Stand Out: Communicating with Authority
Media training used to be reserved for the corner office. Now the people asked to present on Zoom, record a message, or post on LinkedIn are expected to do it well – and no one ever taught them how.
This hands-on training is led by Mariana Atencio, Peabody Award-winning journalist, three-time TEDx speaker, bestselling author, and executive communication coach, whose digital community reaches 1.7 million people.
Mariana teaches this method year-round in monthly executive cohorts, and more than 7,000 professionals have completed the program. Graduates have gone on to earn promotions and deliver their first talks on stage. They post on LinkedIn without second-guessing, introduce themselves with confidence at networking events, and lead virtual meetings with ease.
In this session, attendees practice in real time, receive direct feedback, and leave with skills they can use immediately. When an organization needs specific messaging, Mariana tailors the session to help leaders craft it and develop a communication plan the team can execute.
Key Takeaways:
- Practice power introductions that establish authority in the first thirty seconds.
- Apply the VIP Framework – Verdict, Impact, Proof – to craft messages that stick and land the first time.
- Cut any message to its essentials when you have ninety seconds and one shot.
- Develop an executive-ready presence on camera and in the room.
- Shoot, cut, and post professional-quality video from your phone – for the moment that cannot wait.
Audience: Leaders and teams asked to present to boards, go on camera, and communicate to a multi-generational audience – from technical experts and back-office teams to the C-suite.
Lead Anyway: When the Path Isn’t Clear and Certainty Isn’t Coming
You cannot lead others through what you have not yet built in yourself.
For established leaders or newly minted ones, the qualities they relied on to succeed won’t necessarily help them lead others through uncertainty, make difficult decisions, and create meaningful impact.
In this fully interactive breakout, Peabody Award-winning journalist, author, and trust-builder Mariana Atencio helps leaders move from reflection to action through three connected practices: Experience, Embody, and Expand.
First, participants take stock of the evidence they already carry. Next, they identify where they have been surrendering their agency, and practice taking action on the decisions, conversations, and changes within their control. Finally, they work to replicate that change in those they lead, recognizing that what a leader models becomes what a team repeats. Rolling out that distinctive leadership approach can become an organization’s competitive edge.
Designed as a standalone experience or as a deeper continuation of “Real Matters: Building Trust at Eye Level,” this highly interactive session transforms leadership insight into deliberate, hands-on practice.
Key Takeaways:
- Leaders identify everything they have built, held, and lived through – then access that versus doubting themselves under pressure.
- Attendees learn to stop focusing on what they can’t control and focus only on what they can control.
- Participants learn how to deliberately transfer this mindset to those they lead, and this new mindset becomes a cultural competitive advantage.
- Experience three hands-on practices that transform leadership insight into immediate action.
Audience: Leadership teams, ERGs, high-potential cohorts, and emerging or senior leaders navigating change, uncertainty, or a critical inflection point.
All keynotes and workshops available in English and Spanish.