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Executive Influence and Stakeholder Leadership

A practical programme for senior leaders who must communicate with authority, build support for difficult decisions and work with stakeholders who hold different interests, cultures and levels of power — face-to-face, online and hybrid.

At a glance3 parts · 24 live sessions · 48 CPD hours · online, in-person or hybrid|Enquire & book →
The organisational need

Senior roles depend less on formal authority and more on the ability to communicate clearly, build support and reach agreement across boundaries. Leaders must win backing for difficult decisions, work with boards, funders, regulators, partners and communities, and operate across countries, sectors and cultures — often without direct control.

Many people reach senior positions without deliberately developing these skills. This programme strengthens executive communication, influence, negotiation and cross-cultural partnership leadership, so leaders can be understood, trusted and effective with the stakeholders who matter most.

Structure
3 progressive parts
Sessions
24 live · 48 CPD hours
Delivery
Online · in-person · hybrid
Fit & outcomes

Who it’s for — and what you’ll be able to do

Who it’s for

  • Senior managers and executives
  • Directors and heads of department
  • Public-sector, government and university leaders
  • NGO and development-sector leaders
  • Partnership and external-relations professionals
  • Programme and transformation leaders
  • Leaders engaging boards, funders, regulators or communities

What you’ll be able to do

  • Communicate priorities, decisions and difficult choices in clear, plain language
  • Build credibility and executive presence without performance or pretence
  • Map stakeholder interests and power, and influence without relying on authority
  • Build a persuasive case and negotiate workable agreements with confidence
  • Manage resistance, objections and difficult or powerful stakeholders
  • Lead across cultures and institutions and produce a partnership roadmap
The three-part programme

What happens in each part

Eight live two-hour sessions per part — sixteen learning hours per part. Take one part on its own, or progress through the full pathway — each part ends with a practical output your organisation keeps.

Part One

Executive Communication & Presence

Strengthening how senior leaders communicate ideas, decisions and direction.

Output · Executive Communication & Presence Plan

01
Communicating as a Senior Leader

How communication changes with greater responsibility and visibility.

02
Building a Clear Leadership Message
03
Executive Presence Without Performance or Pretence

Credibility through preparation, judgement, consistency and confidence.

04
Presenting Complex Information Clearly
05
Communicating Difficult Decisions
06
Leading Meetings and Senior Discussions
07
Executive Communication in Online and Hybrid Settings
08
Preparing an Executive Communication Plan

Applying the principles to a current organisational priority.

Part Two

Influence, Negotiation & Stakeholder Management

Building support and reaching workable agreements when interests differ.

Output · Stakeholder Influence & Negotiation Strategy

01
Understanding How Influence Works

Authority, expertise, trust, relationships, evidence and organisational politics.

02
Mapping Stakeholder Interests and Power
03
Influencing Without Formal Authority
04
Building a Persuasive Case
05
Negotiating with Confidence
06
Managing Resistance and Objections
07
Working with Difficult or Powerful Stakeholders
08
Developing a Stakeholder Influence Strategy

Applying the tools to a live organisational challenge.

Part Three

Cross-Cultural & Partnership Leadership

Working effectively across countries, cultures, sectors and institutions.

Output · Executive Stakeholder & Partnership Roadmap

01
Understanding Cross-Cultural Leadership

How expectations about authority, communication, trust and decision-making differ.

02
Avoiding Assumptions and Cultural Stereotypes
03
Building Trust Across Organisational Boundaries
04
Leading Public-Private and Cross-Sector Partnerships
05
Working with Governments, Regulators and Development Partners
06
Managing Power Imbalances in Partnerships
07
Resolving Conflict Across Cultures and Institutions
08
Developing an Executive Partnership Roadmap

Setting clear priorities, stakeholder actions and measures of progress.

How it’s delivered

Practical throughout

Every session combines short expert input with facilitated discussion and applied practice: real public- and private-sector cases, decision-making exercises, role plays and simulations, peer coaching and workplace application. Cases reflect the constraints leaders actually face — limited resources, organisational politics, public accountability, competing stakeholder interests and incomplete information.

Between sessions, peer-coaching groups, facilitator-led clinics and sponsor check-ins keep the learning attached to genuine organisational challenges rather than theory in isolation.

Assessment is practical throughout — no formal examinations. Evidence includes case analysis, completed templates, workplace application tasks, peer feedback and the final plans and roadmaps. A CPD certificate is available for each part where applicable.

What participants take away

Outcomes

Fees

Ways to take part

Open cohort · per person
£1,450 per part · £3,950 full pathway
In-house · your organisation
From £8,500 per part · from £22,500 full programme
Cohort size
Up to 16 participants in-house

In-house delivery is tailored to your sector and priorities, and becomes the better value from around five participants. Bespoke versions, single parts and multi-cohort rollouts are all available — tell us the context and we’ll shape it to fit.

Frameworks & references · Cialdini on the psychology of influence · Fisher & Ury, principled negotiation · Mitchell, Agle & Wood on stakeholder salience · Hofstede and Meyer on cross-cultural leadership · established practice in public-private partnership governance

Go deeper

Bring this programme to your organisation.

To discuss dates, in-house delivery or enrolling a team, get in touch. We’ll help you choose the right starting point — a single part or the full pathway — and tailor it to your context.

Enquire & book   info@impactthinking.co.uk