VIRTUAL MASTERCLASS SERIES: STARTS 30 OCT 2024
Leading High-Stakes Meetings Masterclass Series
Picture the scenario
Imagine an important meeting at work: a board, C-suite, executive committee or leadership team meeting, a pitch to investors or clients, a tricky negotiation with a customer, or a steering group meeting for a major programme.
The stakes are high. The issues are complex. There are lots of senior, influential, and demanding people involved. Get it right and you leave people feeling impressed and looking for opportunities to help you grow. Make a false move, say the wrong thing, collapse under pressure, or come across under-confident, it can take a long time to recover, if at all.
So, what does it take to be at your best? Our group coaching masterclass will help you answer this question.
Who is this masterclass series for?
This masterclass series is ideally suited to:
- A C-suite executive looking to enhance their impact with colleagues, customers and/or stakeholders
- A project manager presenting in front of a steering group or executive committee (Exco)
- A project leader looking for sponsorship from an important decision-making body, such as a board
- Leaders who want to improve their reputation with senior stakeholders in high-stakes meetings
- Executives who want to effectively communicate a high-stakes message to employees or other stakeholders
BENEFITS & RESULTS
By the end of this masterclass series you’ll have transformed your reputation and credibility with important stakeholders
Your boss, clients, investors and peers will notice the difference — improving your prospects substantially. You’ll show more of your best self, feel less anxious, and be more confident taking on bigger roles in the future.
FEEDBACK FROM ATTENDEES
Agnes Woolrich
Senior Vice-President, Mastercard
“It had an immediate positive impact on my everyday performance. The tools, tips and skills I’ve learned will continue to make me a much more effective meeting chair and participant, and therefore a more successful leader. A highly recommended investment for anyone wanting to drive more success out of their high-stakes meetings!”
Iain McCluskey
Partner, KPMG
“It is the best professional development course I have done to date. David is an incredible course leader, and delivered innovative, relevant content to a diverse and engaged group of business leaders. It has already transformed the way I prepare, execute, and follow up on high-stakes meetings internally, and with clients.”
Chris Shott
Chief Operating Officer, inlumi
“It has completely reframed my attitude towards meetings to ensure I am making the most of often overlooked interactions that have become all too business-as-usual and should command more focus in my work week. The interactive sessions, tangible tips and templates, and personal reflections from David, and the other course attendees, have provided me with a wealth of content and context with which to raise my impact in strategic conversations within my organisation and with clients.”
Cynthia Warner
Engagement Lead, Incandescent
“This was an excellent experience in an area that can be hard to design learning for. I have new skills and perspectives on leading critical meetings. I’m continuing to apply what I learned, and I have already created greater impact and value in key meetings as a direct result of the course.”
Dan Mottram
Strategic advisor for manufacturers
“David’s masterclass series on leading high-stakes meetings has been transformative for my approach to crucial business interactions. I now feel well-equipped to navigate complex board meetings, C-suite presentations, and critical pitches with confidence and poise. David’s insights on anticipating participant agendas and behaviours have been particularly valuable, allowing me to prepare more effectively and stay agile during discussions.”
Nitin Govila
C-suite leader & regional managing director
“It is a game-changer for any senior leader’s professional development and learning how to lead, manage and participate in high-stakes meetings. I appreciated the small group settings through virtual set-up, practical exercises and real-life scenarios that allowed us participants to apply what we learned in a safe environment before taking the skills back to our own meetings.”
James Allen
Director, Creative Huddle
“The masterclasses were very thorough and included many aspects of running meetings that were new to me. David led the sessions in a compelling way, and it was interesting to get different perspectives and real life examples from other participants in break-out discussions.”
Samantha Fowlds
Chief Change Lead & Founder, SFCC Advisory Inc
“David’s course gave words to the parts of meetings I knew I wanted to get a handle on but couldn’t see clearly myself. The way he isolated each component of a meeting and gave worksheets was invaluable.”
You’ll learn how to:
- Design the meeting to achieve your outcomes
- Anticipate the agendas, roles, and behaviours of participants
- Prepare yourself to be at your best
- Start the meeting with conviction
- Present with clarity and confidence
- Enhance your emotional intelligence as you read the room
- Respond to questions and challenges when others are difficult, distracted, or unpredictable
- Be agile in response to new perspectives and feedback
- Stay engaged in long sessions
- Focus the meeting on what matters
- Listen, ask incisive questions, and challenge other constructively
- Choose when to speak up and when to stay quiet
- Lead the group effectively to a wise decision
- Create commitment to pursue actions after the meeting
EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
This Strategy Shift masterclass series includes:
Six virtual, 90-minute masterclasses (recorded for your own personal use). We’ll use real-life stories and examples that show mastery and give you an opportunity to practise.
Daily nudges of tips and content.
A network of fellow executives and professionals to engage with and learn from.
Coaching and advice from your masterclass leader and group, via WhatsApp.
A toolkit comprising a workbook, templates, checklists, scripts, guides, flowcharts, tip sheets, and references (170 pages in total).
Your own Strategy Shift certificate once you have completed the masterclass series.
CURRICULUM
We start on 30 October 2024. Here’s what happens over the six weeks.
Each masterclass is recorded for your own personal use afterwards.
20.00 (GMT), 30 OCT 2024
1. Think about your purpose and role
- Figuring out how a meeting helps your strategy
- How to work out if a meeting is the best option
- Identifying three critical outcomes from the meeting
- Anticipating what comes afterwards
- Working out your purpose
20.00 (GMT), 6 NOV 2024
2. Design the meeting
- Designing the agenda
- Figuring out who really needs to attend
- Understand the perspectives, needs, and styles of other participants
- Designing the best format
- Deciding what documentation is required
- How to write the best email and agenda
- Preparing the ‘set-up’
20.00 (GMT), 13 NOV 2024
3. Prepare yourself
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Appreciate the context
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How to identify your role and contribution
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How to influence stakeholders before the meeting
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Writing the best pre-read
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How to prepare and ask what you want to say
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Preparing questions you want to ask
- Setting up the room
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How to use rehearsals effectively
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Coordinating with your team
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Managing your schedule so you peak
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Preparing your mindset, breathing and energy
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How to look the part
20.00 (GMT), 20 NOV 2024
4. Start the meeting
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Strengthening your reputation
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How to create a strong first impression
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How to handle small talk before the meeting starts
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Introducing the agenda with impact
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How to use framing to encourage full participation
20.00 (GMT), 27 NOV 2024
5. Lead the meeting
- How to show gravitas
- Making your best pitch
- How to communicate succinctly
- Using storytelling powerfully
- Observing and listening attentively
- How to write good notes
- How to respond well to surprises
- How to manage difficult people and conflict
- Sustaining your interest
- Breaking into the group when you’re new or different
20.00 (GMT), 4 DEC 2024
6. Close and follow up
- How to close and summarise
- How to reach a decision
- Communicating actions
- How to leave the meeting with presence
- Capture learning and act on it
- How to write up minutes
- Encouraging people to deliver
- How to nurture relationships after the meeting
LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Listen to some new perspectives, experiences, and methods.
Ask questions to clarify your understanding, spark your curiosity, and challenge your way of thinking.
Share your own experiences, successes, and failures with peers.
Try some experiments to try a new mindset or practice. There will be exercises to do after each masterclass.
Reflect on what you tried and figure out what you will do next time. Share with the group throughout in our online community and in the masterclasses.
ENROL TO MAKE AN INVESTMENT OF £1,000 IN YOUR BRAND, IMPACT AND CAREER
Pay just £1,000 for your masterclass series now.
Is this masterclass series right for you?
This masterclass series is for you if:
- You already participate in high stakes meetings — or want to
- You feel you have some skills to learn (and possibly unlearn)
- You feel disappointed with some aspect of your performance
- You feel you could do much more
- You want to enhance your reputation with senior stakeholders
This masterclass series isn’t for you if:
- You want to sit back and listen to a lecture
- You don’t think you have anything to learn
- You think there is a single way of leading high impact meetings
- You want to perform in front of your peers
- You’re not willing to commit to real work throughout the six weeks and beyond
ENROL AND PAY IN TWO EASY STEPS
Enrol and pay just £1,000 for your masterclass series now.
1. Enrol for the masterclass series
BONUS MATERIAL & MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE
Bonus material
When you join the Leading High-Stakes Meetings Masterclass Series you get free bonus material to enhance your impact and experience:
- A bonus ‘Ask me anything’ session that any participants can join
- Tips on how to write with impact, learned from my articles published in Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Review, Strategy+Business, Forbes, and covered in the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times
Money-back guarantee
If you’re ready to transform your contribution and reputation in high-stakes meetings, we’ll make a commitment, too.
We’ll guarantee that your transformation will occur in the 180 days following the masterclass, if you attend all the masterclasses, complete the exercises, and practise new mindsets and skills using the resources we give you.
If it doesn’t, we’ll happily refund your investment.
ANSWERS TO POPULAR QUESTIONS
What makes this masterclass series distinct from others?
- We focus specifically on what it takes to succeed in the most challenging, demanding, and stimulating meetings you participate in
- These test participants’ mindsets, skills, and practices to the limit
- We cover what it takes to not just cope but also thrive
- It also covers real-life personal experiences as well as insights from leading research
I’m busy right now. Should I wait until the next masterclass series launches?
You could. But you might have the opportunity to join a high-impact meeting very soon — as a presenter, participant, or observer. Would you not want to get a headstart on learning what it takes to show up well?
How much time do I need to invest in this?
- Each masterclass lasts 90 minutes. On top of that, there is at least two hours per week of reflection and practice.
- It’s not so much the time investment. It’s more about the attention you put on embedding new ideas, frameworks, and methods into your day-to-day interactions. That requires commitment and discipline — a positive approach to experimentation!
What can I expect once I enrol?
You’ll receive a short questionnaire which will start you thinking about your own experiences, as well as strengths and weaknesses. You’ll also receive a series of invites to masterclasses, and some pre-readings.
I’m not attending high impact meetings right now. Should I join?
You might be invited tomorrow to one — so why wait? You can also start practising these new skills in your existing portfolio of meetings, ready to step up when you are invited.
How many people will be part of this masterclass series?
The number of participants is limited to 30 to guarantee learning quality. In the event the masterclass series you’re applying for is full, you’ll be put on the wait-list for the next series.
GOT MORE QUESTIONS?
Feel free to email us.
About your masterclass leader
This masterclass is led by David Lancefield, founder of Strategy Shift. He has worked with 50 CEOs and hundreds of C-suite executives over the last 25 years.
He’s led, facilitated, participated in, and presented high-stakes meetings in 30 countries — including board, exco, investor, regulator, and ministerial meetings.
He is a contributor to HBR, MIT Sloan Review, and Strategy+Business, and has been quoted in the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal. David’s HBR article ‘Stop Wasting People’s Time with Bad Meetings’ is one of their most popular and widely-read.
A selection of our C-suite clients
