Training Workshops: Business Leaders Series

Organizations of every kind need leaders with strong interpersonal skills. Designed for business leaders at any level, the Business Leaders Series builds practical skills in leading change, communication and negotiation that you can apply in the workplace right away. Each workshop emphasizes practice and feedback through self-assessments, hands-on exercises, group discussions and role-plays. Courses are offered online and in person (see each course for details). Register for one course or the full series as registration dates become available.

Making a Case for Change

Change is the only constant, and today’s organizations must do more than react to it. They must prepare for, plan and implement change proactively. One of the most critical skills for emerging business leaders is the ability to present a compelling business case for change. In this workshop, you will explore the nature of change and learn to assess organizational readiness. You will also identify champions and sponsors, create a vision for success and communicate it with clarity. Finally, you will build and present a business case of your own. Note: This is a two-day workshop (one four-hour session each day).

Communication for Business Leaders

Successful business leaders communicate with impact in any situation, whether face to face or online, whether motivating a team toward a goal or delivering difficult feedback. In this interactive course, you will discover your personal communication style and learn evidence-based techniques to adapt it to any audience or setting. Designed for business leaders at any level, the course covers active listening, eliciting information, building consensus across diverse teams, uncovering unconscious bias and using language that fosters an inclusive workplace. You will also learn to engage agile teams through effective debriefs and feedback, strengthen your executive presence and communicate more effectively with peers, teams, supervisors and customers. Through role-plays and group discussions, you will practice these skills in a hands-on setting and leave ready to lead your team to action.

Negotiation for Business Leaders

The Art of Negotiation

This combination lecture and working seminar gives you a solid understanding of what negotiation is (hint: it is different from bartering or haggling) and how to do it well. Discussions cover the main types of negotiation and their elements, key terminology and the stages of the process. You will also learn practical tactics and strategies to use at the table. Practice sessions that simulate real negotiations give you first-hand experience applying different techniques.

Negotiating a Crisis

This combination lecture and working seminar prepares you to negotiate during a crisis, whether natural or human-made and whether between two parties or many. You will learn techniques, tactics and strategies for handling both the subjective and objective challenges that arise in less-than-ideal circumstances. The session includes a practice negotiation based on a humanitarian crisis.

Negotiating Across Cultures

This combination lecture and working seminar focuses on negotiating with counterparts who look, sound, think and act differently than you. You will learn to recognize how biases, uncertainties and preconceived judgments create emotional influences that can block successful outcomes. Practice exercises help you become more adept at collaborating across cultures.