Accelerated productivity and performance
in meetings in the next 90 days.
Influential Conversation
For the past 18 years, I have been working with CEOs, executives and senior leadership teams in Australia, Asia, the UK and the US. What I've found is that most people don't understand the brain, they don't know how to influence it and they especially don't know how to influence it under pressure. This means they're having meeting after meeting, often those meetings are to remind themselves on what they decided upon in the previous meeting, sometimes it goes off track, or worse, sometimes decisions are put back on the table to be discussed. At best it's a waste of time. At worst, projects are delayed, budgets blow out, morale disintegrates and top talent leaves and clients follow suit.
In a study of 200 managers,
71% said meetings are unproductive and inefficient.
(University of North Carolina)
Leaders are judged on their ability to deliver results against key priorities. But achieving these targets usually depends on collaboration – and everyone has competing priorities.
Influence is the critical skill that bridges this gap.
Yet many leaders, despite being highly competent, struggle to influence effectively.
If your leaders know how to set up meetings, position their requests successfully and get the buy-in they need, they will transform their productivity, reputation and career.
Do your leaders?
Attend endless meetings?
Fit for budget?
Struggle to complete their work?
Fail to collaborate with their colleagues?
Miss deadlines?
Experience burnout?
If they don’t they risk…
Losing respect
Losing traction
Losing their role
Preparation
Most meetings suffer because typically only one person arrives (somewhat) prepared.
Everyone else is reacting spontaneously to what's discussed, rather than contributing thoughtfully.
Decision Making
Without proper preparation, decision-making quality suffers, conversations drag on, and critical issues remain unresolved – often postponed to future meetings.
Productivity declines as valuable time is lost in prolonged discussions rather than decisive action.
Time
Leaders often say, “I'm in back-to-back meetings –
I don’t have time to prepare!”
But the real issue isn't lack of time; it's that most leaders haven't learned an effective way to prepare quickly and thoroughly.
If they don’t they risk…
Losing respect
Losing traction
Losing their role
Preparation
Most meetings suffer because typically only one person arrives (somewhat) prepared. Everyone else is reacting spontaneously to what's discussed, rather than contributing thoughtfully.
Decision Making
Without proper preparation, decision-making quality suffers, conversations drag on, and critical issues remain unresolved—often postponed to future meetings. Productivity declines as valuable time is lost in prolonged discussions rather than decisive action.
Time
Leaders often say,
“I'm in back-to-back meetings—I don’t have time to prepare!” But the real issue isn't lack of time; it's that most leaders haven't learned an effective way to prepare quickly and thoroughly.
One high-performing meeting can replace
five
average ones.
With proper preparation and influencing skills, leaders not only speed up entire projects with well-executed meetings. They also improve relationships and their professional brand, making influencing next time easier.
The Influence Journey...
Where are your employees?
(slide to reveal below)
| LEVEL | ACTIVITY | FOCUS | PERFORMANCE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Influential | Mastery | 100% |
| 4 | Prepared | Strategy | 75% |
| 4 | Organised | Others | 50 |
| 2 | Turn up | Clarity | 0% |
| 1 | Victim | Openness | -5% |
Level 1: Victims
Employees who fail to understand why people don't listen to them or give them what they want.
Level 2: Turn up
Attendees who have done no prior thinking about either what they want to achieve or priorities for the meeting.
Level 3: Organised
Employees who know what they want to achieve, but have not looked into the needs or priorities of others in the meeting.
Level 4: Prepared
Employees who know what they need to achieve and are aware of the priorities of others. However, they don't know how to get the outcomes they want.
Level 5: Influential
Leaders reach mastery when they structure meetings to advance strategy, lead the room and handle objections to secure agreement.
Requirements For Influential Conversations
Strategy
When leaders define their goal, map stakeholders and identify obstacles, they make faster, better decisions.
Process
In the meeting, leaders know how to open with alignment, anticipate objections and put forward an easy yes.
Agility
When leaders can change direction under pressure, and still achieve the best outcome.
What participants receive?
A clear, actionable process for preparing and leading meetings that deliver results
Tools to strategically map decision-makers and understand what's important to them
Essential skills to anticipate, manage, and resolve resistance and objections
Expert techniques for handling differing opinions and swiftly refocusing discussions
Confidence and clarity entering meetings, knowing they're equipped to handle any situation effectively
Who This Program is Ideal For?
Leaders who need to influence stakeholders in order to hit targets
Teams experiencing decision delays or lack of buy-in
Crossfunctional teams who need to work with others with competing priorities
Departments who need to influence other departments to achieve results
Organisations that need to increase productivity & collaboration to stay profitable
Who This Program is Not Ideal For?
Individuals who mostly work independently, without the need for collaboration or influencing colleagues
Those primarily seeking technical skills training, rather than enhancing communication, influence, or decision-making capabilities
Professionals content with current meeting effectiveness, who don't see the value in improving their strategic preparation or influencing skills
Leaders unwilling to adjust their approach to meetings, collaboration, or influencing stakeholders, despite current frustrations or challenges
Arabella Macpherson
Influence Expert
With 18 years of experience, Arabella has worked globally with CEOs and senior leadership teams across diverse sectors, including Telstra, AstraZeneca, eBay, LinkedIn, Deloitte, and AMEX. She has spoken on over 500 stages internationally on influence, communication, negotiation and leadership. Her practical training equips executives with actionable skills that deliver tangible results.
With a background in stage performance, Arabella is an energising facilitator and captivating storyteller who tailors strategies to each workplace. Her workshop participants say they could listen to her for days, and that content is relatable and relevant to what they need.
Arabella is the co-author of the communication section of Macquarie University’s Global Online MBA (66k+ enrollments). Outside of work, Arabella enjoys walking her border collie Byron and taking quick beach dips between virtual meetings.
What our clients say...
I thoroughly recommend Arabella’s Influential Conversations program for anyone who wants to lift their business conversations to the next level!
IAG
Arabella is an outstanding communicator. She has taught me how to understand
people, the decisions they make and how to influence their thought processes to
drive better outcomes.
Automic Group
Arabella was fantastic! Her professionalism, knowledge and passion is infectious
and genuine. I would highly recommend her to others.
QBE
Very accommodating to the different circumstances of all participants. Excellent
at making the online course format not feel like an awkward game of marco polo!
Hearts and Science
Thank you so much for facilitating this awesome course for us. I have learnt SO
much about myself and working with others!
This training was so in depth and insightful. The best training I’ve done across my
media career. The skills I learnt will help me succeed and go from strength to
strength in my new role. Thank you Arabella, you are incredible.
Val Morgan
I HELP LEADERS WITH INFLUENTIAL
CONVESATION
FAQ'S
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What is the ideal group size?
12 people or fewer receive more personalised feedback. 12+ attendees receive group and peer-to-peer feedback.
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What role level is this ideal for?
Managers and above. However, employees of any level can benefit from understanding the most effective meeting strategies.
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Can this be taught online?
Yes. We can customise delivery based on your needs.
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Can the program be customised?
Yes. We assess the types of meetings most common in your organisation. Then we can adapt our materials accordingly.