"I learned the rules of improvisation, the value of shifting status in a conversation, and how to deal/manage situations with people who "push our buttons. Congratulations! You are a very motivating mentor. You know how to understand and explain the challenges of these days in our current business world"

"Daena was key to the day's success. She made a connection with us, spoke very clearly and made the focus of the topics easy to obtain. She is an example of an inspirational person who really knows how to communicate and give feedback. Thank you!"

"The program taught me the importance of collaboration and trust. And Daena brought the message of management with a greater purpose, pushing us to better realms of business interpersonal relationships that honestly help build a stronger organizational culture. Thank you."

"Daena's workshop helped me learn the importance of shifting roles in different situation to influence others effectively; how to move the "scene" or conversation forward with positive offers."

"I gained tools for dealing with the "inner critic" and how to develop an inner champion or coach."

"I learned to experiment with different approaches when communicating with others and to not get stuck in one role. Another takeaway: Don't be afraid to be yourself. When we can go beyond our comfort zone we can we are better team members and leaders when we are ourselves."

Click here to read more endorsements from Portugal Telecom (PT) management team members.

"I learned more insights in group dynamics. How I can influence a person or a situation through my behaviour. The importance of listening and be there, seeing a situation from the other persons perspective and ‘moment’."

"Careful presence in very important. It is my action in the moment, which is incredibly important to other people. Roles are important to be aware of and try to assume different ones can vastly increase buy-in influence."

"I learned: Be authentic, use improvisation skills, connect to people, empathy, ‘yes and’...make others feel comfortable, be focused and creative."

"Presence is important, being here and now when speaking to people."

"I learned more about the psychological dimensions in the working relationships. Stay authentic and tell the truth with your team. [...]"

Click here to read more endorsements from Volvo management team members.

“Daena has a marvelous way of establishing rapport and intimacy with the people she works with, and using this to then pushing them past their comfort zone into new realms of self-awareness and self-learning. Using a seemingly innocuous hook -- improvisation – she pushed my team to develop new ways of thinking on their feet; develop trust in themselves and each other; understand that vulnerability can be an asset in dealing with people, not a liability; and realize that focusing deeply in the present when dealing with others can bring out their best and most authentic selves. The event was the hallmark of our offsite and is an experience that none of us will forget.”

Ashok Divakaran, Manager
Alcoa
Management Consulting and Strategy (MCS)

“Please convey our appreciation to Daena for taking the time to address the group. I know her words resonated with me and I am sure they did for the rest as well. The topics were right on point and embedded with the reality of what our team faces, so it is very helpful to have a strong representative, such as Daena, to share with our female team the tools and awareness of our actions that will help break down the challenges we as woman face.”

Jennifer Glenn
Senior Director

“I thought it was awesome and really enjoyed hearing from Daena... very valuable to us as women in the organization. It helps me to take a step back, think about the everyday situations and how I can also improve and apply what was presented.”

Hope Honeyman
Director

“Her powerful delivery was amazing and I didn’t have capacity for anything else, right that minute. The visual is I was sitting back saying WOW, GO GIRL, and THANK YOU with a big smile on my face.
It made me realize how much in a shadow I have allowed myself to be. It is making me take an introspective look at my related behaviors. It made me realize how important it is to speak up, ask for clarification and without being confrontational.”

Alice Smith
Director

I thought today was very inspiring, and Daena provided a unique viewpoint of women’s role in the corporate workforce.

Cui Xia
Associate Consultant

"The talk with Daena was really great. As a new hire, it gave me some perspective/ insight into some of the challenges us women face in the corporate world. Her message to us will surely resonate to me at a personal level as I progress in my career. Definitely a great resource to have for advice or coaching.”

Madhuri Kumar
Associate Consultant

“Using a highly experiential learning format, Daena enables managers to embody what leadership really is, to have true authenticity and presence, to listen in a way that establishes connection and collaboration. She achieves this not by just conveying a set of skills but enabling others to integrate the essentials of leadership into their whole being. Her approach is quite unique and powerful.”

Ruth Leahy
Managing Partner & Programme Director
Management Development Partnerships
Brussels, Belgium

"I hired Daena to do a one-woman stand-up lunchtime comedy presentation for our Women Heart Health fundraiser in February 2005; over 200 in attendance. She was dynamite! Captured the issues from the start, put creative thought into her delivery and had the audience laughing throughout. She's delightful to work with, very inspirational and just simply fun!"

Gwen Mayes
Health Policy and Reimbursement Consultant at Mayes Consulting

"With excitement and uncertainty, all Imagine Foods employees attended your presentation and training. What came out of that experience is still talked about today. We learned to see each other as people with a shared goal, and to appreciate each other's professional and personal needs and struggles. We learned the importance of balance in one's life. We learned to communicate on an entirely new level.

But most of all, we laughed. We laughed while you entertained us through our fears, our strengths, our successes and challenges. Your performance had us laughing so hard, many of us were in tears. And some of us were in tears because your presentation was so moving. All in all, an unforgettable experience."

Robert Nissenbaum
President
IMAGINE FOODS

"We at Lisa Vandenburgh Ltd. would like to let you know how much we appreciated all the team building and confict resolution work you did with us both in Boston and in Washington, DC....Your skills were many, but we would like to note here the ones we found particularly useful:

--- You created a safe environment for the whole group in which to
tackle tough issues.

---You grasped clearly and quickly the essence of any situation we
discussed.

---You helped us stay focused, even when we tried to shy away from a difficult topic.

...Thank you for all you have done for us."

Lisa S.Vandenburgh
Lisa Vandenburgh Ltd. Interior Design

"Daena has the experience and teaching mastery to use improvisation to unleash the creative ability in all of us. Improvisation requires a different mindset – an entrepreneurial mindset – and it takes practice. Commit and go for it with Daena. Your life will change."

Heidi M. Neck, Ph.D.
Jeffry A. Timmons, Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies
Babson College
Entrepreneurship Division

“I just wanted to thank you again for a wonderful and actually very touching performance. Already, only one day after, reactions to your thoughts and actions are pouring into my office! I know that this whole creativity endeavor at Bentley is touching the students in a very profound way. So many times, I have looked into the haunted eyes of overworked and stressed out students and observed their “inner lions” slowly dying! You articulated that soul searching reach to fulfill the emptiness in our lives so well. Thank you.”

Mary Wright-Singer
Bentley University English Dept.

 

“What a wonderful experience!!! Daena is really an amazing person, and she made us realize that business is always about people interacting, communicating, feeling. This creative workshop is also fun!"

Axel Marquez
Bentley University

 

“I think her message of creativity is an important one. To say “yes” when presented with challenges. To tame the self-critic, the lion , within. To put the “general” in his place. I think she brought up important points that I found myself pondering after the presentation. She was entertaining and a good teacher."


Mark A. Milewski
Bentley University

 

“It was an excellent performance. I really liked the way of presentation Daena chose to introduce the topics of concern to almost every business grad student. It really helped to get some more of that drive and motivation that students usually lack before entering this complicated business world.”

Agassi Chitchian
Bentley University

 

“With one word she was excellent and I wish we had more creativity workshops!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Yiolanda
Bentley University

 

“It was the most awesome workshop I ever attended. I’m very interested in her creativity thoughts and I’m seriously considering attending her workshops in the summer.”

Sridhar Bysani
Bentley University

 

"Daena Giardella has taught “Improvisation and Influence: An Experiential Leadership Lab” at the MIT Sloan School of Management since Fall of 2007 as part of the Sloan Innovation Period (SIP). Students have responded incredibly well to Daena’s approach and we have had extremely positive feedback from students in their course evaluations. One student said, “This is the best workshop I’ve taken as part of the Sloan Innovation Period. It was fun and stretching and very applicable to life.” Another said, “this was a very practical and experiential way to teach leadership which was much more valuable than in-class learning.” Daena offers the students to be self-reflective and an opportunity for them to learn and practice a critical leadership skill – the ability to think on your feet and adapt to the environment and people around you."

Tracy Purinton
Director
MIT Sloan Leadership Center

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