Elevate your event to extraordinary
INTERACTIVE • INSPIRING • MIND-BLOWING • EMPOWERING • PRACTICAL
These words are how 1000s of participants describe Dr Sharon’s transformative keynotes. As an award-winning speaker, Sharon has honed her skills over more than two decades and has a way of bringing knowledge to life by being vulnerable, practical and engaging. She will work with you to customise a niche talk for your next event and take Key Steps to… ‘be the difference that makes the difference.’
Introducing Dr Sharon
Sharon is the inspiring force behind Key Steps Corporate Training. Clients often fondly refer to her as the ‘EQ Guru’ because of her expertise in Emotional Intelligence. Her extensive career history encompasses diverse skills and accomplishments. Sharon’s qualifications include a BA Hons in Psychology, registered Education, Training and Development Practice (ETDP) and Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) master practitioner. Her PhD created a framework for holistic and sustainable leadership development published in the International Journal of Management and Business by Rutgers University.
Sharon holds the esteemed title of Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), held by less than 5% of speakers worldwide, as well as being inducted into the PSASA Educators Hall of Fame, making her a prominent figure in the global speaking industry. Her unyielding commitment to personal growth and dedication to proprietary organisational research ensures that she brings the very best support to her audience. Her passion for designing and delivering tailored keynotes focused on long-lasting results and emotionally intelligence in leadership has garnered immense respect from her peers and clients alike.
Your energy and commitment are palpable!
Sharon, I cannot thank you enough for the value you brought to our leaders. You had a record attendance of leaders participating in your virtual sessions. Our feedback response has been exceptional, 99% said that they took away practical, implementable solutions. Well done! As always you were an absolute professional – composed, prepared and engaging. Your credentials and content speak volumes. Your energy and commitment are palpable. It is always such a pleasure working with you!
Adele Ungaretti
EXECUTIVE HEAD: GLOBAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, STANDARD BANK
What makes Sharon different?
Booking Sharon for a keynote promises valuable insights, practical tools and empowering Key Steps for personal and professional growth. Sharon is approachable and an excellent partner, ensuring your events are a resounding success.
Sharon’s high level of EI and professionalism elevates every event
Exceptional EI knowledge and expertise
Sharon’s expertise in emotional intelligence is highly-regarded. Her keynotes cover relevant and timely topics, addressing current challenges and providing immediate benefit.
Prepared, professional, niched
Sharon’s renowned for her professionalism, knowledge, thorough preparation and proprietary research, which results in talks that feel tailored just for the audience.
Inspiring, empowering storytelling
Sharon’s approach makes the content relatable, adds depth and emphasises the uniqueness of each individual’s journey, leaving participants empowered.
Insightful, practical content
Sharon’s keynotes are praised for their insightful and practical content, providing actionable knowledge and tools.
Engaging, captivating presentation style
Participants appreciate Sharon’s way of keeping their attention throughout. She encourages active participation, so no-one wants to multitask her talks.
Ongoing self-awareness and growth
Sharon’s keynotes prompt attendees to reflect long after the talk, fostering self-awareness and an ongoing desire for personal growth.
Authenticity and vulnerability
Sharon’s authentic and vulnerable approach builds strong connections with participants, leaving them wanting more time with her.
Approachable, awesome partner
Sharon works tirelessly to meet your needs, integrating seamlessly with the overall event and other speakers, making her easy to work with and an ideal partner.
Award-winning, international speaker
A Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) with a PhD and an inductee of the SA Educators Hall of Fame, Sharon’s rare credentials place her among less than 5% of speakers worldwide.
Let your next event… be the difference that makes the difference!
What attendees are saying…
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EXPECTATIONS EXCEEDED
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EXCEPTIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE
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ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS
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HIGHLY INTERACTIVE AND ENGAGING
You reeled us in!
The presentation was insightful, thought provoking, well-structured and delivered in a way that kept everyone’s attention. You reeled us in. I immediately stopped what I was busy with to be fully present. The topic is very relevant. I am going to do my best to implement the practical tools you gave us. Thank You!
Leticia Yan
AUDIT SENIOR, EY SWITZERLAND
Sharon’s Signature Keynotes
Discover our most popular Keynotes below. This list is just a snapshot of Sharon’s full repertoire. Sharon specialises in creating niche talks that meet your exact needs and conference themes. Reach out to our team to arrange a consultation with Sharon to start your journey.
The Best You Through EQ
More than ever, we need leaders and teams with a high emotional intelligence (EI or EQ) who can navigate through the changes and challenges we are facing in our disruptive, volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous and diverse (D-VUCAD) world. EI is a combination of skills, based on a connection between what you experience, what you think, how you feel and how this affects the way you interact with yourself and others. The good news is that EQ can be learnt and developed. During this keynote we will work with you to understand the skills, mind-sets and behaviours needed so that you can successfully unlock your leadership potential.
Takeaways
What is EQ and why many companies now hire based on EQ.
Know how low EQ derails results and costs billions annually.
Recognise the power of choice and respond and not react.
Know the impact of unmanaged emotions and spot signs quickly.
Manage your emotions to increase your resilience and adaptability.
Create healthy habits, routines and rituals to avoid burnout.
Recognise the 10 signs of leaders with a high EQ.
Harness the Power of High Performing Teams
We are living in unprecedented times and dealing with enormous global disruption and stress. It is not surprising that tension is high, and we are seeing burnout levels increasing globally. We are being called on to be agile, resourceful and resilient and to redefine the way we work and live. As leaders, we need to manage our emotions, stay calm and adapt quickly to circumstances. All while being authentic, approachable and empathetic. We need to be able to keep our teams engaged, motivated and productive. This is resilience and high EQ at its best. This is no easy feat.
Takeaways
Understand the principles of EI and why they matter to your bottom-line.
Know how to spot signs of team disfunction and/or stress.
Use tools to increase resilience and create healthy habits, routines and rituals.
Increase psychological safety and accountability so your team performs at its best.
Promote a culture of engagement and execution within your team.
Practice empathy, accountability and stay connected to inspire and influence.
Build a collaborative, trusting, emotionally intelligent team.
Adapt and Thrive Through Challenging Times
Is it possible to THRIVE while others are barely surviving? The good news is… YES, you can. This keynote will empower you to accept and learn how to work around the inconvenient truth about challenging times and disruptive change: it is NOT EASY. In fact, it is HARD… True growth requires a process of “stretching” and shifting out of your comfort zone. This requires courage and determination. This requires new skills that are suited to the fourth industrial revolution and modern world of work. This requires that you capitalise on your strengths and increase your emotional quotient (EQ). This keynote will provide you with Key Steps to turn challenges into advantages.
Takeaways
Identify the signs of high EQ and why you need it to THRIVE.
Understand the impact of disruption and how you can use it.
Focus on what really matters and eliminate time and energy drains.
Watch your thinking and realise how it creates your reality and experiences.
Stop doing the five things that emotionally intelligent people never do.
Adapt, become resourceful and innovative when solving problems.
Leverage your network by building relationships and collaborating.
Communicate with Impact and Influence
The quality of our relationships (and achievement in all facets of life) is directly linked to our ability to communicate effectively, manage conflict and influence outcomes. Being impactful and influential not only improves your professional image; it fosters trust, respect and long-lasting relationships. This interactive, fun and practical talk will support you to apply the principles of emotionally intelligent communication and enhance both verbal and non-verbal acuity. You will learn how to synthesise complex information into an impactful storyline, adapt to your audience and communicate appropriately in various contexts so you walk away feeling empowered.
Takeaways
Understand the principles of emotionally intelligent communication.
Identify the ways communication can make or break a relationship.
Use language (verbal and non-verbal) effectively and influentially.
Adopt the principles of clear, concise, constructive conversations.
Adapt your style and approach to the needs of diverse audiences.
Master the art of listening, rapport building, questioning and storytelling.
Use communication strategies that build trust and relationships.
Negotiate and Influence Your Way to Success
We all negotiate all the time and yet we often don’t have the right tools and skills to do it to the best of our ability. Learning to be a skilled negotiator will support you to influence with integrity, make deals, solve problems, manage conflict and improve relationships. This practical and interactive keynote will ensure that you learn ways to collaborate, uncover tradeables, enlarge the pie and harness the psychology of leverage. Sharon will share what all expert negotiators know and her simple, yet powerful, five-step negotiation plan will ensure you leave this talk with new tools and strategies.
Takeaways
Discern between using positional vs. collaborative negotiation.
Apply a simple yet powerful five step negotiation plan.
Trade powerfully for what you want and what your business’s need.
Gain tips for emotionally intelligent discussions and outcomes.
Reduce frustration, unconscious self-sabotage and manage conflict.
Gain strategies for dealing with tough negotiators.
Influence with integrity and enlarge the pie.
Champion Diversity and Inclusivity
As a workforce’s racial, gender and social diversity levels increase, its profits – relative to competitors – also increase. Practicing inclusion ensures that organisations really capitalise on the diversity in gender, age, culture, skills, religions, education and talents needed to innovate and remain relevant. Successful organisations of the future will be those that make this core to business practice. Despite knowing this, many organisations still struggle, and DEI training typically does not work, and success remains elusive. This interactive keynote will provide you with practical Key Steps to be more competitive, resilient, resourceful and profitable.
Takeaways
Know what it means to embrace diversity vs. practice inclusivity.
Explore disadvantages of not making DEI important enough.
Learn from three decades worth of research what does not work.
Uncover unconscious bias that prevents us achieving success.
Gain insight into some unusual strategies making a global difference.
Create a practical DEI plan for your team and/or organisation.
Be inspired to build an inclusive, productive and more profitable workplace.
I am Not the Imposter I Think I am
Imposter syndrome is a psychological pattern that causes doubt over our accomplishments and a persistent fear of being exposed as a fraud. Despite all we do, there are feelings of inadequacy and guilt. A worry of not achieving enough or not being good enough for partners, children, family, friends and so on. Imposter syndrome affects high-achieving individuals more and can cause already successful people to push past their limits. Although the impact varies from person to person, it’s usually accompanied by high levels of stress, anxiety, perfectionism and chronically low self-confidence. Fortunately, there are proven and practical ways to overcome.
Takeaways
Identify the five types of ‘Imposter Syndrome’ and their crippling effect.
Identify your triggers and what drives your feelings and behaviour.
Gain practical ways to overcome each type and step into your power.
Explore ways to mitigate the mass resignation and retain our talent.
Create networks that allow us to seek support from successful leaders.
Recognise how talented and capable you really are and be at your BEST.
Be fully confident and claim your seat at the table.
The KE³YS to Overcome Limiting Beliefs and Transform Culture
At a time when more is being asked of leaders, transformational personal development in core human areas is increasingly important. Sadly, we are often ill-equipped to do this type of work and, therefore, keep ourselves stuck. This is where the KE³YS framework comes in… It can support you to identify and overcome limiting beliefs. It’s a structured way (with scientific research supporting its effectiveness) to deal with our complex feelings, thoughts, beliefs and behaviours. It promotes a growth mindset and creates a culture that encourages experimentation, learning and taking calculated risks. This is good for us, our families, our teams and organisations.
Takeaways
Assess where your beliefs and organisational culture comes from.
Understand how beliefs form and how they drive your behaviour.
Virus scan your mind and recreate your reality and experiences.
Shift your limiting beliefs (yes, even the ones that are really ‘stuck’!).
Take responsibility for your choices and outcomes.
Re-programme your thinking for optimal success and happiness.
Enhance your esteem to reach and exceed your potential.
What Successful Women Know About Downtime and How to Claim Yours
Note: This keynote is well-suited for a male or mixed audience – everyone needs downtime
We are living in unprecedented times and women are under more pressure than ever. Before Covid, research showed that women took less time for themselves than men, putting themselves at risk. According to recent research, women are actually more stressed working at home, even if they don’t have children. When your days are spent juggling demands, downtime and self-care are the first things to go especially as we are often conditioned to feel guilty for not being productive. Yet, if we aren’t taking time to rest, relax, re-energise and restore, we pay the price. Chronic stress increases the risk of many psychological and physical health conditions, and it hurts your focus, effectiveness and negatively impacts the bottom-line. Uber-successful people know that downtime and self-care are not a luxury but a necessity.
Takeaways
Get to the root of what keeps you stuck on the hamster wheel.
Learn to spot the signs of unmanaged emotions, stress and burnout.
Realise the benefits to others when you are self-centred (this is not a typo).
Find out what uber-successful professionals know about downtime.
Mitigate guilt and prioritise yourself and your well-being.
Implement tools to make downtime and self-care a reality.
Be your most resilient, happy, healthy, productive, successful self.
Coach for Performance and Excellence
Emotionally intelligent leaders bring in as much as 12 times more revenue not to mention benefits like increased staff morale and retention, improved productivity and engagement. Developing leaders to be coaches is one of the most significant trends in leadership development the past 25 years. Organisations of every size want to elevate performance, upskill employees and improving succession planning. To do this, we need to hire or develop leaders who are emotionally intelligent mentors and coaches. This fosters a culture of honest feedback, open communication and collaboration. Accurate performance information is more readily available, problems are dealt with constructively and innovation is encouraged.
Takeaways
Know what future-fit emotionally intelligent leadership is and why it matters.
Build relationships and cultivate people skills in your leadership.
Create psychological safety while holding people accountable.
Adopt the approach of a coach to be a catalyst for high achievement.
Give constructive feedback and have CLEAR development conversations.
Create a culture of continuous feedback and WIN FASTER™.
Motivate your team and create high performance culture.
Inspire your audience with both virtual and in-person talks
Sharon is available for both in-person and virtual events. Her keynote presentations are structured in a way that is customisable for both your audience and chosen venue. A client’s comment, “I forgot it was an online talk,” stands as a testament to Sharon’s ability to captivate the audience with her engaging presence and compelling content.
Invite Sharon to speak at your event
We are fortunate enough for Sharon to be in high demand, so please connect with our team to enquire about her availability for your event.
FAQS
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CAN YOU CUSTOMISE AND DESIGN A BESPOKE KEYNOTE?
Yes! In fact, this is Sharon’s speciality so she will happily work with you to craft a keynote that meets your exact needs or conference theme. If what you need is outside of her area of expertise, she will be able to recommend the best keynoter as she has a large network in the industry of top global speakers.
CAN YOUR KEYNOTES BE DELIVERED HYBRID OR ONLY IN-PERSON OR VIRTUALLY?
Sharon can deliver her keynotes in all three formats. Please chat to us about your specific needs and we will be only too happy to suggest the best format – and any technology required – for optimal results.
WHAT MAKES SHARON’S KEYNOTES DIFFERENT?
When Sharon keynotes it is not a once off event. Pre-event, there are so many Key Steps taken from consultation such as providing you with video marketing collateral, doing proprietary audience research and designing the bespoke talk. Post-event you will receive detailed feedback and digital resources. Sharon is known for sharing extremely powerful tools that take the team way beyond the keynote. We also offer an array of support services such as executive coaching and leadership development masterclasses. Because of our diverse expertise and depth of experience, our clients choose to journey with us to transform individuals and teams over the long-term.
WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM NUMBER THAT CAN ATTEND A KEYNOTE?
There is no minimum or maximum number of participants that can attend Sharon’s keynotes. The more, the merrier!
CAN SHARON’S KEYNOTES BE PHOTOGRAPHED?
Yes. All photographs are to be made available to Key Steps within 10 working days of Sharon’s talk. Sharon also reserves the right to photograph the session and use photos online or in print.
CAN SHARON’S KEYNOTES BE RECORDED?
Unless we specifically agree in writing (and there is a price difference) recordings (audio or video) are not permitted. If you wish to record the event, please contact Sharon or a member of our team in advance. We have various licencing options we can explore. If we’ve agreed to permit recording the session, plan ample time to test sound pick up and to verify that the sound patch doesn’t interfere with the projection-output quality (sometimes an issue). All recorded footage is to be made available to Key Steps within 10 working days of Sharon’s talk.
HOW LONG SHOULD A KEYNOTE SPEECH BE?
As a rule, anything shorter than 20 mins is not ideal. Instead, plan for 60 to 90 minutes. Sharon charges the same fee for up to 90 minutes so you get more value making the full time available.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE KEYNOTE SPEECH?
All our keynotes have follow-up resources (provided digitally). We also offer an array of support services and because of our diverse expertise and depth of experience, our clients journey with us.
WHAT ARE THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR BOOKINGS, CANCELLATIONS AND PAYMENT?
Please visit our Terms & Conditions page for more information.
WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR BOOKING A SESSION?
You can email enquiries@keysteps.co.za, fill out our Keynote Enquiry Form or call +27 11 615 4244 to chat before your booking. We look forward to hearing from you.
WHAT TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS DOES SHARON HAVE WHEN SPEAKING AT AN EVENT?
You can find this information on Sharon’s Rider.
