Course Highlights
This virtual influencing skills course for researchers will:
- Explain how the three-part brain shapes decision-making and why logical arguments alone often fail to move people to action.
- Introduce the FOCUS model as a framework for addressing fairness, options, certainty, understanding, and significance when engaging study participants and community partners.
- Build credibility by applying pathos, ethos, and logos to shape how proposals and research opportunities are perceived.
- Present the PURCHASE model as a structured guide for moving decision-makers from initial awareness through full participation and post-engagement evaluation.
- Provide strategies for reframing objections and maintaining engagement at every stage of the outreach and recruitment process.
- Address the communication and relationship-building work required to sustain participation after agreement is reached.
Course Overview
Researchers who engage community partners and study participants quickly discover that good science does not sell itself. Organizations weigh participation against reputational risk, resource constraints, competing priorities, and internal politics. Study participants hesitate when they cannot see the value or when the process feels unpredictable. Getting from first contact to full participation, and then sustaining that participation through data submission and follow-through, requires a disciplined approach to influence and persuasion.
“Engaging Community Partners: Strategies for Building Meaningful Collaborations” is a two-segment virtual course that gives researchers a practical framework for building buy-in, navigating resistance, and managing the full arc of an engagement from initial outreach through post-participation evaluation. The course draws on behavioral science, classical persuasion, and a structured influence model to equip participants with tools they can apply immediately in their recruiting and retention conversations.
Segment One focuses on the foundation: why logic alone rarely produces commitment, how to create conditions for a receptive conversation, and how to build the credibility that makes people willing to consider what is being asked of them. The FOCUS model gives participants a structured approach to the five concerns that most frequently drive hesitation. The segment also introduces the PURCHASE model and establishes why it belongs at the center of an effective engagement strategy.
Segment Two applies the PURCHASE model stage by stage. Participants work through the specific dynamics that arise at each point in a decision-maker’s journey, from the initial question of whether a problem even exists through the final evaluation of whether participation was worth the effort. The segment addresses how to reframe communication when resistance emerges, how to manage the implementation phase so that commitment does not erode after agreement is reached, and how to close engagements in ways that set up future collaboration.
A case study built around a gender pay equity research study runs through both segments, giving participants realistic material to analyze, apply tools to, and discuss. The scenario captures the specific challenges researchers face when the stakes for participants are visible and the risk of refusal is high.
The following outline highlights the course’s key learning points. For virtual delivery, the structure and timing are intentionally set to support discussion and application. We can adjust emphasis or drop select elements based on your organization’s priorities. Upon request, we can preview the participant materials with you prior to the session.
Segment One: Foundation, Frameworks, and Credibility
Segment One Objectives
At this segment’s conclusion, participants should be able to:
- Explain how the three-part brain influences how people respond to requests and why threat perception blocks productive conversation.
- Apply the FOCUS model to address fairness, options, certainty, understanding, and significance in a partner or participant engagement conversation.
- Build credibility by incorporating pathos, ethos, and logos into outreach and recruitment communication.
- Describe the PURCHASE model and explain why the stages before comparison are where buy-in is won or lost.
Segment One Modules
Understanding the Three-Part Brain: Managing Threat Perceptions in Sensitive Conversations
The segment opens by examining why well-prepared, logically sound arguments so often fail to produce the response researchers expect. The explanation centers on how the brain processes requests, particularly those that touch on reputation, uncertainty, or perceived risk. Participants will explore how the three parts of the brain interact during high-stakes conversations and what happens to receptivity when people feel threatened or unheard. The group will analyze a realistic scenario and discuss what conditions need to be in place before a researcher’s case for participation has any chance of landing. Participants will leave this module with a clearer understanding of why creating the right conversational environment matters as much as having the right argument.
FOCUS Model: Addressing Fairness, Options, Certainty, Understanding, and Significance in Law Enforcement Recruitment
This module introduces the FOCUS model as a structured approach to the concerns that most frequently produce hesitation in partner and participant outreach. Each of the five elements addresses a different dimension of what decision-makers need to feel before they are willing to engage. Participants will examine a detailed case study and work through how the model applies when an organization is emotionally invested in an existing approach and resistant to something new. The group will then apply the FOCUS model to a scenario from their own recruitment work, identifying where their current outreach tends to underserve each element and what adjustments would shift the conversation.
Building Credibility: Priming the Brain with Case Studies, Endorsements, and Success Stories
Before the PURCHASE model can do its work, participants need to understand how credibility is built in practice. This module examines three classical modes of persuasion and their specific application to research contexts: pathos, which builds emotional connection through stories and impact examples; ethos, which establishes trust through endorsements, expert partnerships, and demonstrated outcomes; and logos, which makes the logical case through data, benchmarks, and structured argument. Participants will examine how each mode applies to the gender pay equity case study, discuss where overreliance on a single appeal undermines the others, and draft a credibility statement for one of their own recruitment conversations.
From Start to Finish: The PURCHASE Model
This segment closes by introducing the PURCHASE model and establishing why the stages before comparison are the most important and the most frequently skipped. Participants will examine the full model as a structured guide for researcher-led conversations and discuss how moving too quickly toward the ask consistently produces the objections that are hardest to address. The gender pay equity case study illustrates what happens when a research team presents participation before the partner has articulated the problem or clarified requirements. Participants will identify their own most common jumping-ahead move and consider what a more measured approach would look like in their next outreach conversation.
Segment Two: Application, Objections, and Long-Term Engagement
Segment Two Objectives
At this segment’s conclusion, participants should be able to:
- Apply the PURCHASE model to guide decision-makers through every stage from problem recognition to post-engagement evaluation.
- Develop stage-specific questions that move conversations forward without creating premature pressure.
- Reframe communication to overcome roadblocks and maintain engagement, such as shifting from “quitting” to “completing phase one.”
- Establish communication lines that ensure successful data submission and ongoing collaboration for program execution.
- Identify best practices and next steps.
Segment Two Modules
Problem Recognition: Engaging Decision-Makers at the Start of the Process
This segment opens with the earliest and most frequently underestimated stage of the PURCHASE model. Before a decision-maker can consider participation, they must first recognize that the problem the research addresses is real, significant, and worth their attention. Participants will examine what this stage looks and sounds like in practice, develop the kinds of questions that surface reflection without creating defensiveness, and work through the specific resistance patterns that appear when a partner does not yet see a reason to engage. The gender pay equity case study provides the working scenario throughout the discussion.
Understanding Options and Requirements Setting: Helping Decision-Makers Define What They Need
Once a partner has acknowledged that an issue warrants attention, the conversation shifts to how they might address it and what participation would require. This module covers two connected stages of the PURCHASE model. Participants will practice the exploratory questions that help partners think through trade-offs and clarify their own requirements before a solution is presented. The group will examine the most common objections at each stage and discuss what responses keep the conversation open and moving rather than stalling or forcing a premature decision.
Comparison and Holistic Evaluation: Navigating the Process of Weighing Solutions
This module covers the two stages where most participation decisions are actually made. Participants will examine what decision-makers are weighing at each point, what concerns tend to surface, and how to address them without minimizing their legitimacy. The discussion focuses on how to position the research opportunity against other priorities the partner is managing, how to address risk-based concerns, and how to keep the focus on long-term value rather than short-term exposure. Participants will work through the gender pay equity scenario and practice the language that keeps evaluation conversations productive.
Overcoming Roadblocks: Reframing Messages to Maintain Engagement
This module addresses objection management as a discipline rather than a reactive skill. Participants will examine the categories of resistance that appear most consistently across the comparison and evaluation stages and work through targeted reframing strategies for each. The group will practice drafting responses to objections they hear most frequently in their own recruitment conversations and examine additional participation design options that reduce resistance without changing the fundamental terms of the research. The emphasis throughout is on understanding what is underneath an objection before attempting to address it.
Acquisition and Setup: Handling the Final Decision and Effective Implementation
This module addresses what happens after agreement is reached, because the transition from yes to active participation is where many well-managed engagements lose momentum. Participants will examine what a strong onboarding experience looks and sounds like, what the three priorities are for keeping implementation on track, and how to stay attuned to the internal dynamics that can quietly erode commitment even after a partner has said yes. The group will work through scenarios in which promising engagements stalled during implementation and identify what would have kept them on course.
Post-Participation Experience: Promoting a Positive Evaluation After Engagement
The course closes with the stage that most influences whether a partner will engage again, advocate for the research, or quietly write off the experience. Participants will examine how to deliver insights that feel tailored rather than generic, how to recognize participation in ways that make partners feel proud of their involvement, and how to follow up in ways that open doors rather than simply close the file. The module closes with a review of the most common PURCHASE pitfalls and participants will complete an action planning worksheet identifying the specific steps they will take in the next 30 days.
Target Audience
This virtual training program is designed for groups that want to:
- Equip researchers, study coordinators, and outreach staff with practical influencing skills for partner and participant engagement.
- Improve recruitment and retention outcomes by addressing the full arc of a decision-maker’s journey rather than focusing only on initial outreach.
- Build a consistent, structured approach to objection handling that can be applied across different types of partners and research contexts.
- Develop the communication and relationship-building skills needed to sustain participation through data submission and program execution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should attend this virtual influencing skills course?
This course is designed for researchers, study coordinators, principal investigators, community engagement staff, and anyone responsible for recruiting organizational partners or study participants. It is particularly well-suited for people who regularly encounter skepticism, hesitation, or resistance in their outreach conversations and want a more structured and deliberate approach to moving those conversations forward.
How is this course different from a general communication or persuasion training?
The content is built specifically for the research context. The case study involves a gender pay equity study in which organizations weigh reputational risk, data control, and internal politics before agreeing to participate. The frameworks, the FOCUS model and the PURCHASE model, are applied to the specific dynamics of researcher-to-partner and researcher-to-participant outreach. General persuasion principles are covered, but always in direct connection to the challenges researchers face.
How long is each virtual segment?
Each segment runs approximately two hours. The two segments can be delivered on the same day or on separate days depending on the group’s schedule and the depth of discussion needed. We can discuss timing during the pre-session conversation.
Does the course cover situations where organizations are not just hesitant but actively resistant?
Yes. The Reframing module in Segment Two addresses three distinct categories of resistance, resource-based, risk-based, and value-based, with specific strategies for each. The module also covers participation design options that reduce resistance without compromising the research, including phased approaches and customized support structures.
Can the course be tailored to a specific type of study or research population?
Yes. Before the sessions begin, we gather information about the specific research context, the types of partners or participants involved, and the objections and dynamics the group encounters most often. We then adjust the examples, scenarios, and emphasis to reflect that environment.
What do participants leave with?
Participants will leave with the FOCUS model, the PURCHASE model applied to their research context, a reframing framework for the three most common categories of resistance, and a completed action planning worksheet that identifies specific next steps for their current recruitment and engagement work.