Episode 56

Influence Is Perception | Kirryn Zerna

What does real influence look like? Forget follower counts. In this episode, recorded ahead of The Influencers 2026, Anthony Perl sits down with keynote speaker and author Kirryn Zerna, who co-created the event with Russell Pearson. Real influence, Kirryn argues, is perception: the stories people tell about you and the experience they have of you. And it is built or broken by micro behaviours.

Key talking points

Why influence is perception, not follower counts: the stories people create about you and the experience they have of you
The Connect Effect: Kirryn's framework of trust, tribe and thrive, and the invisible human dynamics that make or break connection
Does the intention meet the perception? What your micro behaviours say about you in meetings, pitches and interviews
Why it is extremely difficult to read your label when you are inside the jar, and how a coach or an external audit helps
The boardroom story: a rejected pitch redone with nothing changed but stillness, a dropped voice, slower speech and pauses, and it got approved
How The Influencers 2026 was born in the 2020 lockdowns, and why Kirryn wraps the morning with practical micro behaviours for the room

About Kirryn Zerna

Kirryn Zerna is a keynote speaker, author and advisor on connection driven leadership, sales and teams. A Certified Speaking Professional and LinkedIn Top Voice in Communications, she spent fifteen years in corporate communications advising senior leaders, including at Westpac and the NSW Small Business Commissioner, before founding her own practice. Her book is The Stand Out Effect, and her framework, the Connect Effect, moves teams through trust, tribe and thrive. She is the co-creator of The Influencers 2026.

The Influencers 2026

The Influencers 2026 is one morning in Sydney: Wednesday 7 October 2026, 8.30am to 12.00pm, Northside Conference Centre, Crows Nest. The theme is there's more than one way to become influential, explored through five lenses: media, communication, marketing, leadership and business. Tickets and group bookings are available via influencers2026.com.au.

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