gina barnett

Brainstormer, Concerned citizen, Connector, Consultant, Environmentalist, Idea generator, Parent, Writer/Editor

I'm thrilled to be here yet again as TED's Main Stage and Fellows Speaker Coach! Year nine!! Such an honor, so much fun. How do we connect? What prevents us from connecting? What is leadership, presence, embodiment? How do we move, inspire and engage diverse audiences? These have been my life long curiosities. My work as a communication and leadership coach has taken me all over the world. I've had the privilege of working with c-suite leaders of numerous Fortune 500 companies. Some of my clients I've utterly disagreed with and yet I grew to deeply care for every single one. How? No mystery, no magic. Just a lot of deep listening. Curiosity, openness, compassion followed. In this complex, challenging time we urgently need bridges not walls, civil conversations not shouting matches. It all starts with listening; a skill that's totally free and available to all! My work is increasingly focused on teaching the practice of listening more and talking way less. My early professional life was in the theater, so I also incorporate play - improvisation, theater games, body and voice exercises - with the serious work of communicating complex messages. I'm doing this because play was our earliest work, and is at the root of innovation and problem solving. Most recently, in addition to coaching speakers, I've brought play to innovators and leaders at The Obama Foundation Inaugural Summit, Singularity U, Eileen Fisher Life Work, Vox Media, Novartis. My book "Play the Part" (McGraw Hill, 2105) explored embodiment - the complex feedback loop between body, thought, emotion and intention. Its sequel, "Play Your Part," is exploring how to speak out and engage.

Climate, the arts, democracy, civil rights

"There's a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in." Leonard Cohen There's a seriously profound idea in here...

alignment, communications coaching, embodiment, executive coaching, Stage presence, story structure, stress management, the human voice, yogic breathing

Making a perfectly flaky pie crust