Women in Leadership: Executive Presence, Influence and Negotiation – Paris, 20–24 Sep 2027

Programme overview

Technical depth: Practitioner · Practical mode: Role-play

Introduction

Organisations lose leadership capacity when capable women are overlooked for senior roles, or reach them without the visibility, networks and sponsorship that shape how influence is exercised. Much of that gap concerns not competence but how presence, persuasion and advocacy operate in executive settings. This Core Concept course equips women managers with recognised models for executive presence, influence and negotiation, and the practice to apply them under pressure. Participants rehearse high-stakes conversations with structured feedback and leave with a Personal Influence and Presence Plan built around their own stakeholders.

Course Objectives

• Assess personal executive presence against the gravitas, communication and appearance dimensions using structured 360-degree feedback
• Map key stakeholders and plan influence strategies using power-interest analysis and Cialdini's principles of persuasion
• Deliver concise executive messages and presentations using the Situation-Complication-Resolution structure and ethos, pathos and logos
• Negotiate role scope, resources and terms using principled negotiation and a prepared BATNA
• Respond to interruption, hostile questions and double-bind situations in meetings with assertive, composed techniques
• Build a Personal Influence and Presence Plan with sponsorship and network actions that a line manager can review

Target Audience

• Women managers leading teams, functions or projects who are preparing for senior roles
• Women heads of department who present to executive committees and boards
• Women specialists and advisers who must influence decisions without formal authority
• Women programme and project managers negotiating resources across organisational boundaries
• Women managers nominated to talent pipelines or high-potential programmes

Course Outline

Day 1: Leadership, Visibility and Executive Presence

• Women's Leadership Pipeline Data and Visibility Gaps
• Hewlett's Gravitas, Communication and Appearance Model
• 360-Degree Presence Feedback and Self-Assessment
• Ibarra's Outsight Principle and Leadership Identity
• Double-Bind Research on Competence and Likeability

Day 2: Influence and Persuasion Frameworks

• Cialdini's Seven Principles of Persuasion
• Aristotle's Ethos, Pathos and Logos in Leadership Messaging
• SCARF Model for Anticipating Reactions to Influence
• French and Raven's Bases of Power
• Stakeholder Influence Mapping with the Power-Interest Grid

Day 3: Executive Communication in Practice

• Situation-Complication-Resolution Message Structure
• Board and Executive Committee Presentation Design
• Voice, Posture and Pacing Techniques for Commanding a Room
• Assertive Responses to Interruption and Credit-Taking
• Personal Value Proposition Statement Drafting

Day 4: Negotiation, Sponsorship and Difficult Situations

• Principled Negotiation and BATNA Preparation
• Interest-Based Negotiation of Role Scope, Resources and Pay
• Sponsorship versus Mentoring: Building a Personal Board of Advisers
• Strategic Network Mapping and Reciprocity Planning
• Bridge and Pivot Technique for Hostile Questions

Day 5: Role-Play Practice and the Influence Plan

• Role-Play: Pitching a Proposal to a Sceptical Executive Committee
• Role-Play: Negotiating Scope and Resources for a New Role
• Role-Play: Holding Ground Under Challenge in a Leadership Meeting
• Personal Influence and Presence Plan Drafting
• Peer Coaching Triads and Plan Presentation

Skills You Will Gain

• Executive Presence
• Stakeholder Influence
• Persuasive Communication
• Interest-Based Negotiation
• Sponsorship Building
• Strategic Networking
• Assertive Communication
• Executive Presentation

Why Attend This Course

• Return to work with a Personal Influence and Presence Plan for your own stakeholders, tested with peers
• Enter senior meetings with a prepared message, a clear request and responses ready for challenge
• Rehearse negotiations over scope, resources and roles before holding them for real
• Build a network with women leaders from other sectors and countries facing similar decisions

Conclusion

Influence at senior levels depends on how a leader is seen, heard and advocated for as much as on the results she delivers. This course moves from executive presence and visibility, through the principal models of persuasion and power, to executive communication, negotiation and sponsorship. The final day rehearses the conversations that shape careers and produces a Personal Influence and Presence Plan, giving each participant a deliberate approach to the rooms and decisions she wants to influence.