EP June 25

Product managers who drive strategy, development, and launch of products.

Executives and senior leaders who set strategy, lead teams, and drive organizational outcomes.

Engineers and engineering leaders who build, deploy, and scale software systems.

Operations professionals who optimize processes and manage day-to-day business functions.

Startup founders building new businesses, from MVP to scale.

Getting promoted, navigating job transitions, and advancing to the next level in your career.

Executive communication — presenting to boards, writing memos, running all-hands, and high-stakes messaging.

Developing leadership skills — inspiring teams, building culture, navigating organizational complexity, and driving results through others.

Day-to-day people management — 1:1s, feedback, performance management, hiring, and team operations.

Persuading stakeholders, presenting ideas, and getting buy-in across an organization without formal authority.

Leading organizational AI adoption — change management, strategy, and building AI-ready teams.

Automating professional workflows with AI tools — productivity, operations, and task automation.

Projecting confidence, gravitas, and credibility in high-stakes leadership situations.

Use AI to make you irreplaceable. Build a system that works every time with prompts, skills, playbooks, and more.

Chief Product Officer, Executive Coach

McKinsey & Company

Instagram

Thumbtack

Harvard University

Yue Zhao

Chief Product & Technology Officer, Executive Coach, Writer

Outsmart the Room: AI-Powered Executive Communication and Influence

Build credibility, influence without authority, and land strategic impact.

Instacart

OpenAI

PayPal

You get things done. Yet when it comes to landing strategic decisions or speaking the language of executives, imposter syndrome kicks in. You ramble or freeze. This course transforms how to engage with executives, influence across the organization, and empower your teams. ➡️ Build executive presence: Get heard when you speak.➡️ Strategic positioning: Get seen as strategic, not just operational➡️ Stakeholder management: Efficiently drive alignment across matrixed chaos➡️ Credibility with executives: Be a thought partner to those in power➡️ Visibility: Get noticed for your leadership potential➡️ Nail high-stakes conversations: project confidence, calmness, and clarity when facing difficult questions HOW WILL I BE DIFFERENT?Before this course, you may feel:•&nbsp;You have great ideas, but are rarely looked to for decision-making input•&nbsp;Nervous, talked-over, or ignored in large group&nbsp;conversations•&nbsp;Great at execution but not able to influence executive-level strategy After this course, you’ll:•&nbsp;Command rooms with presence and clarity•&nbsp;Influence executives, peers, and difficult stakeholders with ease•&nbsp;Be trusted as a leader, not just a doer•&nbsp;Walk into high-stakes conversations fully prepped, with AI as your secret weapon WHAT SKILLS WILL I LEARN?•&nbsp;Communicate with clarity and authority: Frame your ideas in executive-ready language that earns trust and buy-in•&nbsp;Project executive presence: Use body language, tone, and mindset to command attention in both in-person and virtual rooms•&nbsp;Influence and persuade effectively: Adapt your style across functions, audiences, and contexts to move decisions forward•&nbsp;Build credibility and confidence: Strengthen your self-assurance, emotional intelligence, and ability to inspire action•&nbsp;Leverage AI to accelerate growth: Use powerful prompts to prep for tough conversations, polish communications, and practice delivery in minutes Over three weeks, you’ll practice through interactive role-plays, analyze real examples of high-stakes conversations, and experiment with AI tools that help you prep and perform in minutes. THE INSTRUCTOR LEADERS' TRUSTIn just 10 years, Yue ascended the ranks from Product Manager to Chief Product Officer at top Silicon Valley companies like Thumbtack, Meta, and Instagram. Since 2016, Yue has coached hundreds of senior leaders to gain visibility, influence executive decisions, and drive impact in ambiguous, high-stakes environments. Her biggest learning? It's a skill to get noticed and gain influence, not hope and luck. Enroll today to transform your leadership potential from a “workhorse” to a “racehorse” in your organization.&nbsp; JOIN HUNDREDS OF ALUMNI FROM:Slack, OpenAI, Instacart, Guild Education, SurveyMonkey, Amazon, Uber, Venture Firms, Revolve, Paypal, Braze, Meta, Thumbtack, Google, Capitol One, Figma, Microsoft, AI startups, EY, Deloitte, All Raise, Sift, Sprout Social, and more.

Learn the secret to visibility, credibility, and confidence in leadership

Senior Managers, Directors, and Principal ICs who aspire to be a part of senior leadership. Min 4 years of work experience.

Those who feel overlooked or talked over, and want to better manage a room, increase their influence, and get noticed.

Those who want to more effectively communicate their value, seniority, and leadership style to their leaders or hiring managers.

Who is this course for

What you’ll get out of this course

Learn how to facilitate and stand out as a leader in executive reviews, VP-level discussions, and large group meetings.

Land high-stakes conversations and get decisions to stick

Improve your body language, voice control, and emotional intelligence. Learn how to develop a commanding presence, gain respect, and improve your leadership capabilities.

Increase your presence and command of a room visually

Learn how to frame your communications based on your audience (executives, peers, team, technical, not technical, etc), answer difficult questions on the spot, and move critical conversations forward.

Adapt your communication style to effectively influence across functions and org lines

Maintain and enhance executive presence in remote-first or remote-only environments. Learn to build rapport and direct your influence through video.

Battle-tested tactics for virtual and remote-first workplaces

Build rapport with executives, gain their trust, and manage their expectations effectively.

Meet and manage up to your leadership with confidence

80%+ of communication is non-verbal. Maintain a powerful posture at the table and virtually. Have your presence acknowledged. Learn to use your appearance to your advantage. Accessorize your way to visibility and power.

Polish your appearance, posture, and tone to gain respect

Women and Minorities face additional challenges when it comes to holding power and building influence. Learn unique tactics for balancing gender and cultural norms and contradictory expectations!

Overcome biases and stereotypes in executive leadership

Learn how to use AI tools to help you practice for high-stakes conversations, improve your verbal communication, and draft concise written communications.

Use AI tools to prep and practice

Get real-time feedback on top-of-mind challenges. Role-play and practice during breakouts with your peers. 

Role-Playing & Breakout sessions

Get real-time feedback from Yue on your presence and communication

Live Coaching from Yue

Each student gets individual, tailored feedback on the take-home assignments each week from Yue. 

Tailored Project Feedback

AI tools & prompts to keep prepping and improving long after the course ends

AI tools & prompts

Stay accountable and share insights with like-minded professionals.

Community of peers

Share your new skills with your employer or on LinkedIn.

Certificate of completion

Go back to course content and recordings whenever you need to.

Lifetime access

Provide a brief description for each module as a way to sell the value of what students will be learning throughout the course.

First Module

Second Module

Third Module

Course syllabus

What people are saying

Chief Product & Technology Officer, Executive Coach, Author, Venture Partner

You will learn from...

If your events are recurring and at the same time, it might be easiest to use a single line item to communicate your course schedule to students

Tuesdays & Thursdays

Feel free to type out dates as your title as a way to communicate information about specific live sessions or other events.

May 7, 2022

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Weekly projects

Course schedule

Copy/paste AI prompts to help you practice and prep for high-stakes conversations. Simple frameworks to apply to your next executive or large group communication, verbal and written.

"Plug & Play" frameworks and tips

Tailor the frameworks to your leadership style and your work environment through live 1:1 coaching and extensive Q&amp;A.

Long Q&A session with individual practice

Help each other practice. Learn from the questions of like-minded peers.

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About this course

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