Dialogue for Change Programme

Background

The need for organisations to embed sustainability and business transformation across their operations and broader value chains has never been more important. Sustainability teams often hold the responsibility for managing and addressing an increasingly complex, strategic, and broad range of sustainability issues whilst delivering on environmental, social and governance objectives, but they cannot do this alone.

To achieve change, company boards, employees and other stakeholders must be engaged. Research shows that people care about issues such as climate change, but do not feel empowered to drive change in their role or have the relevant skills to do so. The sustainability challenges businesses face are complex, but solutions exist, and these will be most successfully realised when diverse groups of people with different skills and experiences engage in effective dialogue.

The Programme

The UN Global Compact Network UK and Impact have designed, ‘Dialogue for Change’, an 8 week programme to support those responsible for sustainability performance within their organisation to mobilise action across departments. This UN Global Compact Network UK members-only programme aims to support participants to develop the interpersonal skills needed to effectively communicate and engage with colleagues and stakeholders on sustainability challenges to build the internal buy-in needed to drive progress towards their companies’ climate and sustainability goals.

Dialogue for Change will give you improved self-awareness and practical skills to use in 1:1 and group conversations, from casual encounters to formal meetings. As a result of the Dialogue for Change journey, you will:

• Understand your role in making change happen through dialogue
• Understand how to get the best out of your team and personal network
• Get the right balance of ‘ask’ and ‘tell’
• Dial down your biases and tune into what people are trying to communicate
• Ask questions that prompt new ways of seeing a situation
• Learn to give your opinion and personal feedback with confidence and strength

Format

• An 8-week virtual journey, hosted in MS Teams and Zoom.
• Attend four live virtual sessions led by an Impact facilitator.
• Attend four live circle sessions with other participants.
• Access to a range of engaging resources for solo learning and real time application.
• An individual commitment of 2.5 hours per week.

Attendance at all live sessions is key to success for yourself and others on the programme, so by signing up you are committing to attend all the live sessions and to complete all the preparation required for each session. Recordings from live sessions will not be available.

We intend to run this programme on a recurring basis, depending on demand, so if these dates do not work, you can register to be added to our waiting list.

We hold a limited number of places for smaller businesses at a reduced fee, please get in touch for more information.