Allison Shapira runs a global training firm teaching public speaking and presentation skills and is the author of “Speak with Impact: How to Command the Room and Influence Others,” known for exercising leadership with your voice. As a former opera singer turned entrepreneur, Shapira turned her own business around in March of 2020 by implementing wellness checks, adding a series of free resources to pivot from in-person to virtual, including trainings that created community and connection through digital media. Below are her 5 Lessons Learned While Working to Save a Business During the Pandemic
1) Focus all your energy on the pivot. This is not the time to wait and see. This is an existential business survival and every minute should be focused on it.2) Check in with your clients and see how they are doing. Their trust in us helped us think about new ways we could help them. 3) Try things without knowing if they will work. This was a time of experimentation. 4) Make your team feel safe and secure. I let my team know that their jobs were secure and we were going to use this time in the most productive way possible. When they knew their jobs were secure, they could focus on being creative.5) Don’t be afraid to talk to others in your field to see how they are adapting. We all learned a lot from each other.
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Allison Shapira is a former opera singer turned entrepreneur, best-selling author, and world-renowned expert on public speaking and presentation skills. She is the Founder/CEO of Global Public Speaking LLC, a communication training firm that helps emerging and established leaders speak clearly, concisely, and confidently. She is an adjunct lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School and has spent over 15 years working with Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and non-profit organizations.
For more information, please visit https://allisonshapira.com/
Allison’s Video on pivoting during the pandemic: