Overview
High-stakes conversations are moments that define leadership reputation, trust, and influence. For C-suite executives and senior leaders, these conversations rarely happen in “safe” environments. They occur under pressure — with investors questioning performance, clients escalating issues, suppliers pushing back, Boards demanding answers, or senior leaders challenging direction and priorities.
Inside organisations, high-stakes conversations often involve holding other senior leaders to account, navigating conflict between executives, managing underperformance at the leadership level, or delivering messages that carry strategic, reputational, or cultural consequences. Outside the organisation, these conversations can determine commercial relationships, organisational credibility, and long-term stakeholder confidence.
This full-day masterclass equips senior leaders with the mindset, structure, and communication authority required to navigate these moments with clarity, composure, and impact. Participants will learn how to remain grounded under pressure, communicate with confidence without defensiveness, and influence outcomes without escalating conflict or damaging relationships.
Drawing on evidence-based communication principles, real-world executive scenarios, and practical rehearsal, this masterclass goes beyond “having difficult conversations” and focuses on leading when the stakes are highest — where every word, tone, and decision matters.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this masterclass, participants will be able to:
- Lead high-stakes conversations with confidence, authority, and emotional composure
- Distinguish between positional power and personal authority — and use both effectively
- Prepare strategically for conversations involving reputational, financial, or relational risk
- Manage emotional intensity (their own and others’) without avoidance or escalation
- Communicate difficult messages clearly while preserving trust and credibility
- Navigate challenge, resistance, or pushback from senior stakeholders
- Hold senior leaders and peers accountable without triggering defensiveness
- Influence outcomes in complex conversations where interests, power, and pressure collide
Featuring Our Speakers
Bill Carson
Executive Director, Consultant, Coach,
Facilitator, Speaker
Inspire Learning Australia Pty Ltd.
Bill Carson is a highly experienced leadership and psychosocial safety specialist with over 20 years’ experience supporting executives, senior leaders, and organisations to navigate complex human and organisational challenges.
He is a former senior leader, a Master Mental Health First Aid Instructor, and a long-standing Lifeline Crisis Supporter with over 700 hours on the phones, supporting people through high-pressure, emotionally charged conversations where clarity and calm matter most.
Bill is the author of SAFE Conversations for Work and Life and the presenter of the TEDx talk “Empathy vs Sympathy – The Secret Sauce in Our Relationships.” He is widely recognised for his ability to translate evidence-based psychology, neuroscience, and leadership principles into practical, real-world skills that leaders can apply immediately.
Known as “The Psychosocial Safety Guy,” Bill works extensively with Boards, Executives, HR, WHS, and senior leadership teams across government, manufacturing, construction, and professional services to build leadership capability where the stakes are highest — culture, wellbeing, performance, and reputation.
Who should attend?
This masterclass is designed for:
- C-suite Executives
- Executive Leaders and General Managers
- Senior Leaders reporting to Boards or Executive Committees
- Leaders managing critical external stakeholder relationships (clients, investors, regulators, suppliers)
This program is particularly valuable for leaders who regularly operate in environments where decisions, conversations, and communication have enterprise-level consequences
Topics Covered
- Understanding High-Stakes Leadership Conversations
- Executive Presence Under Pressure
- Structuring High-Impact Conversations
- Navigating Resistance, Pushback, and Power Plays
- Leading High-Stakes Conversations Inside and Outside the Organisation
