About The Event
A live, hands-on workshop on the games people play at work.
Your boss, your peers, the appraisal form, and the "quick call" at 7 PM. Some of them are playing you, and some don't even know it.
The Art of Manipulation is a live meetup series on the psychology of influence. This Corporate Edition is all about the office: how the dark tactics work, how to read who really holds power, how to get your ideas backed and credited, and how to hold your ground without becoming the villain.
You won't just hear about it. You'll see every tactic played out live, with volunteers and real office case files, so you feel it happen before you learn to stop it.
What this IS
- A small-group, interactive session with only 10 seats
- Real workplace situations, played out and broken down live
- Practical tools you can use at work on Monday morning
- A safe room to talk about what has actually happened to you at work
What this is NOT
- Not a lecture or a slideshow talk
- Not a course on how to trick or harm people. If a move only works when it's hidden, we teach you to spot it, not use it.
- Not pop-psychology or "read anyone's mind" claims
- Not therapy, and nobody is forced to share or perform
How the 2.5 hours run
0:00 to 0:30 - Welcome and introductions
We start by getting to know each other. Everyone shares, only if they want to, one moment at work when something felt off: an idea that got taken, a target that kept moving, a "favour" that never ended. No names of real people or companies needed. By the end of this half hour, the room has its own list of real situations, and we use them through the evening.
0:30 - The office playbook
The 8 most common workplace tactics, from credit theft and moving targets to the meeting ambush and the vague brief.
Activity: The Credit Heist. One volunteer pitches an idea to their "manager." Two minutes later, in a mock leadership meeting, the manager presents it as their own. We freeze the scene and the room names for what just happened. Then we replay it with the one habit that stops it.
0:50 - Read the power, not the face
Why body language won't catch a liar, and what tells you who really decides.
Activity: Who Really Decides? Five volunteers run a short meeting using secret role cards. One of them is the hidden decision-maker. The room has to guess who.
1:05 - Pick your battles
Not every fight is yours. When to ignore, when to note it, when to name it, and when to escalate.
Activity: Take the Bait. One volunteer makes three small digs in a mock meeting. The other chooses how to respond to each, and the room votes first.
1:20 - Break
Use your Rs 100 food credit and meet the room.
1:30 - Sell it up
How to pitch an idea so your manager backs it, and so it counts toward your promotion.
Activity: Blocked or Backed. The same idea is pitched twice, once as a complaint and once as support. The "manager" scores both, and the difference surprises everyone.
1:50 - Inception
How to plant an idea so others arrive at it themselves, and how to tell when someone has planted one in you.
Activity: The Planter. In pairs, one person tries to get the other to suggest a secret answer using only questions. The other has to catch the exact moment it happened.
2:05 - Silence at the table
Why the person who talks first in a negotiation usually gives something away.
Activity: The Raise. In pairs, ask for a number, then hold three seconds of silence. Watch what the other side does.
2:15 - The Reveal
Every tactic we used to get you into this room, from the poster to this page, named and taken apart. You leave with one move to try at work on Monday.
What you take home
- The Episode 01 field guide: every tactic, the tell, and the counter-move
- The Sell-Up one-pager for pitching your next idea
- Rs 100 food credit at the venue
- A place in the Weekend Marvels community, plus early access to the next episodes
Who it's for
Working professionals, managers, founders, and anyone who deals with people at work. If you've watched someone take credit for your idea, worked under a difficult boss, or said yes when you meant no, this is your room.
House rules
Role-plays are for volunteers only, and you always play a card, not yourself. Anyone can say "pause" at any time. What's shared in the room stays in the room.
Presented by Weekend Marvels, powered by Spherox Learning.
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