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Management Forum

Difficult Conversations and Influence in Regulated Environments Training Course

Practical Emotional Intelligence for Pharma & Life Sciences Professionals

This course will help participants learn to communicate and influence more effectively within the pharma and biopharma industries.

★★★★★ "I really enjoyed the course [and] accomplished all my goals. I did wonder how it'll work as an on-li... more (10)"

27 April 2026
+ 19 October 2026 »
from £499

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Course overview

"What really matters for success, character, happiness and life long achievements is a definite set of emotional skills – your EQ – not just purely cognitive abilities that are measured by IQ tests.” – Daniel Goleman

Technical knowledge is essential in the pharmaceutical and biopharma industry, but it is rarely what makes difficult conversations go well.

Professionals regularly face challenging discussions: raising risks under time pressure, influencing senior stakeholders without authority, managing cross-functional conflict, or pushing back when quality or compliance is at stake. How these conversations are handled can directly affect inspection outcomes, timelines, and professional credibility.

This one-day course focuses on handling difficult conversations and influencing effectively in regulated, high-pressure environments. It provides practical tools to help participants stay calm under pressure, communicate clearly, understand others’ perspectives, and steer conversations towards productive outcomes.

The course is highly interactive and built around realistic pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical scenarios, including inspection pressure, cross-functional tension and high-stakes decision-making. Participants will work with practical structures and approaches that can be used immediately in their own workplace conversations.

Browse our extensive selection of Life Sciences training courses for industry-leading insights into a range of topics. These include Medical Devices, IVDs, Biotech and Biopharma, Animal Health and Pharmaceutical training courses.

Benefits of attending

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

Handle difficult conversations more confidently and constructively in regulated environments
Influence colleagues and stakeholders without relying on authority
Communicate clearly under pressure without becoming defensive or confrontational
Recognise emotional triggers and manage reactions in high-stakes situations
Navigate cross-functional conflict more effectively
Protect quality, compliance and professional credibility through better conversations

Who should attend

This course is designed for professionals working in the pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and wider life sciences industries who regularly:

Influence without formal authority
Work cross-functionally across Clinical, Quality, Regulatory or Operations
Raise concerns related to risk, compliance or timelines
Engage in high-pressure or sensitive conversations

Enrol/reserve

This course will cover:

Emotional intelligence and self-management

Goleman’s emotional intelligence model and its impact on behaviour
Recognising triggers and regulating your response under pressure
Developing the key EI competencies for regulated environments

Influence and communication in pharma

Listening techniques for influencing in the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industry
A practical scripting structure to express concerns clearly and confidently
Relationship management and adapting your communication style (including stakeholder analysis and social styles)

Managing difficult conversations under pressure

Preparing for high-stakes conversations involving risk, compliance and data integrity
Managing conflict, resistance and cross-functional tension

The solution-focused approach

Focusing on solutions rather than blame
The “third” conversation technique to maintain objectivity
Action planning

Enrol/reserve

Laura Brown
Independent Pharmaceutical Consultant

Dr Laura Brown is a Management Consultant and Psychologist specialising in highly regulated industries, particularly the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and legal sectors. She has consulted with numerous organisations including Cranfield School of Management, many of the top 25 global Pharma/Biotechnology companies, and several leading legal firms.

For 15 years, Laura served as Course Director for the MSc in Regulatory Affairs, where she led programme development and supported the advancement of regulatory professionals internationally.

Besides holding a PhD and an MBA, Laura also has a degree in Psychology. She is the co-author of several management books, including Developing the Individual.

More details

NEW higher discounts for multiple bookings - bring your colleagues to make your training budget go further:

30% off the 2nd delegate*
40% off the 3rd delegate*
50% off the 4th delegate*

Please contact us for pricing if you are interested in booking 5 or more delegates

27 April 2026

Live online

09:30-17:00 UK (London) (UTC+01)
10:30-18:00 Paris (UTC+02)
04:30-12:00 New York (UTC-04)
Course code 15817

GBP 499 599
EUR 699 839
USD 803 959

Until 23 Mar

1 day live online training
Browser-based, no download usually required
See presenters and interact with fellow attendees
Download documentation and certification of completion
Fair transfer and cancellation policy

View basket

Not ready to book yet?

for 7 days, no obligation

19 October 2026

Live online

09:30-17:00 UK (London) (UTC+01)
10:30-18:00 Paris (UTC+02)
04:30-12:00 New York (UTC-04)
Course code 16443

GBP 499 599
EUR 699 839
USD 803 959

Until 14 Sep

1 day live online training
Browser-based, no download usually required
See presenters and interact with fellow attendees
Download documentation and certification of completion
Fair transfer and cancellation policy

View basket

Not ready to book yet?

for 7 days, no obligation

* Early booking discounts may not be combined with other discounts or offers. As such, the discounts for 2nd/3rd/4th delegates are based on the full price; and apply only when booking multiple delegates on the same date.

Reviews of IPI's Difficult Conversations and Influence in Regulated Environments training course

I really enjoyed the course [and] accomplished all my goals. I did wonder how it'll work as an on-line course. I can say I was not disappointed. Speaker was clear, concise, constructive and very engaging.

Jun 30 2025

Afi Sinclair United Kingdom
Regulatory Affairs Consultant, SincasPharma Ltd

Jun 30 2025

Very good, I liked the webinar very much. The speaker was very motivated to guide us through this big topic of EI. She was very-well prepared, the slides were easy to understand and she had a lot of exercises so the seminar was not boring at all. The only tiny room for improvement (that's why I rated 4 instead of 5) was the speed which seemed quite fast.. I would have [liked] a second every now and then to reflect on potential questions. However I would recommend to get more confidence in dealing with difficult situations.

Marie-Christine Klös Germany
Global PV Specialist, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH

Oct 14 2024

Loved the content, presentation, and speaker. Great course that I would recommend to colleagues, particularly in leadership positions.

Arielle Bibeault United States of America
Medical Science Liaison, Genmab AS

Oct 8 2018

It was a very interesting, lively and educational course which gave me lots of food for thought not only in the context of my professional life but also of my personal life. It helped me also better understand my own manager(s).

Evridiki Christaki Belgium
Legal Expert, Eurocontrol

Oct 8 2018

A good team presentation. A useful, concise introduction to the topic.

Dougal Gemmell Germany
Director, European Patent Office

Mar 13 2017

Well balanced content, excellent interpersonal skills and overall presentation clear and concise

Anita Dhorajiwala United Kingdom
Manager RA, Apotex EU BV

Mar 13 2017

Course was given in a very clear and simple way. Speakers were "alive" and managed to always have full deep attention.

Sandra Biondo Switzerland
Regulatory CMC Document Coordinator, Ares Trading SA

Mar 13 2017

Excellent

Louise Reynolds United Kingdom
Quality & Compliance Manager, McFT

Sep 22 2016

The course was inclusive and easy going helping all delegates to feel comfortable with taking an active part. There were some useful techniques and examples of how to improve in this area

Sarah Barber United Kingdom
Senior Business Insights Analyst, Takeda UK Ltd

Sep 22 2016

Comprehensive course on emotional intelligence with very useful take-away messages and techniques.

Rose Evill United Kingdom
Scientific Affairs Advisor, Nutricia

United Kingdom