I’d love to share my experience with you!
Whoever said “those who can do, do, and those who can’t do, teach” never had the satisfaction of teaching 20 seventh graders how to screen print.
For a few years in my early twenties, I did screen printing. I even got to the point where I was pretty good at it. But I never realized how much I truly loved it, or how much innovation there was to be had within the art form, until I taught it to a group of seventh graders at Highlander Charter School during my AmeriCorps Year of Service. That experience taught me to:
- Know my audience – understand their abilities and anticipate their frustrations
- Be prepared – create a plan for success and share it will my collaborators
- Communicate with clarity – use phrases that anyone can understand, and explain terminology with patience and consideration
- Stay flexible – pivot when needed and use lots of different teaching tools
- Celebrate success – reward hard work and create “easy wins” that motivate students who are learning very new things for the very first time
Being an art teacher was one of the best jobs I ever had, and I’ve brought the important skills that I learned in that classroom forward into every speaking or teaching opportunity that I commit to. By bringing me in to conduct a keynote, workshop, boot camp, training, or panel, you can be sure that I will be:
- Communicative before, during, and after our engagement
- Respectful of your audience, their time, they skill levels, and their expectations
- Professional in my presentation style, delivery methods, and follow-through
- Knowledgeable of both evergreen truths and relevant trends
I work with groups of all sizes, from intimate work sessions with Executive Leadership to 500-person lectures followed by robust Q&As. Learn more about my specific offerings below, or contact me for a customized engagement today!
Topics Covered
My work has always focused on engagement: understanding who people are, what they want, and how organizations can motivate them towards action. In business-speak, this means that I tend to focus on user research, brand strategy, and messaging. For example, I can teach you how to…
Interview users to understand your brand’s perception
Conduct focus groups that give you valuable information
Tell stories that increase donations / purchases
Train Board and Staff Members to tell better stories
Recognize why people with interest in your organization don’t donate / buy
Create effective engagement funnels to bring in new fans of your brand
Attract and retain millennial donors for the long-haul
And much, much more!
Formats
Engagements are based upon the following formats, and they are carried out personally by me (Lansie Sylvia). Fees are customized and dependent on timing and needs. All formats include relevant teaching tools, such as slides or worksheets, to be sent at least a week ahead of the event and made available to attendees post-event.
Keynote speaking engagements + conferences (30-90 minutes)
I love conducting keynotes and carrying out speaking engagements tailored to your group’s area of interest. These are delivered lecture-style and can include a live Q&A if requested.
Workshop (2-4 hours)
My workshops are interactive and always include a hands-on activity for attendees to put ideas into action. Workshops can be either high-level (for large groups) or tailored towards key demographics or audiences as needed (experience level, likely user profile, and organization type – best when used with groups of 40 people or less).
Boot camp (6-8 hours)
Boot camps can contain up to two separate workshops, and can include small group sessions, breakout activities, one-on-one office hours, and more! Like standalone workshops, these engagements are designed to be strategic, demystify challenging topics, and create actionable next steps for attendees. A variety of teaching styles will be incorporated to ensure that all attendees gain value and insights from the day.
Board of Directors Training (1-3 hours)
Members of an organization’s Board of Directors are amongst its most important stakeholders, and they too need access to ongoing professional development that helps them serve their organizations with energy, purpose, and efficacy. My trainings are designed with the busy executive in mind, and are intended to create immediate next steps while also encouraging deep discussion about medium and long-term strategies for success. These trainings are best executed as standalone board meetings or board retreats.
Consulting Projects
When available, I take on limited consulting projects throughout the year. I’d be delighted to set up a free 30-minute conversation to discuss such opportunities on a case-by-case basis.
Something else?
Panel moderation? Guest blogging? Webinars? Graduate class lectures? Discussion facilitation? I love these kinds of engagements! Let’s talk!