Build influence, credibility, and authority across complex stakeholder relationships.
Learn how to manage senior, peer, and external stakeholders with confidence, clarity, and persuasion. This practical masterclass helps marketers influence decisions, navigate resistance, and position themselves as trusted advisors.
Effective stakeholder management sits at the heart of successful marketing leadership. Whether you are influencing senior executives, collaborating with peers, managing agency relationships, or negotiating priorities, your ability to communicate with clarity and conviction directly shapes outcomes.
This two half-day masterclass focuses on the principles, processes, and behaviours that underpin effective influence and persuasion. Participants explore how beliefs, communication styles, and relationship dynamics affect their ability to engage stakeholders and gain alignment.
Through a highly practical and experiential approach, the program builds confidence, sharpens judgment, and equips participants with tools they can apply immediately in real stakeholder scenarios.
Participants complete pre-work to ensure relevance from day one and leave with a clear action plan to strengthen key relationships and decision-making conversations.
Who should attend
This masterclass is ideal for marketers who need to influence without authority and manage complex internal and external relationships, including:
- Marketing Managers and Senior Marketers
- Brand, Digital, and Communications Leads
- Agency Account Directors and Consultants
- Marketing Business Partners
- High-potential marketers preparing for leadership roles
Topics covered
1. Understanding Your Stakeholders
- Identifying key stakeholders across senior, peer, and direct report groups
- Assessing relationship quality and influence dynamics
- Prioritising focus areas for short- and long-term success
2. Principles and Models of Influence and Persuasion
- How people make decisions and respond to influence
- Common instinctive approaches that reduce persuasion
- Collaboration, perspective-taking, and trust
- A simple framework for presenting solutions with less resistance
3. Clarifying Your Value Proposition
- Understanding the value you provide beyond your job title
- Shifting from reactive support to proactive problem-solving
- Building conviction, authority, and credibility
- Moving towards trusted advisor relationships
4. Tools and Processes for Stakeholder Management
- Decision-making frameworks to guide alignment
- Asking better questions and listening strategically
- Structuring conversations to reduce resistance
- Pitching ideas collaboratively rather than defensively
- Managing conflict, negotiation, and difficult conversations
- Using feedback and vulnerability to strengthen influence
5. Speaking Persuasively with Presence and Authority
- Posture, gesture, voice, pace, and pausing
- Communicating with confidence without sounding forced
- Balancing authenticity and authority
- Appearing credible under pressure
Learning outcomes
By the end of this masterclass, participants will be able to:
- Identify and prioritise key stakeholders and relationship risks
- Apply proven principles to influence decisions and manage resistance
- Clearly articulate their value proposition with confidence
- Structure persuasive conversations that build alignment and trust
- Handle conflict and difficult discussions more effectively
- Communicate with greater presence, authority, and authenticity
Facilitator
John Carlton
Principal Consultant and Trainer, Carlton Communicators
John Carlton has specialised in communication, persuasion, and leadership development since 1995. He works with marketers, consultants, and leaders across a wide range of industries, supporting them to influence more effectively in complex and high-stakes conversations.
John’s programs are known for their practical focus, clarity, and relevance, consistently receiving strong feedback for immediate applicability and impact.
