Screenshot 2026-05-14 at 7.11.04 PM

Elders NSW State Conference & Keynote Speaker Michelle Bowden

Didn't we have fun and laughter!!!!

Inspirational speakers on leadership Michelle Bowden

Hello Elders NSW legend! 👋

Wasn’t that so fun! We explored what it really means to persuade whether you’re influencing internal or external stakeholders.

We laughed as we learnt powerful strategies to communicate with clarity and confidence, negotiate more effectively, and truly be heard in every conversation. 


Persuasive techniques help you communicate in a way that makes people want to say yes – to your ideas, your requests, your leadership.

Persuasion is how you turn good intentions into real influence and better results.

Here's the reel from our session together!

What did we cover?

Michelle Bowden female keynote speaker handling the theory of influence slide
Michelle Bowden female keynote speaker influence slide from Elders NSW State Conference May 2026
Michelle Bowden female keynote speaker persuasion over force slide from Resonate26
Michelle Bowden female keynote speaker unconscious will rule your life slide from Resonate26
Michelle Bowden female keynote speaker position shifting slide from Elders NSW State Conference May 2026

Position shifting is about changing how you present an idea so it feels relevant and easy to say yes to. Instead of focusing on what you want to say (1st position), you shift to what matters most to your audience (2nd position) or both of you (3rd position).

It’s the difference between explaining something and making someone want it. When you start with their priorities, concerns, or desired outcomes, your message lands more clearly and has greater impact.

The idea itself hasn’t changed. The way it’s positioned has. And that shift is often what determines whether your message is ignored, understood, or acted on.

The Four Persuasive Types

Michelle Bowden female keynote speaker slide about the wise Owl from the Persuasion Smart Profile
The Commanding Eagle from Michelle Bowden’s How to Persuade keynote
Michelle Bowden female keynote speaker slide about the Friendly Budgie from the Persuasion Smart Profile
Michelle Bowden female keynote speaker slide about the Captivating Peacock from the Persuasion Smart Profile

Structure and Rhetorical Questions

Michelle Bowden female keynote speaker 4Mat slide
Use rhetorical questions from Michelle Bowden female keynote speaker

Managing Conflict and Objections

Michelle Bowden female keynote speaker handling objections slide from

POO: Pacing Out Objections (5 Steps)

Here are the 5 steps! 

1. State the objection

2. Say “and,” “so,” or pause not “but” or “however”!

3. Use “actually” or “in fact”

4. Solve the objection
Address it clearly with logic, reassurance, or evidence.

5. Close with “because”

Elders NSW State Conference May 2026 with Michelle Bowden sales and leadership speaker

What's the Persuasion Smart Profile® all about?

The Persuasion Smart Profile by Michelle Bowden female keynote speaker

You can assess yourself

Michelle is the creator of the Persuasion Smart Profile® which is the only psychological assessment tool that reports on your persuasive strengths and weaknesses at work.

Is it really necessary?

Complete the tool and you will see how persuasion is made up of a set of competencies that can be acquired by modelling specific behaviours that are achievable for everyone.

The report

You’ll receive a detailed PDF report that tells you all about your own strengths and weaknesses as well as your drive to persuade.

It’s safe

Importantly, your responses are held securely and are completely anonymous. We do not see your responses and we cannot access them.  The Persuasion Smart Profile®  is managed by a qualified team of psychologists who are ethically allowed to process your data and you will never be identified in connection with your responses.

It’s a wonderful personal development opportunity

It’s a great opportunity for you to have the chance to learn a bit more about yourself! 

Your Conference Resources at Cost!

Elders legend here’s your change to receive your very own Persuasion Smart Profile® via a unique code and also your personal hard copy of my internationally published, best-selling book called How to Persuade:the skills you need to get what you want.

Simply scan the QR code here and we will send you everything!

Michelle Bowden holding her best selling book How to Persuade
Elders NSW State Conference May 2026 with Michelle Bowden sales and leadership speaker
Group photos from decades of Presentation Skills Training Sydney Melbourne and Brisbane with Michelle Bowden presentation skills trainer

©2026 MICHELLE BOWDEN is an authority on persuasive presenting in business. She’s run her Persuasive Presentation Skills Masterclass over 1070 times for more than 13,500 people over the past 27 years and her name is a synonym for ‘presentation skills’ in Australia.

Michelle Bowden is a multi-million-dollar pitch coach to her client list that reads like a who’s who of international business: banking and finance, IT, pharmaceutical, retail, telecommunications plus many more.

Michelle is the creator of the Persuasion Smart Profile®, a world-first psychological assessment tool that reports on your persuasive strengths and weaknesses at work, the best-selling internationally published author of How to Present: the ultimate guide to presenting live and online (Wiley) and her new best-selling book is called How to Persuade: the skills you need to get what you want (Wiley). 

Share this post