SPEAKING

You know the moment: the silent car ride home when the only answer you get is "I'm good." Or your child tells you about a conflict with a friend and dismisses every piece of advice you offer. This talk gives parents and educators the tools to break through those moments, not by working harder at the same techniques, but by understanding the patterns underneath them.

You'll learn to identify your own invisible operating system, the habits and assumptions you absorbed growing up that shape how you communicate with your kids now. You'll also get the current research on how young people see their relationships with adults, what motivates them in and out of school, and why they so often shut adults out exactly when they need them most.

Key Takeaways:

• Identify your own invisible operating system and how it shapes the way you communicate with your child

• Understand how young people view social dynamics, social media, and AI, and what actually motivates them

• Recognize the common, well-meaning phrases that shut down conversation instead of opening it

• Replace communication breakdowns with guiding principles you can use immediately

• Align with the other adults in your child's life so everyone is working from the same playbook

You know the moment: a meeting goes quiet after someone makes a dismissive comment, an email lands colder than it was meant, or a five-minute disagreement is still unresolved a week later. Most conflict at work, and in the communities we're part of, isn't really about the issue on the table. It's about whether people feel respected and whether they trust each other enough to be honest.

In this presentation, Rosalind Wiseman shows you what's actually happening underneath those moments and how to turn them into opportunities to rebuild trust and strengthen the relationships you depend on every day. You'll leave with practical strategies for your next difficult conversation, whether it's with a colleague, a direct report, a volunteer team, or your own leadership.

Audience Takeaways:

• Understand the "Invisible Operating System" that shapes how you communicate under conflict

• Recognize how this system drives your reactions in challenging situations

• Distinguish between respect and dignity as a way to transform relationships

• Master the skills needed to navigate difficult or uncomfortable conversations successfully

• Walk away with strategies for building stronger connections across teams, leadership, and the wider organization

Ask a room full of accomplished women how often they downplay an idea, over-explain a request, or apologize before stating an opinion, and nearly every hand goes up. That instinct didn't start in the workplace. It started in adolescence, when assertiveness got labeled as mean and ambition got labeled as uncooperative, and it's been quietly shaping our careers ever since.

Until we recognize where this conditioning came from, we keep undermining our own success and our ability to support each other. In this presentation, Rosalind Wiseman helps women name these patterns and replace them with strategies that actually work in meetings, negotiations, and everyday conflict. Work doesn't have to feel like middle school. You'll leave with concrete tools for advocating for yourself and stepping fully into your own authority.

Audience Takeaways:

• Redefine the "rules" around anger and use it as a powerful tool in conflict

• Develop the skills to advocate for yourself with confidence

• Navigate group dynamics when others aren't contributing equally

• Master assertiveness and standing up for yourself

• Embrace your authority and step into leadership roles with confidence and generosity

The gap between generations isn't about effort. Teachers prep more than ever, managers give more feedback than ever, parents read every book on the list, and the disconnect still shows up: glazed eyes, one-word answers, a mentee who nods along and then does nothing you discussed.

Young people aren't shutting us out because they don't care. They're responding to something we often can't see: a set of motivations, social rules, and definitions of respect that look different from the ones we grew up with.

Drawing on the most current brain and behavioral research and over 25 years of experience, Rosalind Wiseman helps you break through the stereotypes and assumptions standing in the way, so you can mentor, teach, manage, parent, and genuinely connect with the next generation.

Key Takeaways:

• Insights from the latest research on young people's motivation, status, and "earned prestige"

• Understanding the protector, enforcer, and mentor mindsets

• Practical scripts to avoid power struggles and miscommunication when giving feedback

A crisis hits, a conflict erupts, or a long-simmering problem finally surfaces, and someone has to step up. Often that person doesn't hold the title of leader. They just have the courage to act. The problem is, most of us have never been taught what to do in that moment, so we freeze, defer, or default to whoever is talking the loudest.

People are asking for, and sometimes demanding, leadership in new and innovative ways. Rosalind shows you how to recognize these moments and turn leadership challenges and crises into opportunities for meaningful, lasting change.

Audience Takeaways:

• Redefine leadership beyond formal titles or roles

• Distinguish between leadership and being bossy

• Cultivate a sense of belonging so everyone feels their contributions matter

• Manage conflict as a leader, turning challenges into opportunities for greater group cohesion and effectiveness