executives
Jumpstart your career (senior professionals)
Lost in translation
WORKSHOPS
Mix of
- presentation of facts based on practical examples
- role play
- interactive assignments. You learn most by doing it.
- Pre- and post-training exchange in closed facebook groups. Don’t just train – get going with it!
All workshops can be delivered in German and English – and if you really push us, French.
For Brussels Outsiders
Breaking the Brussels Bubble
European affairs often appear to take place in an impenetrable “Brussels bubble.” We give you the insights and tools to burst through it, and get heard and understood by the people that count.
Topics
- Understanding the Bubble rules
- Relating to policymakers
- Engaging journalists
- Reaching stakeholders
- Framing effective messages
- Leveraging the right digital and print channels
Essential PA Toolbox
Learn all about the essential tools for modern public affairs from media monitoring to strategy. No matter whether you have an armada of professionals or are flying solo, we’ll teach you everything you need to lead.
Common topics
- Setting SMART policy goals
- Framing impactful messages
- Navigating the legislative process
- Building successful alliances
- Unofficial rules of engagement in Brussels (“the playbook”)
PA for Business Executives
Is politics getting in the way of your business? We’ll teach you how to play the political game and win for your company. This workshop is especially designed for executives.
Common topics
- Detecting early-warning signs of policy crises
- Turning regulations into business opportunities
- Starting a lean public affairs team in-house
- How to make the best use of consultants
- Pros and cons of industry associations
For Brussels Insiders
Leaning in to Public Affairs Careers
This is a workshop just for women to learn strategies to “lean in” to careers in public affairs. You’ll gain important insights and tools to break through the glass ceiling into the leadership positions you deserve.
Common topics
- Identifying gender bias and counter strategies
- Knowing your value in salary negotiations
- Managing the illusive “work-life balance”
- Responding to gaps in your CV
- Navigating career changes with confidence
Public Affairs for different generations (junior/senior professionals)
Are you struggling to climb the ladder in your public affairs career? Are you going from internship to internship? This workshop will teach you all the unofficial rules for career advancement in public affairs that nobody tells you. Tailored to your level of experience, we offer this workshop for junior professionals and for senior professionals. Get the insights and tools you need to lead starting now.
You must have at least three years of relevant work experience to register for the junior professionals’ workshop, and 10 years for the senior professionals’ workshop. Didn’t make the cut? No problem. Consider enrolling in 1o1 coaching with one of our experts.
Common topics
- Cultural clash: Millennials V. baby-boomers in the workplace
- Skills and traits that top employers are looking for today
- Effective job search tools and strategies in Brussels
- CV and cover letter writing
- Interviewing with confidence
Specialties for in- and outsiders
Soft skills for hard facts
“It’s not just what you say, but how you say it that matters.” When you meet with a policymaker or journalist, they will be judging far more than your message. They’ll assess your tone of voice, body language, appearance, and plenty of other unspoken cues. In this workshop, we’ll learn how to master the art of perception so that you can play the game and win every time.
Improve your soft skills to get across the hard facts/speaking in the political sphere.
Learn what it takes to bring your arguments across. Towards policymakers, towards your peers in associations or alliances, when speaking in public.
Common Topics
- Navigating unspoken communication cues
- Reading personality types and adjusting to them
- Expressing yourself powerfully in groups
- Rising above personal issues
Sitting on the Hot Seat
Answering questions from MEPs at the European Parliament is like sitting on a hot seat. Get prepped and prepared for the heat with experts who’ve been there themselves and know what works.
Common topics
- Navigating the unofficial “rules of engagement” at a EP Hearing
- Setting SMART goals for your response
- Interpreting party politics, personal and institutional interests
- Analysing political priorities
- Preparing for Q&A
Lost in Translation
Public affairs in Europe involve lots of players who often cut across many different cultures, languages and geographies. Communicating effectively across this mosaic of people is no easy feat. This workshop offers you the concrete skills you need to understand diverse views points and lead multi-cultural teams that can win.
Common topics
- Working for corporate, but communicating with bureaucrats
- Marketing public affairs during a slow news cycle
- Setting SMART communication goals
- Applying digital tools to enhance communication
- Managing disputes
CASE STUDIES
Training future lobbyists
University Master students needed a practical training on public affairs from a seasoned professional. They wanted insight into the day-to-day world of advocacy and careers in Brussels.
Solution
- Two-day workshop that combined lectures on everything from the legislative process and advocacy strategies to social media.
Results
- Many of these students enthusiastically moved to Brussels, Vienna and Berlin for careers in public affairs.
Making employees better advocates
A company wanted to train employees on regulatory policy relevant to them. The goal was to give employees insights into how politics impacted the company’s operations, and why and how the company conducted lobbying.
Solution
- One-day training where employees gained practical policymaking insights with a combination of lectures, group discussion and role plays.
Results
- Participants reported that they were better able to represent company interests with policymakers and relate political developments to the workplace.