The first day of the advanced PolAd training gets to the core of leadership; it is tailored to those who want to make things happen, despite the obstacles that might stand in their way. It is about understanding power dynamics, including gender dynamics and associated patterns of discrimination and learning to use dynamics as effective tools for analysing your surroundings and achieving your goals. Being in command of these tools has a profound impact on how one perceives problems and opportunities and subsequently, how one decides upon courses of action. The training includes conceptual models, self-assessment tools and simulation exercises to help develop influence styles and understand political dynamics as they unfold. It provides participants with an opportunity to observe effective and ineffective uses of power in different organisational contexts and career stages.  

The objectives of Day 1 are to help participants to: 

• Successfully develop a conceptual framework for understanding power and influence;  

• Practice diagnostic skills that will enable participants to map out the political landscape, understand others' perspectives and power bases and learn to predict and influence their actions; 

• Assess your own power bases and develop your own strategy for building and exercising power and influence ethically and responsibly. 

Day 2 of the Advanced Certificate course offers an introduction to policy design by using the policy cycle to consider the stages in and processes behind effective policy development and delivery. It provides an introduction to a set of analytical tools and concepts which are helpful when establishing the objectives relevant for the drafting of a new policy, to link them to longer term objectives and assess key actors with influence on the policy objectives. A special focus will be laid on gender-inclusive policy analysis and processes. By the end of the module, participants will be able to recognise the significance of policy cycles and useful applications and have explored various analysis tools such as stakeholder analysis, gender inclusive analysis, back-casting, actor mapping and influence mapping.   

The objectives of Day 2 are to help participants to: 

• Understand the principles of the policy cycle (including agenda setting, policy formulation, implementation, evaluation) using an image of the policy cycle;  

• Discuss in detail gender responsiveness in public policy analysis; 

• Use a number of tools that can be used in a sequence, or stand-alone: influence mapping, gender-inclusive analysis, stakeholder mapping, PESTLE, SWOT, pressure analysis, back casting, scenario scoping;  

• Look at good practices employing gender-sensitive policy analysis; 

• Engage in 2-3 short exercises using these tools with the objective to show how they can assist providing a shared picture of a situation and a foundation for developing strategies, writing reports, talking points and advising superiors.  

• Discussion: what makes good policy? Why it is seemingly hard to engage in women-centred policy analysis? 

Strategy and thought processes accompanying its formation are often neglected in the day-to-day operation of governments. Day 3 provides participants with practical guidance needed to effectively hone their strategic thinking skills and their organisations' action strategies. This module provides policy and political advisors with methods and tools to take future-robust decisions in an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world. Foresight analysis and scenario planning is most useful when situations are complex and the outcomes too uncertain to trust a single prediction. Hence, to lower risks in decision-making, to widen decision makers’ perspectives and to provide them with policy options, Foresight analysis is one of the most powerful methods in an analyst’s and policy advisor’s quiver. It has proven highly effective in helping policymakers contemplate multiple futures, challenge their assumptions and anticipate surprise developments by identifying “known unknowns” or even “unknown unknowns” – i.e., factors, forces, or actors that are not yet part of mainstream thinking but have the power to counterfeit existing policies, to challenge the stability of social, political and economic systems or societies at large. 

The objectives of Day 3 are to help participants to: 

• Identify trends, drivers and weak signals of societal change and to differentiate them from “noise”; 

• Understand the systemic interaction of key drivers of change; 

• Develop and think in alternative plausible futures; 

• Understand and depict actors’ landscapes, interests and resources of key actors;  

• Identify levers and intervention points in order to develop strategies and policies to bring about desired outcomes and to mitigate risks; 

• Monitor and evaluate change as it happens to be able to readjust strategies / policies. 

The corona crisis exhibits a paradox: while experts and scientific expertise are essential in informing policymaking, they cannot resolve the deep uncertainties the situation poses. Indeed, uncertainty, urgency and threat to core systems of state and society are core properties of any crisis: information, data and knowledge of the situation change rapidly and can be highly specialised. Evidence is often contradictory and contested and experts have different interpretations of a situation and the desirability, feasibility and effectiveness of policy responses. Dealing with expert advice becomes all the more complicated when experts from diverse academic backgrounds - say, virologists and economists - get involved. By looking into the administrative and organisational preconditions for evidence-informed policymaking in governments, Day 4 discusses the role of experts and expert networks in crisis management. We will also discuss how learning and experimentation (i.e., a “pragmatic” approach) can be pursued in situations of deep uncertainty. 

The objectives of Day 4 are to help participants to: 

• Understand potential roles experts can play in policy making situations marked by high levels of uncertainty; 

• Understand how to cope with contested specialist advice, helping to differentiate between valuable input evidence and background noise; 

• Recognise when and how to put evidence in perspective and what types of evidence could be used in different contexts; 

• Cope with urgency and uncertainty, acquire political and expert support for their policy responses and arrange for smooth implementation; 

• Develop administrative and organisational structures that lay the groundwork for introducing expert advice into crisis decision-making situations. 

Crises call for swift and coordinated responses from public management bodies as well as for strong leadership from policymakers, placing high demands on their capacities. However, there is no silver bullet for managing a crisis: public organisations remain deeply embedded in institutional arrangements and political structures and continue to be shaped by political and administrative cultures and traditions. Building on the learnings from the previous day, Day 5 looks into various ways of setting up crisis management systems and discusses administrative prerequisites and challenges. What are the key challenges once a crisis hit? How can you prepare for a crisis? What would be needed to prevent crises from unfolding? And how to learn from a crisis? 

The objectives of Day 5 are to help participants to: 

• Familiarise participants with the governance of critical risks throughout the risk management cycle: from understanding the context of risk in interconnected economies and societies to the institutional and operational infrastructure which  enables effective and efficient risk management responses once an emergency arises; 

• Adapt administrative leadership, operational procedures across sectors and levels of government and align advisory capacities, administrative cultures and communications in a single crisis management strategy. 

Policymakers tend to be pressed for time and receive too much information. Government officials who want their arguments to influence policy must learn how to communicate data and key messages as clearly as possible to the ministerial / cabinet level. Based on the methods and tools discussed on in previous days, participants will learn how to structure a policy argument, write an executive summary and formulate recommendations vis-à-vis policymakers. They will also analyse the strengths and weaknesses of selected policy briefs. 

The objectives of Day 6 are to help participants to: 

• Understand the various background conditions governing information overload in the sphere of policy and devise ways in which to increase the potential for writing to have an impact on the leadership; 

• Produce effective policy writing: understanding your audience / audience scanning; choosing among types and templates of policy papers; asking about the who, what and why of a policy brief; 

• Understand that all policy writing can potentially be improved; 

• Avoid certain expressions and features in policy writing – detail, wordiness, clichés, etc. – and know how to apply this guidance to their actual writing (in classical style) of a policy brief; 

• Understand why certain policy papers have more impact than others: some employ stale bureaucratese; others excel in clarity, use data at crucial points of the argument, build up dialectics as part of dramatic sequencing and provide a policy solution that use imagery in a strategic manner. 

Day 7 offers participants the opportunity to develop practical skills necessary for effective briefing and reporting. Participants will use hands-on approaches to improving their briefing and reporting skills, while also underpinning the importance of effective briefing and reporting vis-à-vis institutional decision-making and policy-making. 

The objectives of Day 7 are to help participants to: 

• write clear and concise talking points, conduct effective meetings and draft reports capturing the essence of a meeting; 

• brief their principals in an efficient, coherent and professional manner; 

• engage in exercises in which talking points and a background brief need to be written, based on a démarche simulation is undertaken. 

Data, big and small, surround us. Statistics is the art and science of making sense of data. Statistical thinking has become the fundamental key to good decision making in all areas of society, including business and government. Yet evidence is often contradictory and contested and experts have different interpretations of a situation and the desirability, feasibility and effectiveness of policy responses. Dealing with expert advice becomes even more complicated when experts from diverse academic backgrounds - say, virologists and economists - get involved. Day 8 introduces participants to essential ideas of statistical thinking, such as dispersion, correlation, regression, estimation, forecasting and decision theory. It will be organised around case studies. Participants will learn the proper use of various quantitative methods and recognize their abuse.  

The objectives of Day 8 are to help participants to: 

• Work with and shape administrative and organisational preconditions for evidence-informed policymaking in governments; 

• Appreciate the role of experts and expert networks in crisis management and how to cope with contested specialist advice;  

• Pursue learning and experimentation (i.e., a “pragmatic” approach) in situations of risk and rapidly developing evidence.

On Day 9, principles of speech writing are translated into practical advice. This session is especially useful for cabinet advisers, political candidates, active politicians as well as their staff. It opens with an introduction to speech-making by breaking down the overall objectives of public speeches and discussion of the three persuasive appeals / building elements. The introduction is followed by practical discussion on how the appeals can be applied in public speaking, e.g., memorability, structure, the importance of the opening, right tone, humanising qualities, repetition and messaging, the use of transitions, and brevity. Participants will analyse a speech and discuss how the example makes successful use of the three appeals. The presentation will provide guidance in the speech writing process to sharpen policy objectives. 

The objectives of Day 9 are to help participants to: 

• Devise a checklist to speech writing (the ten questions); 

• Understand the elements they need to employ for good speech writing;  

• Practice good posture, breathing and memory; 

• Work individually to craft their own speech, deliver it in a small group setting, and receive feedback from mentors and peers.

Day 10 starts by examining political contexts and the drivers of populism and how to more effectively explain the work of government. Participants will get a feel for the complexity of modern communication and understand the policy advisor’s role in coordinating communication flows both internally as well as externally. This will include fundamentals like counter messaging, how to persuade new audiences and often-unfriendly actors to join their cause, as well as more advanced topics such as how an organisation can use new digital tools and social media to build and engage a constituency. Participants are introduced to several exercises which translate the theoretical parts to practical hands-on training with a focus on developing a comms strategy and interviewing techniques.  

The objectives of Day 10 are to help participants to: 

• Understand and apply communication principles with view to shaping strategic communication (objectives, target audience, key messages, communication products and timeline); 

• Practice how to communicate as an organisation and as an individual in a gender-sensitive manner and countering gender-biased communication; 

• Appreciate the new communications landscape including social media;  

• Get their message through in individual television interviews and applying effective communication techniques on camera and receiving one-on-one feedback from mentors. 

An organisation or a political campaign can be hit by a crisis at any time – a natural disaster, financial collapse, a terrorist attack, individual misconduct that suddenly comes to light - or a pandemic, like the one we are facing now. Communication advisers, whether in politics or in government, are measured by how well they perform and communicate during (and after) the crisis. Communication must be organised effectively and every stakeholder group must be addressed appropriately. Timing, messaging and delivery are key. Building on the learnings of the previous day, Day 11 will start with framing, priming and messaging as crucial success factors for any organisation in a crisis situation. Message delivery (traditional media/social media/press conferences) will be a component of the course as well as post-crisis communication. 

The objectives of Day 11 are to help participants to: 

• Assisting policy and communication advisers in recognizing crisis situations as they are developing and understanding the role crisis communication plays in moderating and stabilising such situations; 

• Recognise and understand the various stakeholders and players that play integral roles in shaping crisis communications, such as the media and governmental agencies; 

• Understand various the communications strategies that can be deployed in response to different types of crisis and with different audiences; 

• Engage in a crisis communication scenario where participants learn how to evaluate information, realise problems associated with making assumptions, that the unexpected can happen, experience decision-making in an evolving situation with time pressures, experience how teamwork and working with other teams (in this case government bodies), functions in crisis situations. 

In an increasingly multipolar world with diverging interest, multiplex alliances and the ever-increasing demand for policy interlinkages (“deals”), advanced negotiation skills belong to the basic toolkit of policy and political advisers. Day 12 introduces participants to the principles of negotiation with an emphasis on the Harvard Negotiation Method; the gold standard in this field. It aims at improving the theory and practice of conflict resolution and negotiation by working on real-world conflict interventions. Not only will participants engage in a self-assessment test to discover their strengths and weaknesses; they will also be introduced into the underlying concepts of the Harvard Negotiation method (appreciative inquiry, expanding the pie, tit-for-tat etc.). The course will also include a simulated negotiation (pentagame) – a mock negotiation where different participants are representing different countries in a UN Security Council negotiation. 

The objectives of Day 12 are to help participants to: 

• Discover and apply negotiation principles as well as various negotiation styles (competing, compromising, collaborating, accommodating, avoiding);  

• Understand and apply the five Harvard Negotiation principles (separate the people from the problem; focus on interests, not positions; invent options for mutual gain; insist on using objective criteria; know your Best Alternative to Negotiated Agreement or BATNA); 

• Engage in a simulated negotiation lasting three hours; 

• Understand how to exercise the role of Chair in various negotiation formats. 

The pace with which society has been transformed by the forces of digitalisation, through the creation of new digital services, new unregulated domains, and new digital overlaps between sectors has created enormous pressures on government and the public sector. Governments and policymakers around the world are facing the challenges associated with extending the work of government or “statecraft” to digital domains. New platforms, institutions and services are being created daily, and government is struggling to extend the democratic will of populations into appropriate digital regulation regimes. Digital statecraft requires technological prowess, large scale investments and wholesale shifts in long established civil services cultures. Throughout Day 13, participants will be introduced to new trends and tools in public sector digital transformation. Participants will learn about new available technologies, and the impact of digitalisation and its associated challenges on governmental infrastructures, services and personnel. This topic is important for policy advisors, as decision makers and governments will continue to face such challenges related to extending their primacy into digital spaces long into the future. 

The objectives of Day 13 are to help participants to: 

• Understand the interplay between and roles of government, private sector companies and civil society in governing digitalisation; 

• Understand the underlying technological trends, and future trajectories for digitalisation and how this will impact the public sector; 

• Understanding different global approaches to digitalisation being deployed in other national contexts;  

• Comprehend the variety of policy instruments, with associated pros and cons, that are available to policymakers in developing digital statecraft and digital governance tools.  

The main idea of an effective team is the organisation of workers in a collaborative unit that can identify new approaches to achieve the organisation’s goals and increase its productivity. Organisational trends show that team management needs to be a priority for organisations of any size and sector, especially if they wish to engage in cross-ministry collaboration to achieve a whole-of-government approach to vexing policy problems. 

The objectives of Day 14 are to help participants to: 

• Define the concept of an effective team that works along clear goals and objectives; 

• Establish clearly defined roles and responsibilities and communicate clear purposes; 

• Engage in cross-functional collaboration; 

• Establish strong leadership and listen actively; 

• Understand the importance of providing reviews and feedback. 

Processes of political learning and networking have dramatically changed. Traditional political party socialisation has given way to new types of political activism, social movement mobilisation techniques and political branding. Likewise, skill sets required for launching movements into positions of government are undergoing radical transformation. Political organisations today need to be more agile and adaptive to be successful, even more so given the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity that will continue to shape our post-covid-19 world. This requires entrepreneurial tools and an entrepreneurial culture. On this intensive day especially designed for start-ups, political entrepreneurs will work on the coherence of their policy ideas to get in the best possible shape and refine their pitch to voters. Day 15 will provide the next generation of centrist leaders with the skills and a compass to govern in a decade of increasing global insecurity and fragmented local politics. 

The objectives of Day 15 are to help participants to: 

• Build the next generation of highly networked politicians equipped with cutting-edge expertise and relevant skills focused on crucial transnational challenges; 

• Navigate issues around knowledge transfer, peer-coaching and political leadership-skill development; 

• Design a vision, mission and values, and critique the status quo; 

• Engage in prototyping, brand building and in getting technology right; 

• Appreciate the importance of building up intelligence and strategic alliances, recruiting candidates and a campaign team, establishing expert advisory groups. 

Political campaigns offer the opportunity to develop and refine a wide assortment of skills in an extremely fast-paced and flexible environment. Moreover, they provide a unique perspective into the electoral process, as well as the cares and concerns of the voters. Many of the skills that define an effective campaigner - including the ability to work under pressure, to synthesise information and to adapt quickly to a fast-moving campaign environment and completely unfamiliar situations - can be trained. Day 16 provides participants with the necessary knowledge on how to set up and manage a campaign, build a quality team to support the campaign, find the right message, map your stakeholders and address them in an inclusive and appropriate way with a (social) media plan. 

The objectives of Day 16 are to help participants to: 

• Transition from feel-good start-up to a professional political organisation that gets media attention; 

• Understand the skill-set needed in a team to campaign effectively and react quickly to unforeseen situations;  

• Engage in targeting, positioning, communicating, mobilising and planning for contingencies; 

• Understand the arguments in favour (and against) one's campaign and to get an overview of successful (and failing) communication campaigns; 

• Identify and understand the theoretical concepts of agenda-setting, agenda-surfing and agenda-cutting.

Day 17 equips policymakers and political campaign staff with knowledge and skills needed to counter disinformation. Participants look at many subtopics, including theoretical approaches to balancing misinformation and free speech, the role of artificial intelligence in cleansing online information, the role of journalists in unmasking fake news and election campaign manipulation with online bots. Using the current pandemic as an example, we will analyse the role of fake news in the different media landscapes. Among others, Day 17 will cover topics such as the role of social bots in election campaigns. 

The objectives of Day 17 are to help participants to: 

• Develop a critical mind-set and spot fake news in social media networks; 

• Identify and distinguish related concepts such as bull shit, fake news and misinformation; 

• Evaluate the motives behind online posts and learn to distinguish false content from real information and understand the importance of cross-checking sources.

The bundling of expertise, sustainable design of and support for government development are central building blocks for a smooth transition. In terms of “Day one readiness,” the working ability of a government upon taking office, it is critical that the new government understands governance structures and the operative and factual working level issues that exist below party and political level. The first weeks and months after taking office are often the most critical for any new government, presenting oppprtunities to translate politcial capital captured from an election into legislative action and the ability to set the tone for a governing period. Day 18 introduces participants to what it takes to be “Day one ready” including the key processes, actors and governing knowledge that needs to be in place leading up to a transition.

The objectives of Day 18 are to help participants to: 

• How to best fill strategically important positions in a ministry;  

• Develop an understanding of or map strategically relevant actors, processes, and institutions in the public administration; 

• Set the strategic (thematic) and directional orientation of a ministry and its body of civil servants;  

• Grasp cross-cutting skills for the day-to-day business of government: Writing policy briefs; strategic thinking and action in public administration; political communication.