Negotiation, Influence & Executive Presence

Instructor: Alok Srivastava

What you'll learn

Negotiate effectively
Influence stakeholders
Build executive presence

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Assessments

6 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer

Taught in English

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There are 5 modules in this course

Strengthen your leadership communication by integrating negotiation, influence, executive presence, and difficult-conversation skills into one practical course. You’ll start by understanding how negotiation shows up in everyday leadership, including the difference between internal and external negotiations. You will analyze negotiation scenarios using positions, interests, BATNA, reservation point, ZOPA, value creation and value claiming, then build structured negotiation plans that include objectives, alternatives, trades, concession strategy, and cross-cultural considerations. You’ll also create a complete negotiation strategy for a supplier contract and diagnose ineffective negotiation behaviors using objective criteria, bundled trades, and conditional concessions.

From there, you’ll develop your ability to influence without formal authority by applying ethical persuasion, credibility building, stakeholder psychology, framing, and evidence selection. You will learn to reframe proposals for different stakeholders, handle resistance and objections, and secure clear next steps in high-stakes conversations. The course then focuses on executive presence as observable leadership behavior: structuring recommendations using a headline-first approach, surfacing risks and next actions, and strengthening your communication impact in high-pressure settings. You will practice delivering concise executive recommendations with clarity and visible confidence. You’ll also build skill in managing difficult conversations, using active listening, emotional self-regulation, and SBI feedback to address issues early and constructively. You will analyze the stages of a difficult conversation and practice opening, acknowledging emotion, providing specific evidence, and agreeing on next steps. Throughout, you will complete an integrated leadership simulation that requires you to diagnose situations, negotiate, influence, manage resistance, and close with executive-level communication. By the end of the course, you will be able to design integrated stakeholder strategies across cultures and demonstrate mastery of these communication skills through reflective explanation and scenario-based decision making.

This module introduces negotiation as an everyday leadership skill used in conversations about priorities, budgets, timelines, scope, vendors, and stakeholder alignment. You will build practical negotiation discipline by distinguishing positions from interests, preparing with BATNA and reservation points, planning trades across multiple variables, and adapting thoughtfully across cultural contexts. Through a supplier negotiation case, you will practice avoiding common mistakes and creating a stronger strategy before the conversation begins.

What's included

2 videos2 readings1 assignment

This module focuses on how leaders gain support when formal authority is not enough. You will learn to build credibility, diagnose what different stakeholders care about, frame the same proposal in different decision languages, and use evidence and persuasion ethically. By working through a budget-approval case and a CFO role play, you will strengthen your ability to handle objections, reduce resistance, and move conversations toward concrete next steps.

What's included

2 videos1 reading1 assignment

This module helps you develop executive presence as a set of observable leadership behaviors rather than a personality trait. You will practice recommendation-led communication, concise evidence, calm risk framing, and direct responses under pressure so that your ideas are easier for senior audiences to trust and act on. Through meeting analysis, communication models, and AI-supported presentation practice, you will strengthen clarity, confidence, composure, and decision orientation.

What's included

2 videos1 reading2 assignments1 discussion prompt

2 videosTotal 19 minutes

Expertise Is Not Enough3 minutes
Communicating Like an Executive16 minutes

1 readingTotal 30 minutes

Junior vs Executive Communication30 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 50 minutes

Deliver a 2-Minute Executive Recommendation20 minutes
Negotiation, Influence & Executive Communication30 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 5 minutes

Reflection: How Do You Respond Under Pressure?5 minutes

This module prepares you to handle difficult conversations with greater empathy, clarity, and accountability. You will learn how to address emotionally charged situations earlier, listen without losing direction, regulate your own reactions, and give specific feedback that supports growth rather than defensiveness. Using a promotion discussion scenario, you will practice language and structure that help preserve trust while still addressing tough realities directly.

What's included

2 videos1 reading1 assignment

This module brings the course together in a realistic leadership simulation that combines negotiation, influence, executive presence, and difficult-conversation skills in one high-stakes situation. You will prepare an integrated stakeholder strategy, navigate cross-functional trade-offs, adapt to cross-cultural communication and decision norms, and defend a recommendation under pressure. The capstone experience gives you a practical way to show how these leadership skills work together in complex organizational decisions.