Whether at the front of the classroom teaching or behind the scenes administering, designing curriculum, or developing policy, educators inspire us, guide us, and quite literally ensure our future. Yet many of them unwittingly end up caught in the fray of politics, science, and religion. Even more face the struggles of meeting the needs of diverse student bodies, unengaged or over-engaged parents, and communities and governments with conflicting priorities.
But who trains our educators to face the pressures of meeting all of these challenges with a sense of calm, with clear thinking, and with the awareness of the unconscious drivers that can activate fight, flight, or freeze responses—responses that can stand in the way of educators’ most favorable outcomes? Sylvie di Giusto helps educators achieve the best educational, administrative, relational, and political outcomes for themselves and the students, parents, colleagues, administrators, community members, and policy makers they work with. And she does this by giving them The Power of Choice, Sylvie’s signature decision-making framework for understanding and managing the perceptions that allow them to choose the behaviors that determine their greatest outcomes in schools, universities, interest groups, and NGOs.
In the fast-paced world of education, educators often find themselves navigating through the daily hustle on autopilot. The demands of the profession can be overwhelming, leaving little time for introspection and intentionality. However, it is in these seemingly ordinary moments that true impact is forged, where a small choice can shape how others—students, parents, colleagues, and administrators—react and respond.
When educators operate with intentionality, they unlock the true potential of their educational community. Students thrive academically and emotionally, and parents feel confident and supported in their children’s development. Colleagues collaborate synergistically, and administrators lead with a clear vision. The entire institution becomes a hub of inspiration, innovation, and positive change.
Through Sylvie’s guidance and her Power of Choice framework, educators discover the remarkable outcomes that emerge from intentional decision-making. By embracing intentionality, educators empower themselves to navigate complexities with grace, respond thoughtfully to challenges, and unleash their true potential as transformative leaders.
Educators thrive in routine and structure. They need it to adapt to ever-changing curricula, standards, and policy coming from their schools and local, state, and federal governments. Sylvie’s Power of Choice Framework ™ gives educators the structure they need to face both the day-to-day vagaries of teaching and the seismic shifts that can happen in educational policy.
Educators are learners first and foremost, and Sylvie knows this. That’s why she has crafted her keynotes for educators around both the latest psychological research and the fun and wonder of brain science, exploring it all through a dynamic, visual spectacle that is her signature presentation style. She helps teachers, administrators, and policy influencers build their emotional intelligence on five EQ cornerstones:
Sylvie has a proven track record of delivering engaging and thought-provoking keynote presentations for audiences that include educational professionals of all levels. Her extensive experience, unique delivery style, and relevant content set her apart as the top speaker at annual or mid-year conferences.
Sylvie’s keynote presentations and training sessions for events or institutions such as yours are packed with valuable insights, practical tools, and tips your attendees can put into practice right away. She provides content tailored to the needs of education professionals. With a shared, fun, interactive experience, Sylvie will equip attendees with the awareness and skills to represent themselves and the institution they work for with confidence, clarity, and conformity.
Sylvie has had the honor of speaking to educators across the nation and organizations that include
At the heart of Sylvie’s presentation is her love for education and educators. Sylvie herself worked in corporate education and training for 20+ years in Europe before making the decision to move to the United States with her family, where she has been presenting talks to educational institutions, businesses, associations, and government agencies for over a decade.
We may know at a conscious level that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but how often do we still judge someone based on how they look, albeit unconsciously? When we meet people, especially new people, our brains automatically search through our memory banks for images that match the person in front of us. It could be because of how they’re dressed, their size, their race, or even how abled they are. And if we’re not aware of our primitive brain’s response to these visual stimuli based on our unconscious perceptions, we can make snap judgments that affect decision-making—from how we speak to them to how open we are to their perspective. When educators take the time to become aware of their unconscious responses to visual stimuli (and to make a habit of that awareness), they come into all manner of interactions with students, parents, and colleagues with an openness that allows them to speak to who’s in front of them rather than to a narrative that likely isn’t true. In addition, educators themselves become aware that others are unconsciously evaluating them based on their own visual appearance, and they can take steps to present themselves visually in a way that invites interaction, open dialogue, mutual respect, and professionalism.
Educators learn to understand the unconscious impact of appearances to break free from snap judgments. By presenting themselves with purpose and poise, they cultivate an environment of mutual respect and professionalism, fostering empowered connections that resonate far beyond the surface.
We never really know why someone is behaving the way they’re behaving. Unconscious drivers are often at play, from financial stressors to problems at work to something as simple as what they had for lunch! With behavioral intelligence, we can learn to look beyond the behaviors we’re seeing in front of us to stay calm and clear-headed as we ground ourselves in the issues rather than the presentation. We can also be both present within and without the conversation, discussion, or argument so that we can observe ourselves and notice our own behaviors. Then, we can make adjustments to choose the behaviors that will help us secure the most desired outcomes for both parties. For educators, the mastery of behavioral intelligence goes beyond understanding their students; it delves into their own attitudes, habits, and character traits—the very essence of what influences their behavior. Educators who embrace behavioral intelligence develop a profound understanding of their reactions, motivations, and triggers. They recognize that unconscious drivers can manifest in their responses to students, colleagues, and challenging situations. By cultivating self-awareness and self-reflection, they can optimize their influence and create a positive ripple effect that echoes throughout generations to come.
Educators gain insight into the profound impact of behavioral cues, liberating themselves from hasty judgments or actions. With purposeful demeanor, they foster an atmosphere of mutual respect and growth, nurturing a learning environment that transcends surface interactions.
It’s been said that communication is a two-way street. It’s more like a 10-lane superhighway! The words we say take up but one lane, and everything from our facial expressions to our gestures to how loud we’re speaking can take up the others. Because educators depend so heavily on in-person interactions, they’re presented with many opportunities in which they could say the wrong thing or say the right thing in the wrong way. Therefore, educators must know how they’re coming across in their interactions and how to modify their verbal and nonverbal communication so that their words are heard and received in the way they intended. Modern emotional intelligence helps educators align what’s happening on the inside with how they want to be perceived on the outside, allowing their verbal and nonverbal expression to convey a sense of calm, poise, openness, acceptance, clear thinking, and confidence. This helps their audience—whether that be one student or an entire PTA—to hear and receive their message without having to sift through the verbal and nonverbal noise that could create interference. Through awareness of their perceptions, educators can better regulate their emotions so that they may be served rather than swayed by those emotions in their communication.
Educators learn to harness the power of communication intelligence, unlocking the art of effective expression. With adeptness in verbal and nonverbal cues, they cultivate an environment of mutual understanding and empathy, fostering meaningful connections that enrich every conversation.
It is so easy now to have a thought and then immediately broadcast it to an audience of potentially millions. One unfiltered, caustic tweet, one thoughtless Instagram photo, one email sent in the heat of anger, or a compromising moment during a virtual meeting can do irreparable damage to our reputations, relationships, and careers. Additionally, the accuracy of what we post and how often, how long we’re online, whether our profiles are up to date, how easy we make it for people to get the help or the information they need, and our ability to respond quickly to technology breakdowns also influence whether people see us as dependable, responsible, and able to keep up with modern life and its demands. These intentional and unintentional digital footprints we leave behind are nearly impossible to wash away. Digital Intelligence helps us choose the behaviors that spare our reputations, relationships, and careers from impulsive and unintentional communication and expression. This isn’t about censorship; it’s about making sure emotion and a lack of awareness aren’t driving our digital communication. As they say, “The internet is forever.” Having a checklist that educators can run through before posting an assignment, emailing the chair of the school board, or Zooming with a state senator can be the very thing that can obviate the need for later damage control and set educators up to make their most favorable and influential digital impressions that might determine if they ever meet someone in person.
Educators acquire the skills to navigate the virtual landscape with discernment. By making intentional choices online, they safeguard their reputation and relationships, fostering a digital presence that reflects professionalism and thoughtfulness, leaving a lasting positive impact on their educational community.
Our social life is an extension of our inner life and vice versa. They feed each other. Our perceptions of ourselves and others and our emotional and mental state are reflected in the people we spend time with. Likewise, the people we spend time with influence our perceptions, emotions, and mental state. All of this affects our behavior and our decision-making; therefore, educators have an opportunity to examine both their inner life and their social life to ensure they are aligned with their desired outcomes. When educators surround themselves with people who uplift them, inspire them, challenge them, and who are working toward the same goals, they feel greater confidence, greater agency, greater resilience, and greater support. And they are also better able to work constructively with differently-minded people, whether they be teachers, administrators, or policymakers. Family, friends, and our professional network all play a part in our perceptions. But they also influence how others perceive us. When we were children, our parents worried we were hanging with the wrong crowd. As adults, there isn’t a “wrong crowd,” per se, but there are people who are less aligned and less allied with our personal and professional goals. Social Intelligence helps educators to become more aware of what their social circle says about who they are, what they believe, and what they stand for.
Educators learn to recognize the interplay between their inner and outer lives. Surrounding themselves with supportive, inspiring, and like-minded individuals, they foster confidence, resilience, and constructive collaborations.
Ultimately, the building of educators’ modern emotional intelligence on these five cornerstones will help them to communicate and relate more effectively in all their interactions, whether in person, in their writing, or online. Modern emotional intelligence brings all the cornerstones together and helps us to understand the interplay of visual, behavioral, verbal/nonverbal, digital, and social intelligence and the impact educators can have when their decision-making is supported by Sylvie’s proprietary Power of Choice framework.
to discuss how her interactive, informative, entertaining, and highly praised keynotes can give your educators “The Power of Choice”—the power to understand the perceptions that allow them to choose the behaviors that determine their greatest outcomes.
You were masterful in both content and form in sharing information essential for these individuals to prosper in their chosen fields. The class was very interested and involved in learning from you.
Sylvie is great to work with. She is energetic, she was eager to learn about my members and she engaged the audience. My members were laughing. It was just a great way to kick off our conference. I would highly recommend Sylvie.
I would absolutely recommend Sylvie. First of all, I'm not that person who gets impressed easily, nor do I buy people's books just because they spoke. But she was impressive enough that I wanted to buy her book and I want to take it back and share with others.
I have been “one of you” for nearly twenty years. I understand the corporate world and the world of speaking like few other speakers in this industry.
I have already reached tens of thousands of participants worldwide and have planted the seed of first impressions for themselves and their organizations.
I connect with a wide range of audiences of varying cultures, genders, and ages and I have the ability to address everyone from the doorman to the CEO.
I create a memorable experience in a fun, creative and informative way. I “do” the unexpected, and your audience will remember the lessons I share.
I do not use canned presentations because I know each industry, company, and audience has its own challenges and needs a different approach and way to inspire them.
I amaze my clients. I deliver a level of excellence that they could not imagine was possible. Good is never good enough for me.
I am easy to work with. I’m not the kind of speaker who has special requests. Instead, I focus on making your stressful job as easy as possible.
I’m all yours for the entire day, and I’m happy to be involved in additional engagements such as photo ops, book signings, VIP lunches or dinners, etc.
I truly love what I do, and I feel very privileged that you are considering me as the speaker for your upcoming event.
I’m happy to take you up the stairs. Yes, literally. Join me in climbing the highest buildings in the world. If I can do it, you can too! 😉
Rebecca Clark
For SPEAKING INQUIRIES
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