A full-day workshop
This highly practical and interactive session equips participants with the mindset, tools, and behavioural insights needed to communicate with influence, clarity, and authenticity—particularly when engaging with senior stakeholders such as CEOs or executive-level leaders.
Whether you’re a senior partner preparing for a critical board presentation or a graduate entering your first high-stakes client meeting, this course provides a clear methodology for preparing and delivering impactful communication under pressure.
- Provide a clear methodology for preparing and delivering influential communication to very senior stakeholders – CEO’s or equivalents – using authentic, practical tools, engaging with clarity and impact
- An understanding of the behavioural science that governs us as humans when we communicate
- Awareness of and confidence using specific, practical tools for effective communicators with very senior stakeholders who have limited time and different expectations
- An ability to present with warmth and competence, flexing visual, vocal and verbal style, effectively influencing senior stakeholders to your desired decision, using strategic messaging
Expert trainer
Alistair helps organisations, teams, and individuals, from apprentices to graduates to CEO’s, to communicate and work better together. He has significant experience working with senior leaders including C-Suite for various blue-chip companies across a range of industries worldwide.
Session outline
1. Welcome, aims and introductions
- Introductions
- Learning objectives
2. Energiser: 1, 2, 3
- Pair activity
- Performance under pressure
- Fear – impact
3. Self-awareness cycle
- “We don’t see things as they are; we see things as we are”.
- Self-awareness cycle
- Experience/belief impact on behaviours
- Personal biases
4. Bad version
- Bad communication example
- Observation activity
5. Think like a scientist
- Adam Grant exploration
- Mindset shift discussion
6. Introduce the concept of business storytelling and The What – D.I.S.
- Storytelling model: D.I.S
- Think in stories
- Impactful message – stakes
- Revisit ‘bad example’
7. The How – body language, voice, words used
- Behavioural science research – body language, tone of voice, words used
- Make your message count
- How body language and voice can help/ hinder your message
8. Focuser: things in common
- Pair activity
- Value of being curious
- Science of influence related to rapport
9. Audience and objective – think, feel, do
- How am I coming across, am I making sense etc.?
- Who is my audience?
- What is my objective?
- What do I want them to think?
- What do I want them to feel?
- What do I want them to do differently?
10. Presidential debate videos
- 1992 U.S.A. Presidential debate - in/authentic communication
- Participant discussion
11. Applying the tools when preparing for a meeting with a very senior stakeholder
- Preparing for a meeting with a senior stakeholder
- Consider audience and objective
- Practice applying the D.I.S model
12. Delivery practice
- Share practice with group discission – present short message
- Feedback – what went well, what you could do better
13. Recap
- Self-Awareness Cycle
- Think Like a Scientist
- D.I.S.
- Impact of the different elements of communication
- The behavioural science of rapport
- Audience and Objective: Think, Feel, Do
- Bespoke A6 cards illustrating all the tools are handed out to takeaway and keep to hand as a visual reminder.
Post-session
- Bespoke A6 size takeaway cards, kept to hand as a visual reminder to support these behaviours in becoming habits.
