Why this course
Build the confidence to hold your own in executive rooms, make your point, handle challenge well and steer the outcome with your voice, your body language and the way you use the room.
Careers stall when good people go quiet in the rooms that matter. Presence is a skill you can learn, and leaders who master it get heard, get credit for their ideas and get the next role.
A half day, hands on, with no slides. You bring one real piece of your own work and leave with it moved forward.
Sessions run in central London, with small groups of senior people so every question gets answered.
What you will learn
The ground we cover
What to bringA real meeting, presentation or conversation coming up that you want to handle well.
- How to quiet imposter syndrome before a big meeting
- How to use your voice so people listen and do not interrupt
- How posture, eye contact and stillness signal authority
- How to make your point, handle challenge and hold the floor
- How to use the room, timing and language to steer an outcome
Who it is for
Leaders stepping up into executive rooms who want to speak with confidence, hold the conversation and influence the outcome, whoever else is at the table.
- Leaders moving up into executive and board meetings
- Senior people who get interrupted or talked over
- Anyone whose career is held back by imposter syndrome
How the morning runs
9.30am to 1pm, central London.
- 9.00am
Arrival and coffee
Meet the group and the faculty, and pick the one real piece of work you want to move forward.
- 9.30am
Own your seat
We tackle imposter syndrome head on and build the mindset that lets you walk into an executive session as an equal.
- 10.30am
Voice and body language
You learn to speak with authority, hold the floor and stay calm under interruption, using your voice, breath, posture and eye contact.
- 11.45am
Read and work the room
You practise using space, language and timing to make your point, respond well to challenge and steer a meeting towards the outcome you want.
- 12.40pm
Your plan for Monday
You leave with a one-page plan for what you will do next.
- 1.00pm
Close
Next session Mon 23 Nov 2026
£499 + VAT per person, 9.30am to 1pm, London
What you leave with
- 01A way to quiet imposter syndrome before the meetings that matter
- 02Voice and body language techniques that stop you being talked over or interrupted
- 03Tactics for using the room, language and timing to influence a meeting or an outcome
Next session Mon 23 Nov 2026
£499 + VAT per person, 9.30am to 1pm, London
Course tutor
Dan Ilett
Founder, The Executive Summary
Chair of the City CIO Club and former commercial transformation director at a FTSE technology business. Before that he was commercial director at Virgin Money and wrote for the Financial Times and the Daily Telegraph. He has media trained CEOs and politicians.
Questions about this course
Who is this for?
Leaders stepping up into executive rooms who want to speak with confidence, hold the conversation and influence the outcome, whoever else is at the table.
Is it hands on?
Yes. You work on a real piece of your own work with faculty beside you, so you leave with it moved forward.
Can I join online?
This course runs in person in central London, because the practice works best in the room.
What time does it run?
Arrive from 9am for a 9.30am start. We finish at 1pm.
Can we run it for our own team?
Yes. We run it as a private session for your team, in your offices or online, shaped around your business.
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Bring it to your team
A session designed around your business and led by practitioners, so your leadership team learns together, gets aligned and leaves with the decisions that move a specific outcome.
Book your place
Choose the course, the date and how you want to join, then tell us who is coming. We confirm your place by email the same working day.
Want it for your whole team? Choose a private session and we will shape it around your business.