Fear of presentations, or speaking in front of others, impacts more than 200 million Americans, alone. 43% of those report it hindering their ability to apply for jobs, receive promotions, or pursue career and personal opportunities. This workshop facilitates a space for attendees to come together, acknowledging their fears, and engage in activities to mindfully develop new tools for communicative approaches in high impact & everyday settings. In all of Heather’s consultancy work, students and clients often refer back to their experiences in these workshops as pivotal for their next steps toward future success. As one client put it, “it feels so small at first; ‘a workshop about getting over being afraid of talking to groups,’ I almost didn’t go to my first one. I did, and it forever changed my work and my life. I not only am much more confident and skilled, which has led to major successes in my career, but Heather’s approach and supportive guidance was transformational for me.”

We live in an "always on" digital, multimodal world. We work from home, live at work, and our social lives span from the kitchen table to our media feeds. This workshop introduces the most cutting edge research on communicative fluency in the current digital landscape. Attendees learn about strategic communication from our media feeds to the water cooler and how we build diverse, belonging-based communicative spaces for innovation, community, and everyday interaction. By the end of our time together, attendees will not only have a set of habits, activities, and approaches to communication in their everyday lives but also leave with some key takeaways from direct coaching during communicative and reflective opportunities throughout the workshop.

Imagine a book club, in person, with a small group of your friends, colleagues, or fellow community members. Now, imagine you have the benefit of arranging the book selection with an award-winning educator and researcher who brings along additional resources, guides, and facilitates conversation around the key themes and ideas. She additionally curates the event with a selection of wines from vineyards around the world, with an emphasis on the West coast of the US. (Zero proof drink selections included!) It’s a social conversation hour, a book club, and an inclusive happy hour, all rooted in the foundations of belonging, community, & learning. A team-building experience in guided discussion, a laid-back evening of conversation for friends or colleagues, or a joyful way to study your next exciting read, Verse & Vine events are among the most sought-after in Heather’s work since she developed the first one as part of a charity event in 2016. NOTE: Verse & Vine bookings are limited to six per year, so these go fast!

We live in a post-pandemic, digitally connected, “always on” world. We work from home, live from work, and now more than ever, are recognizing that traditional public, work, and learning spaces aren’t always built for the lives we live across our communities. As more than 1/3 of the American population reports planning a major career change and Americans between the age of 18-24 are pursuing independent work at a higher rate than ever before, our understandings of community are now more diverse than ever. In this interactive keynote and workshop, Dr. Hayes maps some fundamentals of equity and inclusion as well as belonging-based community, workplace, and educational approaches that serve all public spaces. Drawn from innovative approaches to accessibility and experience, Dr. Hayes opens the aperture for how we think about what community means and how we expand the idea what’s possible in our spaces of work, learning, and community.