Learn to uncover what your managers, clients, customers and other stakeholders need before doing what they ask.
Your boss's brain is flawed. So is yours. We all suffer from so many cognitive biases and subconscious traits that drive everything we do. This is essential to understand in all areas of life, no less so than at work. Why? Because when your boss's boss's boss demands things, there is a cascading effect of automated requests that end up on your desk with demands like "make a brochure for the new service offering" or "make an app for the new product". But is that what's really needed? Maybe, maybe not.
Stakeholder Whispering, is about how to conduct the conversations that actually help discover the true underlying needs driving those requests. These conversations and the understanding they enable will help you deliver better results, which will lead to greater success for your organization and for your career!
In this session, you'll learn about some of the ways our flawed brains lead to wasted time and effort at work and methods that will lead to huge budget savings, higher morale, and improved standing in your organization. It's chock full of interesting research and examples to help junior employees get better at discovering true underlying needs and to help leaders see their own blind spots (not to mention help them do a better job "whispering" their stakeholders, as well!)
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Recognize that the default, intuitive response is driving every decision we make.
- Conduct a conversation with stakeholders to investigate that default response to uncover the real needs driving requests.
- Recognize when a real underlying need has been discovered.
A limited number of copies of Bill’s book Stakeholder Whispering will be provided by ATD RMC as door prizes for three lucky attendees!
Light refreshments will be provided.
Parking: The Lowry Conference Center has 110 dedicated parking spaces. If both parking lots closest to the building are full, there are two adjacent lots that can be used for over-flow parking – 9045 E Severn Place located diagonally to the southeast, and 991 Akron Way located to the South. If the main lot is at full capacity for a day, there will be signs directing you to the overflow parking areas.
Speaker: Bill Shander

Bill Shander is an author, educator, and information designer, helping clients turn their data into compelling visual and often interactive experiences. He teaches data storytelling, information design and data visualization on LinkedIn Learning, and in workshops around the world. His new book, Stakeholder Whispering, comes out in April, 2025. Clients include the World Bank, Starbucks, multiple U.S. Government agencies, Big Four firms, and many more household names across a spectrum of industries. He is a keynote speaker and has lectured for graduate and undergraduate students at Harvard, Northeastern, UVM, and other universities across the United States.
Location: Lowry Conference Center, 1061 Akron Way, Denver, CO 80230