Speaking Engagements & Workshops
Keynote Speeches
The Art of Storytelling in Leadership
Stories have the power to build bridges between people from different backgrounds, beliefs, and ideologies making it one of the most powerful and engaging forms of communication. When told from a place of reflection, a personal narrative can inspire action, engage audiences and foment lasting social change. However, many leaders and cultural agents have not fully tapped into their personal experiences when developing a vision for themselves, their communities and a larger unified movement.
Exploring her relationship with her twin brother, as well as her background in connecting the arts to global movements, Dawn explores the unique power of stories to unleash greater leadership potential. Addressing social norms, including the use of language, compassion, and personal motives, Dawn encourages her audiences to push beyond their comfort zones, embrace the challenges of community building, and translate values into action.
Topics covered include:
- Leadership Development
- Storytelling
- Public Narrative
- Developing Vision
- Social Justice/ Human Rights
- Cultural Agency
- Community Building
Workshops
The Sale in the Story: Storytelling for Business
This workshop is designed for business professionals, entrepreneurs and students who are interested in learning how to incorporate storytelling in the branding of business services and products.
About.You: The Real Story
This workshop is aimed for students, professionals any individuals interested in developing a compelling personal presence both online and in person. This workshop can be tailored to include the development of online portfolios (LinkedIn, Website Bios, etc), interviewing techniques, and for undergraduate or graduate school admissions.
Your Story = Your Power: Storytelling & Advocacy
Designed for students who are interested in policy, leadership, and coalition building, this workshop shows how to develop personal stories that inspire and move people to action connected to social/ political issues and concerns.
Storytelling 101
Everyone has a story to tell. This workshop covers the basics of telling true stories for an audience, to entertain, or to incorporate in to speeches and related material. Topics include the basic structure of a story, recreating dramatic events, character development and performance techniques.
Student Advisor & Educator Reviews
“The power of Dawn’s presentation was the playful interactive aspect she brought to the classroom. Students tackled the public speaking challenge first-hand through brainstorming techniques that evolved into persuasive stories. The links between audience engagement, personal influence, and leadership became clear throughout her session. Dawn’s approach is experiential and fun; she gets them thinking on their feet!”
“Dawn brought a professional and well organized presentation on the power of storytelling in developing leadership. I think that my students are going to view their communities, families and political lives with more depth, which will be useful in their academic, professional and personal lives. It was very stimulating and relatable.”
“Authenticity is the key to connecting to student leaders, so when Dawn talks about stories of her life, that was imperative to connecting to audience and she did it exceptionally”
Partial List of Universities Served:
- Bloomsburg University
- Harvard University
- Lehman College
- Mansfield University
- New York University (NYU)
- Princeton University
- Queens College
- Rutgers University
- University of California, Berkeley
- University of Indianapolis
- University of South Dakota
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Conferences and Special Events:
- Dare2Dream Youth Conference
- Kennedy School of Government- Black Policy Conference
- National Association of University and Campus Food Services (NACUFS)
- National Center for Student Leadership Conference (NCSL)
- NYC Small Business Solutions
- Sankofa - Black History Month Speaker
- School for Classics - Graduation Commencement Speaker