WIDA Programs
Executive
Diplomacy
Training
A live online workshop for business and nonprofit leaders who engage with foreign governments and international partners.
- 7–18 December 2026
-
Monday–Friday
10:00 a.m. — 1:30 p.m. EST
- Sessions held live online
- Certificate upon completion
Overview
Navigate Governments.
Influence Decisions.
Advance Your Mission.
When your organization operates internationally, understanding what foreign officials say is not enough. You need to recognize how governments make decisions, identify who can influence an outcome and communicate in ways that advance your organization’s interests.
Our Executive Diplomacy Training will give you an insider’s understanding of embassies, consulates, foreign ministries, other government agencies and international organizations. Through simulations, practical exercises and case studies, you will learn to engage officials strategically, communicate and negotiate across cultures, manage sensitive relationships and respond effectively when political events threaten your work.
Career ambassadors will draw on decades of experience to show you how diplomacy is practiced — and help you apply its methods to the international challenges facing your organization.
ONLINE-ONLY PROGRAM
Join the sessions live from anywhere in the world and participate in all discussions, exercises and simulations.
Curriculum
What You Will Learn
- National & Global Diplomacy Systems
- Diplomatic Protocol
- Diplomatic Communication
- Interagency Foreign Policy Process
- How Does an Embassy Work?
- Political Tradecraft
- Consular Affairs
- Crisis Management Abroad
- Cross-Cultural Communication
- Economic Tradecraft
- Commercial Diplomacy
- Diplomatic Advocacy
- Diplomatic Negotiation
- Multilateral Diplomacy
What You
Will Gain
- Understand how foreign ministries, embassies and consulates actually operate.
- Recognize how government decisions are made — and who shapes them.
- Find effective points of entry into diplomatic and government systems.
- Navigate diplomatic protocol without creating avoidable obstacles.
- Understand how diplomats assess companies, proposals and outside interests.
- Present business priorities in terms that resonate with government officials.
- Anticipate how political, economic and cultural considerations affect official decisions.
- Use embassies, consulates and commercial diplomacy to support international expansion.
Our Faculty
Learn from
Diplomacy’s
Ultimate Insiders
Our instructors are career ambassadors who have negotiated with foreign governments, managed embassies and international crises, and advanced national interests. They will help you understand how officials assess outside organizations, what makes advocacy persuasive and how diplomatic methods can strengthen your international engagement. Here are some of them.
AmbassadorMichael Fitzpatrick
YEARS OF SERVICE: 39
SENIOR POSITIONS:
● Ambassador to Ecuador
● Deputy Chief of Mission in Peru
● Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
AmbassadorJanice Jacobs
YEARS OF SERVICE: 34
SENIOR POSITIONS:
● Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs
● Ambassador to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau
● Deputy Chief of Mission in the Dominican Republic
AmbassadorLisa Kubiske
YEARS OF SERVICE: 35
SENIOR POSITIONS:
● Ambassador to Honduras
● Deputy Chief of Mission in Brazil
● Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs
AmbassadorCharles Ray
YEARS OF SERVICE: 30
SENIOR POSITIONS:
● Ambassador to Zimbabwe
● Ambassador to Cambodia
● Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
Prepare Your
Application
We welcome executives and senior professionals from businesses, nonprofit organizations and other internationally engaged institutions. Applicants should have professional responsibilities involving — or likely to involve — foreign governments, international organizations or cross-border operations.
Tuition Fee
$3,950
for businesses
$2,950
for nonprofits
Eligibility
- Business and nonprofit executives
- U.S. and international applicants
- English fluency required
Checklist
- Application form
- CV or résumé