Program Management Guide: Women's Negotiation & Assertive Communication Training Program

1. Program Introduction & Benefits

This 3-month intensive program is designed to empower women with the advanced negotiation and assertive communication skills necessary to achieve optimal outcomes while preserving and enhancing professional relationships. Grounded in gender-informed negotiation theory and experiential learning, the program moves participants from foundational awareness to real-world application through a blend of expert-led workshops, deliberate practice, and structured feedback.

Strategic Benefits for Participants:

• Enhanced Professional Agency: Develop the confidence and skill to advocate effectively for oneself and others, leading to more favorable career and business outcomes.
• Strategic Relationship Management: Master frameworks for negotiating that protect and strengthen professional relationships, mitigating the social backlash often associated with assertiveness.
• Reduced Information & Access Gaps: Gain structured tools, peer networks, and mentorship to overcome common informational asymmetries and build a supportive professional community.
• Behavioral Change & Sustained Impact: Translate learning into action through personalized coaching, real-world application projects, and a 90-day action plan to ensure long-term skill retention and application.
• Leadership Presence Development: Integrate negotiation and assertive communication as core components of leadership identity and influence within an organization.

2. Program Expansion Strategy

Analysis: While the core program is a Training Program, the research data strongly emphasizes the critical role of feedback, peer support, and individualized guidance in building confidence and ensuring real-world application. The "Deliberate Practice with Feedback" model cited (70-20-10) explicitly allocates 20% to mentoring/coaching.

Addition of a Supplemental Mentorship Layer: A structured peer and senior mentorship component will be integrated to significantly enhance program outcomes. This layer provides a safe space for normalizing challenges, offers real-time advice on applying frameworks, and builds the lasting support network necessary to sustain behavioral change.

• Value Added:

  • Accelerates Application: Mentors provide context-specific guidance as participants apply skills to their actual workplace negotiations.
  • Builds Psychological Safety: Creates a trusted forum for discussing gendered challenges and setbacks without judgment.
  • Extends Learning Network: Formalizes the cohort as an ongoing professional resource, directly addressing the challenge of access gaps.

• Implementation Note: Participants will be paired with both a peer mentor (from within the cohort for mutual support) and a senior mentor (an alumna or experienced leader from the organization's network). Mentorship will focus on goal-setting for Module applications, debriefing real negotiation attempts, and preparing for difficult conversations.

3. Implementation Roadmap

Launch Phase

1. Stakeholder Alignment & Charter: Secure executive sponsorship. Finalize program charter detailing goals, KPIs, budget, and success criteria.
2. Expert Facilitator Onboarding: Contract lead facilitator(s) with 15+ years of negotiation/mediation experience to ensure credibility and depth.
3. Participant Recruitment & Selection: Market program internally/externally. Use application to ensure cohort heterogeneity across industries and seniority levels.
4. Pre-Program Assessment: Administer confidence surveys and a personal negotiation style assessment to establish baselines.
5. Kick-off & Cohort Building: Host a virtual launch session to set expectations, introduce the mentorship structure, and initiate cohort bonding.

Tracking & Operations

• Program Management: Designate a Program Manager to oversee logistics, communications, and participant support.
• Content Delivery Schedule: Implement a hybrid calendar: 2 in-person full-day workshops (Weeks 1 & 9) for intensive role-plays, plus bi-weekly virtual modules for theory and case studies.
• Mentorship Coordination: Schedule and provide discussion guides for the three mandated peer/senior mentorship sessions (aligned with Key Milestones 2, 3, and 4).
• Coaching Integration: Schedule four 1:1 coaching sessions for each participant (Weeks 3, 6, 10, 12) focused on personal action plans and confidence barriers.
• Communication Hub: Maintain a central platform (see Approved Tools) for announcements, resource sharing, and cohort discussion.

Success Measurement

• Quantitative KPIs:
  • ≥40% average increase in participant confidence scores (pre/post-assessment).
  • ≥97% of participants rate program as having "immediate job relevance."
  • 90% completion rate of real-world application project (Milestone 4).
  • Track participant promotion rates at 6 and 12-month follow-ups.
• Qualitative & Feedback Mechanisms:
  • Structured debriefs from real-world application projects.
  • Post-simulation feedback using a rubric measuring assertiveness, deal quality, and relationship management.
  • End-of-program 360-degree feedback solicitation from participants' managers/peers.
  • Thematic analysis of final 90-day action plans and mentorship session summaries.

4. Approved Tools List

• LMS (Learning Management System): Primary Tool. This is non-negotiable for a structured 3-month training program. It will host all virtual learning modules, video content, readings, pre/post-assessments, and simulation materials. It provides a structured learning path and tracks completion.
• Internal Social Network / Community Platform: Critical for Mentorship & Sustainability. This tool will facilitate the supplemental mentorship layer and sustain the peer support network post-program. It will host mentor/mentee forums, enable cohort discussions, and allow for ongoing resource sharing, directly addressing information access gaps.
• Personality / Negotiation Style Assessment: Foundational for Self-Awareness. A validated assessment tool will be used in Week 1 to help participants identify their personal negotiation style, strengths, and development areas, forming the baseline for the "Gender Intelligence & Self-Awareness" milestone.

Justification: Coaching/Mentorship software is too narrow, as the core is training. An ERG platform is not broad enough if participants are cross-company. An Onboarding platform is off-scope. The LMS delivers core content, the Social Network enables the critical community and mentorship aspect, and the Assessment provides essential personalized data.

5. Resource & Content Library

General Program Content

• Video Library: Recorded expert lectures on Gender-Informed Negotiation Theory, Collaborative Negotiation Frameworks, and Handling Bias at the Table.
• Interactive Case Studies: Annotated real-world negotiation scenarios across various contexts (salary, project resources, vendor terms, promotion).
• Simulation Packs: Detailed role-play briefs for practice scenarios, ranging from low-stakes (negotiating deadlines) to high-stakes (advocating for a high-visibility role).
• Toolkit Templates: Preparation checklists, BATNA (Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement) worksheets, stakeholder analysis maps, and script templates for difficult conversations.
• Readings & Research: Curated articles on cognitive bias, the psychology of persuasion, and studies on gender dynamics in negotiation.

Supplemental Mentoring Content Table

To support mentors and mentees in the supplemental program layer, the following guides will be provided.