Course Overview

Government relations refers to the process of influencing public policy at all levels of governance—local, regional, national or even global. Government relations aim to direct government officials to create or maintain government policy to address issues of a particular type or group.

Public affairs is the term used to define the relationship between an organisation and its stakeholders. These stakeholders could be individuals or groups with an interest in the organisation’s affairs.

Together, government relations and public affairs refer to interaction between organisations and the government and stakeholders. They are often found to overlap, and though used synonymously sometimes, there is a thin line of difference between the two.

This Zoe training course will empower you with a detailed understanding and information about government relations, public policy and public affairs.

By undertaking this course, you will receive the necessary exposure, experience and skills to undertake any kind of role and responsibility for any function within these three areas, thus making you a dynamic professional of choice for challenging roles and opportunities that require multiple skills and multi-tasking abilities, in turn supporting faster growth and career development.

Course Objectives

The key objective of this Masterclass in Government Relations, Public Policy and Public Affairs training course is to empower professionals to —

• learn and acquire the necessary skills to successfully carry out duties in areas of government relations, public policy and/or public affairs
• assume complicated and challenging roles within one’s organisation that require knowledge and information in government relations, public policy and public affairs
• effectively scrutinise existing information and data to check for major challenges and issues that could hamper relationships between the organisation, its stakeholders and the government and device next steps to prevent these from occurring
• train other professionals and share best practices of successfully working in profiles of government relations, public policy and/or public affairs
• direct one’s organisation in healthy practices and guidelines to be followed for effective government relations and public affairs, thus demonstrating one’s potential to attain influential positions within the organisation, in turn fostering better career opportunities and faster growth
• play an important role in creating and establishing public policy for one’s organisation to ensure that activities and functions align with the objective of public interests
• review organisational processes and operations to ensure adherence to required standards and benchmarks of operation as per public policy, contributing to organisational growth and development

Training Methodology

Training courses at Zoe Talent Solutions are highly customisable as per the professional backgrounds and experience of the training audience. Therefore, each course is thoroughly reviewed to confirm that the content best suits the intended audience.

Training is delivered by experienced professionals from the relevant domain, using detailed audio-visual presentations for ease of reference.

Trainee participation is encouraged through activities and projects assigned to them in groups, fostering interaction among the trainees as well. Role-plays and case study discussions form an integral part of the training program.

Zoe Talent Solutions follows the above format of training for all its courses. The format is called the Do–Review–Learn–Apply Model.

Organisational Benefits

With professionals undergoing this training course, organisations will derive the following benefits:

• Trained and experienced professionals managing functions related to corporate governance, public policy and public affairs
• Structured processes and documentation to ensure adherence with public policy and other requirements, thereby building credibility for the organisation
• Fruitful government relations and public affairs that will help the organisation progress and develop
• Regular review and update of existing processes, documents and other operations to align to changing demands of the market
• Ongoing training of other employees on important functions related to government relations, public policy and public affairs
• Organisational growth and development at the global level because of good government relations and public affairs as well as adherence to public policy
• Application of advanced systems to track market and industry updates as well as impending risks to take precautionary measures to prevent business impact

Personal Benefits

Professionals opting for this training course will benefit in the following ways:

• Comprehensive information and knowledge about important aspects of government relations, public policy and public affairs
• Improved confidence and experience to change or maintain internal organisational policies in accordance with required public policy
• Increased knowledge and confidence to assume critical positions involving interaction and communication with government relations and public affairs
• Greater understanding, information and confidence to train other professionals on government relations, public policy and public affairs
• Enhanced ability and foresight to review internal operations and foresee and address challenges that could impact relations or functioning of one’s organisation, demonstrating one’s potential and skill and inviting exciting, challenging opportunities for growth and development
• Increased confidence and knowledge to work with advanced systems and processes to ensure that processes and guidelines of one’s organisation are in adherence with globally required standards, thus contributing to organisational growth and development
• Enhanced skillset and capabilities to undertake and successfully complete multiple responsibilities across areas of government relations, public affairs and public policy, thereby proving a great asset to one’s organisation and progressing to avenues at a global level
• Better understanding and knowledge to apply advanced concepts and models to one’s organisation to help it survive competition and do well in the market

Who Should Attend?

• Senior management of organisations who need to thoroughly understand government relations, public policy and public affairs to make appropriate strategic decisions
• Executives and managers performing or overseeing functions related to government relations, public affairs or public policy
• Policy makers responsible for creating and implementing policies within the organisation, in adherence with external standards
• Internal and external auditors responsible for checking and ensuring adherence to internationally accepted benchmarks and standards
• Stakeholders and others with a keen interest in the functioning and prospects of a business with regard to government and public interactions
• Government officials in charge of certain functions requiring coordination and communication with organisations and its stakeholders
• Any other professional interested in building one’s knowledge and skill in government relations, public affairs and public policy

Course Outline

The Masterclass in Government Relations, Public Policy and Public Affairs course covers the following topics regarding government relations, public policy and public affairs:

Module 1 – Need for Government Relations

• Impact on business operations
• Impact on functional environment
• Better understanding of government policies
• Maintenance of trust and transparency

Module 2 – Factors Affecting Government Relations Maintained by Organisations

• Functional economy
• Degree of freedom and liberalisation
• Government policies
• Political party in power

Module 3 – Types of Public Policy

• Restrictive
• Regulatory
• Facilitating

Module 4 – Features of Public Policy

• Goal-oriented
• Result of government action
• Can take various forms
• Depicts concern of the government

Module 5 – Steps in Public Policy Formulation and Implementation

• Problem identification/agenda setting
• Public policy formation
• Public policy adoption
• Policy implementation
• Policy evaluation
• Policy termination

Module 6 – Goals of Public Affairs Communications

• Information
• Education
• Persuasion
• Motivation
• Communication
• Relations
• Mobilisation
• Integration

Module 7 – Benefits of a Public Affairs Strategy

• Freedom to operate
• Image and reputation management
• Cost management

Module 8 – Challenges in Public Affairs

• Challenge of reputation
• Growth of government intervention
• Client reputations
• Grassroots engagements
• Growth of data