Influence decisions, reduce resistance, and persuade with confidence.
Build practical persuasion skills that help you influence others without sounding forceful or losing authority. This masterclass focuses on how people think, decide, and respond to influence in real workplace conversations.
Persuasion is a critical capability for marketers, yet many rely on instinctive approaches that reduce influence rather than strengthen it. Pushing too hard can create resistance, while holding back can undermine credibility and authority.
This half-day masterclass focuses on the principles, processes, and behaviours that underpin effective persuasion. Participants explore how people respond to ideas, how decisions are shaped, and how conversations can be structured to build alignment rather than opposition.
The program takes a highly practical approach, combining proven communication principles with tools that can be applied immediately in meetings, presentations, negotiations, and day-to-day conversations.
Participants complete short pre-work to ensure the content is directly relevant to their own persuasion challenges and scenarios.
Who should attend
This masterclass is ideal for marketers who need to influence outcomes, gain buy-in, or persuade others in their role, including:
- Marketing Managers and Senior Marketers
- Brand, Digital, and Communications Leads
- Agency and Client Services Professionals
- Consultants and Business Partners
- Marketers preparing for leadership roles
Topics covered
1. Principles and Models of Persuasion
- How people interpret ideas and make decisions
- Common instinctive persuasion styles and why they fail
- Assertiveness, authority, and resistance
- Perspective-taking and collaboration
- A simple framework for presenting solutions persuasively
- The role of intent, rapport, and trust
2. Tools and Processes to Support Influence
- Decision-making frameworks that guide alignment
- Asking better questions to shape thinking
- Listening for insight, not just response
- Structuring conversations to minimise resistance
- Pitching ideas collaboratively rather than defensively
- Managing conflict and resistance in persuasion moments
Learning outcomes
By the end of this masterclass, participants will be able to:
- Recognise instinctive persuasion habits that limit influence
- Apply proven principles to persuade with greater confidence
- Structure conversations that guide others towards alignment
- Ask more effective questions and listen strategically
- Present ideas in a way that reduces resistance
- Influence decisions without relying on positional authority
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.