The stakeholder already knows what they want. Here’s how I make room for what they need.
The meeting invite says “Quick sync: new training.” By the time you join, the solution is already decided. A 45-minute eLearning module, everyone takes it, done by the end of the quarter.
And you can see it from here. The problem isn’t a skill gap. It’s a process nobody follows, a tool that fights back, or a manager who never set the expectation. Training won’t fix it, and you’ll be the one asked why the numbers didn’t move.
Let’s be honest for a second.
REALLY, honest!
Most of us build it anyway. Not because we don’t know better, but because pushing back on a stakeholder who’s already decided feels risky, and we don’t have the organizational capital to do it every time.
There’s a middle path. It starts before the plan.
First, I Let Claude Interview Me
When a request like this lands, I give Claude the background of the situation and whatever notes I have from the stakeholder. Then, instead of asking it to write anything, I ask it to ask me questions.
- Is the stakeholder expecting training, or expecting a result?
- Is this a skill gap, or something else? What would success look like 90 days from now?
- Where might they be open to another approach, and where are they not?
Answering those questions in writing shows me what I know and where I’m guessing. It’s the colleague who asks, “Are you sure?” before you walk into the meeting, the colleague most of us don’t have down the hall.
Then, Three to Five Options Instead of One Answer
From there, Claude helps me draft three to five possible solutions. Usually that’s the training they asked for, plus things like a job aid, a process change, a short coaching guide for managers, or some combination.
Here’s what I’ve seen in the field. When you bring one answer that contradicts the stakeholder, it becomes a debate. When you bring options, they get to choose. You’re not correcting them. You’re giving them a decision to make, with your recommendation attached.
Tread Lightly with Their Idea
Most stakeholders already have a solution in mind, and they’ve probably told a few people about it. So, I put their idea first in my plan. I say what it does well, then show what it won’t reach on its own and what could pair with it.
I’ll also have Claude draft how that conversation might go, including the pushback I expect. Practicing the hard part before the meeting makes it a lot less hard in the meeting.
One honest note: stakeholder notes can be sensitive. Use the AI tool your organization approves and leave out anything you wouldn’t want forwarded.
Then Canva Makes It One Page
The last step is the one people remember. I lay it out on a single page in Canva:
- The problem, in one sentence
- The behavior we want to change.
- The options side by side, what each one solves, how long it takes, and how much effort it costs.
- My recommendation
- What training alone won’t fix?
A one-page plan for travels. It gets forwarded to the director you’ll never meet and pulled up in the meeting you weren’t invited to. It shows the thinking that usually stays invisible, without you having to argue your case out loud.
The best learning solution isn’t always a training module. Knowing the difference, and showing it on one page, is what makes you strategic.
You Shouldn’t Have to Pressure-test This Alone
Even with a good plan, it helps to have someone look at it before it goes up the chain. That’s a lot of what happens inside #IgniteLearning: Co-working Wednesdays where you can bring the request that’s making you nervous, and a feedback space full of people who know exactly what a “quick sync” really means.
It’s built around the in-house reality, and anyone doing this work is welcome.
The doors reopen on Black Friday, Nov 27, with two ways in:
- The January Canva course on its own
OR
- A year of #IgniteLearning VIP Membership with the course included. Make sure you are on our email list.
Pick Your Spark
Here’s my challenge for you this week. Pick at least ONE that feels right, but still a little out of your comfort zone. The kind that makes you a little squeamish, but not the kind that makes you want to hide under your desk.
- Quiet: On your next request, write down what the stakeholder thinks the solution is, and what problem you think it’s solving.
- Brave: Before your next stakeholder meeting, have your approved AI tool interview you about the request, and answer every question.
- Bold: Bring three options to your next stakeholder meeting instead of one answer, with their idea first.
About Dani Watkins
Dani is the founder of #IgniteLearning and the owner of Zenith Performance Solutions. She’s an instructional designer, trainer, and eLearning developer who creates practical resources for in-house L&D professionals and regularly presents for Training Magazine.
Portions of this article were drafted, outlined, or edited with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools. The final content has been thoroughly reviewed, verified, and approved by human editors, who assume full editorial responsibility for its publication.