Education, Training and Development Adult Learning

Build Relationships For Development Practice Training

SAQA US 119767 | NQF 5 | Credits 12 | Duration 9 Days
From $1,798 per delegate

Description

This course equips development practitioners with the skills to build and sustain effective relationships with stakeholders, communities, and team members. Participants learn to apply principles of trust, communication, and collaboration to enhance development outcomes.

Learning Outcomes

  • Apply principles of relationship building to establish trust with diverse stakeholders.
  • Demonstrate effective communication techniques to facilitate collaborative development practice.
  • Analyze the impact of power dynamics and cultural differences on relationships.
  • Evaluate strategies for managing conflict and building consensus in development contexts.
  • Design a relationship-building plan for a specific development project or initiative.

Target Audience

This course is designed for development practitioners, project coordinators, and community liaison officers working in the development sector who need to strengthen their interpersonal and relational skills.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment.

Course Outline

Day 1: Foundations of Relationship Building in Development Practice

Objectives:
• Understand the role of relationships in development practice.
• Identify key principles of effective relationship building.
• Explore the ethical framework for engaging with stakeholders.
• Recognise the impact of power dynamics on relationships.

Topics:
• Introduction to development practice and relationship building.
• Core principles: trust, respect, reciprocity.
• Ethical considerations and codes of conduct.
• Power dynamics and their influence on relationships.
• Overview of stakeholder mapping.

Day 2: Communication Skills for Relationship Building

Objectives:
• Apply active listening techniques.
• Use assertive communication to express needs.
• Adapt communication styles to diverse audiences.
• Overcome barriers to effective communication.

Topics:
• Active listening and empathetic responding.
• Assertive vs aggressive vs passive communication.
• Non-verbal communication cues.
• Cross-cultural communication considerations.
• Feedback models (e.g., SBI).

Day 3: Building Trust and Credibility

Objectives:
• Define trust and its components in professional relationships.
• Demonstrate behaviours that build trust.
• Understand the trust-building cycle.
• Repair trust after breaches.

Topics:
• The trust equation: credibility, reliability, intimacy, self-orientation.
• Consistency and accountability.
• Transparency in communication.
• Trust repair strategies.
• Case studies on trust breaches.

Day 4: Networking and Stakeholder Engagement

Objectives:
• Map key stakeholders in development projects.
• Develop networking strategies for diverse contexts.
• Engage stakeholders effectively.
• Manage stakeholder expectations.

Topics:
• Stakeholder identification and analysis.
• Networking principles and techniques.
• Formal vs informal engagement.
• Managing expectations and conflict of interest.
• Documentation of stakeholder interactions.

Day 5: Collaboration and Team Dynamics

Objectives:
• Understand stages of team development.
• Foster collaborative environments.
• Resolve conflicts constructively.
• Leverage diversity within teams.

Topics:
• Tuckman's stages: forming, storming, norming, performing.
• Collaborative decision-making models.
• Conflict resolution techniques (e.g., interest-based).
• Cultural diversity and inclusion.
• Role of facilitation in team dynamics.

Day 6: Emotional Intelligence in Relationships

Objectives:
• Identify components of emotional intelligence.
• Manage own emotions in interactions.
• Recognise and respond to others' emotions.
• Apply empathy in development contexts.

Topics:
• EI framework: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, social skills.
• Emotional triggers and responses.
• Empathy vs sympathy.
• EI in cross-cultural settings.
• Practice scenarios.

Day 7: Relationship Maintenance and Long-term Engagement

Objectives:
• Develop strategies for sustaining relationships.
• Monitor relationship health.
• Adapt relationships over project lifecycles.
• Celebrate successes and learn from failures.

Topics:
• Relationship maintenance behaviours.
• Regular check-ins and feedback loops.
• Adapting to changing contexts.
• Recognising relationship fatigue.
• Learning from relationship challenges.

Day 8: Advanced Application in Development Practice

Objectives:
• Apply relationship building to complex development scenarios.
• Integrate multiple theories into practice.
• Design a stakeholder engagement plan.
• Evaluate relationship effectiveness.

Topics:
• Case studies: multi-stakeholder partnerships.
• Designing engagement plans.
• Monitoring and evaluation of relationships.
• Ethical dilemmas in practice.
• Peer review of plans.

Day 9: Integration and Action Planning

Objectives:
• Synthesise learning into a personal action plan.
• Demonstrate competence through a practical assessment.
• Reflect on personal growth and future development.
• Commit to ongoing relationship building.

Topics:
• Review of key concepts and skills.
• Practical assessment: simulated stakeholder meeting.
• Personal action plan for continued learning.
• Peer feedback and reflection.
• Course evaluation and certification.

Practicals

No practicals for this training.

This course is made up of exercises and case studies delivered alongside the theory — no separate practical sessions are required to complete it.

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course and a final summative test at the end.

Daily Exercises — 30%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 30% to the final total.

Final Test — 70%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 70% to the overall mark.

Final Total
Component Out of Weight
Daily Average (multiple choice) 100% 30%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice) 100% 70%
Final Total 100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

Certificate of Completion

Awarded to delegates who achieve an overall mark of 50% or higher on the Final Total (Daily Average 30% + Final Test 70%).

How it works
  • Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
  • Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
  • You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
  • If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.
Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.

Upcoming Training Sessions
Online training — attend live sessions from anywhere via our virtual classroom.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Tue 08 Sep 2026 Fri 18 Sep 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,798 Register
Mon 28 Sep 2026 Thu 08 Oct 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,798 Register
Fri 23 Oct 2026 Wed 04 Nov 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,798 Register
Fri 11 Dec 2026 Wed 23 Dec 2026 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,798 Register
Thu 14 Jan 2027 Tue 26 Jan 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,798 Register
Wed 17 Feb 2027 Mon 01 Mar 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,798 Register
Tue 02 Mar 2027 Fri 12 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $1,798 Register
Mon 08 Mar 2027 Thu 18 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $1,798 Register
Fri 19 Mar 2027 Wed 31 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $1,798 Register
Thu 10 Jun 2027 Tue 22 Jun 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,798 Register
Wed 30 Jun 2027 Mon 12 Jul 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,798 Register
Tue 20 Jul 2027 Fri 30 Jul 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,798 Register
Mon 06 Sep 2027 Thu 16 Sep 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,798 Register
Fri 01 Oct 2027 Wed 13 Oct 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,798 Register
Thu 21 Oct 2027 Tue 02 Nov 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,798 Register
Fri 10 Dec 2027 Wed 22 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,798 Register
Thu 30 Dec 2027 Tue 11 Jan 2028 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,798 Register
Wed 19 Jan 2028 Mon 31 Jan 2028 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,798 Register
On-Campus training — face-to-face sessions at our training venues across Africa and beyond.
Showing all 534 sessions across 26 venues
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Thu 18 Jun 2026 Tue 30 Jun 2026 Windhoek, Namibia Winter 2026 $4,455 Register
Mon 22 Jun 2026 Thu 02 Jul 2026 Nairobi, Kenya Winter 2026 $5,211 Register
Tue 23 Jun 2026 Fri 03 Jul 2026 Mbabane, Eswatini Winter 2026 $4,293 Register
Wed 24 Jun 2026 Mon 06 Jul 2026 Mombasa, Kenya Winter 2026 $5,211 Register
Wed 24 Jun 2026 Mon 06 Jul 2026 Windhoek, Namibia Winter 2026 $4,455 Register
In-House training — we bring the trainer to your organisation, tailored to your team.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Fri 19 Jun 2026 Wed 01 Jul 2026 Your Premises Winter 2026 $2,338 Register
Thu 25 Jun 2026 Tue 07 Jul 2026 Your Premises Winter 2026 $2,338 Register
Wed 16 Sep 2026 Mon 28 Sep 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $2,338 Register
Tue 06 Oct 2026 Fri 16 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $2,338 Register
Mon 26 Oct 2026 Thu 05 Nov 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $2,338 Register
Mon 14 Dec 2026 Thu 24 Dec 2026 Your Premises Summer 2026 $2,338 Register
Fri 22 Jan 2027 Wed 03 Feb 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $2,338 Register
Thu 25 Feb 2027 Tue 09 Mar 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $2,338 Register
Wed 10 Mar 2027 Mon 22 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $2,338 Register
Tue 16 Mar 2027 Fri 26 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $2,338 Register
Mon 22 Mar 2027 Thu 01 Apr 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $2,338 Register
Fri 18 Jun 2027 Wed 30 Jun 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $2,338 Register
Thu 08 Jul 2027 Tue 20 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $2,338 Register
Wed 28 Jul 2027 Mon 09 Aug 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $2,338 Register
Tue 14 Sep 2027 Fri 24 Sep 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $2,338 Register
Mon 04 Oct 2027 Thu 14 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $2,338 Register
Fri 29 Oct 2027 Wed 10 Nov 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $2,338 Register
Mon 13 Dec 2027 Thu 23 Dec 2027 Your Premises Summer 2027 $2,338 Register
Fri 07 Jan 2028 Wed 19 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $2,338 Register
Thu 27 Jan 2028 Tue 08 Feb 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $2,338 Register
Training Discounts
Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% off per 5 delegates, up to 40% for 100+

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