REAL INFLUENCE  ·  A SIX-WEEK PROGRAM WITH ARABELLA MACPHERSON

For senior professionals who already have the title, expertise and track record — but not always the room.

Walk in prepared.

Walk out with the yes.

Six weeks on how to read a room, work out how people actually decide, and get your ideas approved. For people who are good at the work and tired of watching decisions get made without them.

Arabella Macpherson
Starts
22 or 23 October
When
Two time options
Format
Live online
Length
Six weeks
Spots
Strictly limited
Register your interest
No payment now. You'll hear about spots and pricing before it goes public.
  • LinkedIn
  • Qantas
  • Telstra
  • Commonwealth Bank
  • Westpac
  • QBE
  • IAG
  • Adobe
  • Lendlease
  • CBRE
  • AstraZeneca

“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.”

Executive, Automic Group

Technical skill got you this far. It won't get you the rest of the way.

You know your work better than anyone in the room. The budget still goes elsewhere, the decision still gets made without you, and someone less across the detail keeps getting the nod.

That isn't a competence problem. It's that nobody teaches you how to prepare for the conversation, read how the other person decides, and put your case in a form they can say yes to.

Real Influence is the version of that training Arabella has run with individuals and teams inside Telstra, LinkedIn, eBay, CBRE and Qantas for 18 years. This is the first time it's open to individuals rather than sold to a company.

Before

People talk over you before you've finished making your point.

Someone else voices your idea and gets the recognition for it again and again.

You think of the right comment but hold back — then hear someone else celebrated for saying it.

Important decisions move forward without enough of your influence.

You avoid a conversation even though you know it needs to happen.

You freeze, ramble or lose your structure when challenged unexpectedly.

After

Hold your ground and complete your point when the room becomes difficult.

Put ideas forward with enough clarity that your contribution is visible.

Enter important conversations with a deliberate plan instead of avoiding them.

Respond to difficult questions with greater structure and control.

Recognise how a decision is developing and contribute before it's effectively settled.

Approach influence as something that can be prepared for, rather than left to confidence or personality.

Five levels of influence

Find yourself on it. Most people are a 3 and think they're a 4.

05
Influential
You shape the conversation before it starts. Objections come up and you've already dealt with them. You get the decision, and the relationship is better for it.
100%
04
Prepared
You know what you need and you know what everyone else cares about. What's missing is a reliable way to bring the two together.
75%
03
Organised
You prepare, and you know exactly what you want out of the room. You're building your own case rather than anyone else's.
50%
02
Speaking Up
You're contributing now. It still doesn't quite land and you're not sure why. Meanwhile people with less to say keep getting the opportunities.
0%
01
Overlooked
You're good at the work and it isn't landing. People talk over you, your idea gets repeated back by someone else, and you leave thinking of everything you could have said.
−5%

Three things move you up it

Stakeholders
Work out who actually decides, what they care about, and what they're quietly worried about.
Strategy
Walk in with a plan. Open with agreement, deal with objections before they're raised, and make yours the easy yes.
Skills
Change direction mid-conversation without losing the room or the outcome you came for.
Register your interest
Takes about a minute.

What people say...

“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.”

PARTICIPANT, AUTOMIC GROUP

“Thank you so much for facilitating this awesome course for us. I have learnt so much about myself and working with others.”

PARTICIPANT, LINKEDIN

“I thoroughly recommend Arabella's program for anyone who wants to lift their business conversations to the next level.”

PARTICIPANT, IAG

Who's running it

Arabella Macpherson has spent 18 years coaching CEOs, executives and senior teams at Telstra, AstraZeneca, eBay, LinkedIn, Deloitte and AMEX on influence, communication and negotiation.

She has spoken on more than 500 stages here and internationally, and co-authored the communication section of Macquarie University's Global Online MBA, which has over 66,000 enrolments.

Arabella Macpherson speaking to a full conference audience
Arabella Macpherson

“It’s not that people don’t have time to prepare. They don’t know how to prepare properly to get real traction.”

ARABELLA MACPHERSON

This program is for you if…

You're already experienced and credible, but people still sometimes talk over you.

You've watched somebody else receive credit or recognition for an idea you had first.

You know you have something useful to say but sometimes don't say it quickly enough.

Important decisions sometimes progress without enough of your contribution.

You avoid or delay a conversation even though you know you need to have it.

You freeze, ramble or lose your structure when you're put on the spot.

Your competence has taken you a long way, but greater seniority now requires a different level of influence.

Common questions

Who is this program designed for?

Senior professionals across any function — finance, legal, risk, HR, sales, marketing, operations, academia, consulting or engineering — who already have the title, expertise and track record, but want more influence in the room when decisions get made.

How much time will I need each week?

Ninety minutes live once a week for six weeks, plus two half-hour one-to-one calls with Arabella at the start and the end. A short daily prompt keeps each week's skill front of mind.

Is the program online or in person?

Live online, in a small group with cameras on.

How do the one-to-one calls work?

One thirty-minute call with Arabella before week one, so she knows your situation going in, and one after week six, to work out what to focus on next.

What happens after I register my interest?

You'll get the program details, pricing, and first call on a spot before it opens up publicly.

Does registering my interest commit me to purchasing?

No. Registering your interest isn't a purchase and doesn't commit you to anything. There's no payment at this stage.

Six weeks, one skill at a time

Ninety minutes live each week, bookended by a half hour with Arabella one to one. Small group, cameras on, real conversations you’re actually facing.

Arabella Macpherson handing the microphone to a participant during a live session
OPTION A · FROM THU 22 OCT
Thursdays, 7:00 to 8:30pm AEST
Outside work hours, so nobody needs to approve anything. Runs to 26 November.
OPTION B · FROM FRI 23 OCT
Fridays, 9:00 to 10:30am AEST
Start the day with it and take it straight into the week ahead. Runs to 27 November.

Both Sydney time, both six weeks. Tell us which suits when you register. All times shown are AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time).

How the program works

Learn
Each week opens with one skill — what it is, why it works, and where you're already using it without realising.
Practise
You work it live, in a small group with cameras on, against a conversation you're actually facing right now.
Apply
A daily prompt and a one-minute recap keep the skill running through the week, so you remember to use it.
BEFORE YOU START

Half an hour, one to one

You and Arabella, on the conversation you most need to go differently. She'll know your situation before week one, and you'll know what you're working on.
WEEK 01

Powerful Preparation

A three-part process for reading a room before you walk into it. You'll know what everyone in there actually wants, and you'll have a strategy for getting your outcome.
WEEK 02

Concise Communication

Make the point and make it land, in language that's simple and actionable. Plus a way to handle questions, including the one you're dreading.
WEEK 03

Rapid Rapport

Build trust in minutes rather than months. The difference between people tolerating you and people wanting you in the room.
WEEK 04

Defining their Decision-Making

A specific set of questions that uncovers how someone actually decides. Then you present to their criteria instead of your assumptions.
WEEK 05

Strategic Storytelling

Stories, metaphors and case studies that dissolve resistance. This is how you change a mind without arguing with it.
WEEK 06

Mindset Mastery

The baseline you need to think clearly. Get this right and your judgement holds when the stakes are highest and everyone is watching.
AFTER YOU FINISH

Half an hour, one to one

Back with Arabella on what changed, what's still hard, and what to work on next.

What comes with it

✓  Six live 90-minute sessions, Thursday evenings or Friday mornings
✓  Two half-hour one-to-one calls with Arabella, at the start and end
✓  A workbook you keep and actually use
✓  A five-minute recap video of each skill
✓  A daily prompt on the week's skill, so it sticks past Friday afternoon
✓  A small group, so you get spoken to rather than spoken at
the daily prompts are the bit that makes it stick
Register your interest
Spots are limited and the one-to-one calls are first cohort only.

Register your interest

You'll get the details, the price and first call on a spot before it's opened up. No payment, no commitment. Takes about a minute.

Which time suits you better?

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Want this for your team instead?

The corporate version runs in person or online and is tailored to the meetings your organisation actually has.
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