Founder and CEO, Global Public Speaking and Adjunct Lecturer, Harvard Kennedy School
An opera singer turned entrepreneur, and one of the world's foremost public speaking experts, Allison Shapira inspires others to speak with confidence and authenticity.
Allison Shapira, MPA, CSP, is a former opera singer turned entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and international expert in public speaking. She is the Founder/CEO of Global Public Speaking LLC, a communication training firm and certified woman-owned small business that helps people speak clearly, concisely, and confidently.
She teaches a graduate-level course at the Harvard Kennedy School and has spent nearly 20 years developing leadership communication programs for Fortune 50 companies, government agencies, and non-profit organizations. She has worked with prime ministers and their cabinets and CEOs and their leadership teams, teaching them authentic leadership as a way to inspire their constituents and teams.
She also travels around the world with the nonprofit Vital Voices Global Partnership, teaching leadership communication to help women leaders grow their business, run for office, or launch a nonprofit.
Allison is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) and a Certified Virtual Presenter. She holds a master’s degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School and is an internationally-renowned singer/songwriter who uses music as a way to help others find their voice and their courage to speak.
Allison is the author of Speak with Impact: How to Command the Room and Influence Others (HarperCollins Leadership), which was a Washington Post best-seller, and the new companion e-guide Speak with Impact VIRTUALLY.She has spoken at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Next Gen Summit, the Most Powerful Women in Banking LEAD Conference, and was a finalist for 2017 Woman Business Owner of the Year by the National Association of Women Business Owners, San Diego Chapter.
A lifelong learner and world traveler who has taught public speaking on nearly every continent, Allison can ask for directions in ten languages but can only understand the responses in four. One of the proudest moments of her life was singing the National Anthem for the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.
Two Cups of Coffee: How I built a six-figure business in two years
How She Saved Her Public Speaking Firm During a Pandemic
Allison Shapira Demo: Former Opera Singer, Author, Entrepreneur
Allison Shapira, Executive Presence
Two Cups of Coffee: How I built a six-figure business in two years
Allison Shapira’s Speech Topics
Lead with your Voice
At its very essence, public speaking is about exercising leadership with your voice, connecting with your passion, and finding the courage to speak your mind. As a leader, your voice matters. Your ability to enter a room with presence and speak in a way that commands your audience’s attention helps you build trust with clients and colleagues and has a direct influence on your leadership trajectory. Allison incorporates music into her program to share a memorable message of authenticity over perfection. This program is interactive, inspirational, and practical. Participants will learn Allison’s ACE Model of leadership communication, which will transform the way you communicate every day in order to have a powerful and positive impact on others.
Key Takeaways:
Tap into your authentic sense of purpose
Learn to connect with any audience
Identify how your energy can affect the energy of the room
Speak with Impact
Allison Shapira reveals three key strategies that can transform how we communicate every single day based on her bestselling book, Speak with Impact: How to Command the Room and Influence Others (HarperCollins Leadership). She incorporates music into her program to share a memorable message of authenticity over perfection. This program is highly interactive, engaging, and practical. Participants will leave the program with immediately applicable tools that they can use every day – to win more business, grow their organization, and move up in their careers.
Key Takeaways:
How to craft authentic and genuine language
How to deliver a confident and engaging message – virtually and in person
How to develop executive presence
How to build trust with your audience
Speak with Impact: A Program for Women
While everyone needs to speak with impact, when women lack these skills it disproportionately holds them back. This interactive session helps women overcome the specific challenges they face when speaking in public in order to speak with confidence every day. This program is highly interactive, engaging, and practical. Allison incorporates music into her program to share a memorable message of authenticity over perfection. Participants will leave the program with immediately applicable tools that they can use every day and with the inspiration to bring their best self to work.
Key Takeaways:
Sharpen your speaking skills
Develop your own authentic speaking style
Build your confidence to speak up
Take ownership of your right to speak
What other organizations say about Allison Shapira
I have gotten a ton of fantastic feedback from our conference participants. With humor and skill, they were gently pushed outside their comfort zone. Everyone appreciated the exercises and the chance to practice in a very safe and fun way. We all are better, more confident speakers as a result of your session.
Financial Services
What other organizations say about Allison Shapira
Allison’s brilliant workshop gave the (RED) team many of the tips and tools needed to become engaging public speakers. In just a couple of hours, Allison had us all on our feet confidently practicing newly acquired skills, providing feedback with is constructive and totally actionable…Allison, my team is talking about your presentation nonstop – you made an incredible difference. If they are better pitchers, you have payed a big part in saving many lives. Thank you again.
Non-Profit
What other organizations say about Allison Shapira
You knocked it out of the park! This was a discerning audience, and you engaged them with your storytelling, examples, relatability, and professionalism. They were raving about it, which doesn’t happen often! I appreciate the prep calls we had: you tailored the session really well to meet our expectations. I look forward to working with you again soon!