Communicate with Impact
An interactive workshop for women in leadership
Communicate with greater intention, clarity and courage - particularly when the conversation matters.
Whether it's speaking up in a meeting, giving feedback, setting a boundary, making a request or having a conversation you've been avoiding, how you communicate can shape far more than the moment itself.
Tuesday 17 November | 6:30–8:00am | Bundaberg Regional HQ
Melissa Thomson - High Performance & Leadership Expert
Melissa is a leadership coach, facilitator, speaker and trainer with more than two decades of experience across wellbeing, human development, coaching and leadership.
Having founded and led an independent school through significant growth and change, Melissa has navigated communication and leadership where the stakes were real through people, culture, conflict, governance, difficult conversations, risk, community relationships and complex decisions.
Her work explores what becomes possible when we stop separating wellbeing from performance, humanity from leadership and courage from influence.
What makes Melissa's approach different?
Communication isn't successful simply because we said something clearly. It's successful when what we intended was actually received.
Rather than focusing only on what to say, Melissa explores how we show up when communication matters, and how greater Presence, Connection and Courage can change the way we speak, listen and influence.
“The keynote created a very positive and reflective energy in the room. Melissa’s message resonated with many of the women there, and you could see people really connecting with the ideas she shared around leadership and personal growth.”
Bundaberg Business Women’s Network - International Women’s Day Event
Topic: ‘Redefining Power - The Feminine Advantage in Leadership’
Communication changes when the stakes change.
You probably already know how to communicate.
But when something matters - when there's a risk of disagreement, rejection, conflict, judgement or simply getting it wrong - communication can change.
You might shrink: hold back, second-guess yourself, soften the message, avoid the conversation or wait until you feel more confident.
Or you might push: over-explain, become reactive, talk too much or become so focused on getting your point across that you lose connection with the person receiving it.
And for many women there can be another tension underneath it:
How do I speak with authority without being “too much”?
How do I stay connected without making myself smaller?
This workshop creates an opportunity to notice how you tend to communicate when it matters — and consider a more intentional way forward.
This workshop is for you if you:
Sometimes know what you want to say but struggle to say it when it matters.
Second-guess yourself, soften your message or wait until you feel more confident.
Avoid conversations because you don't want conflict or disconnection.
Sometimes over-explain or push harder when you don't feel heard.
Want to speak with greater authority without losing warmth or connection.
Lead, influence, manage, collaborate or simply want to communicate more intentionally at work.
Whether you're a business owner, leader, manager, professional or someone stepping into greater visibility and influence, this workshop will give you a different lens through which to consider the conversations that shape your work.
You'll leave with:
A new lens for understanding what can happen to communication when the stakes rise.
Greater awareness of whether you tend to shrink, push or move between the two in different situations.
An introduction to Presence, Connection and Courage as three capacities for more intentional communication.
A different perspective on confidence — including why courage sometimes needs to come first.
Practical considerations for approaching conversations involving feedback, boundaries, disagreement, requests and speaking up.
The opportunity to apply what you've learned to one real conversation that matters to you.
You won't leave with a script for every difficult conversation. You'll leave thinking differently about how you enter them.
The challenge isn't always knowing what to say. It's what happens to us when it matters.
We can know how to communicate well and still find ourselves holding back, over-explaining, avoiding, reacting or pushing when the stakes rise.
Our internal state affects how we listen, interpret, respond and influence.
That's why better communication isn't only about learning new techniques. It begins with greater awareness of how we show up in the conversation.
The question becomes less: “What are the right words?” and more: “Who am I being when I say them?”
“I learned that confidence is a byproduct of self alignment, not performance ”
Loni Hammond - Bundaberg Tourism
Communicate with Impact Webinar
How do you communicate when it matters?
Communicate With Impact invites you to notice what happens when communication becomes uncomfortable - and consider how Presence, Connection and Courage could change the conversation.
What becomes possible when we communicate differently?
When communication becomes more intentional, conversations can change.
Concerns can be raised earlier. Ideas and expertise are more likely to make it into the room. Feedback can become clearer. Difficult conversations are less likely to be avoided.
Expectations can be better understood. People can challenge, question and contribute while remaining connected.
And those seemingly ordinary conversations matter.
They shape trust. Relationships. Decisions. Collaboration. Performance. Leadership. Culture.
What to expect
This isn't 90 minutes of sitting and listening.
Melissa will combine storytelling and thought-provoking insights with facilitated reflection, discussion and practical application.
You'll have opportunities to consider your own communication experiences, explore the Presence, Connection and Courage model and apply the ideas to a real conversation in your working life.
You'll leave with something to think about — and something to do differently.
90-minute interactive workshop
Tuesday 17 November | 6:30–8:00am
Bundaberg Regional HQ
BOOK YOUR PLACE VIA BUNDABERG BUSINESS WOMEN’S NETWORK
About Melissa
Melissa Thomson - High Performance & Leadership Expert
Melissa brings more than two decades of experience across wellbeing, human development, coaching and leadership.
Her work spans leadership development, coaching, counselling, NLP, somatic and body-based practices, communication, wellbeing and facilitation, alongside significant lived experience founding and leading organisations.
Melissa has established wellbeing venues and retreats, founded a thriving independent school and built and led an organisation through significant growth, complexity and change. Her leadership experience includes navigating people, culture, governance, conflict, risk, community relationships and difficult decisions while developing other leaders along the way.
Her approach brings together embodied wisdom and leadership rigour — helping people understand not only what they do at work, but how they show up while doing it.
Her work centres on Joyful Excellence: a different approach to high performance where people and results thrive together.
Melissa explores self-leadership, presence, courageous communication, confidence, connection and influence, helping people lead with greater clarity, humanity and courage.
Know yourself. Trust what you know to be true. Have the courage to act from there.