Lisa Witter

Lisa Witter – Chief Optimist and Executive Coach

Book Lisa Witter here: [email protected]

Lisa Witter is an award-winning social/political entrepreneur, executive and architect and maker of change. She has counseled CEOs, Nobel Peace Prize winners, politicians, philanthropists, scientists and academics on how to be more effective public speakers and influencers, drawing upon her 20+ years of experience and insights from psychology, politics and behavioral science.

In 2010, she was honored as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and serves on WEF’s Global Agenda Council on Behavior.

She is a frequent public speaker and moderator appearing on such media outlets and platforms as NPR, MSNBC, CBS, World Economic Forum, TEDWomen and The Skoll World Forum. Her guidance in gathering social acumen for more effective engagement is often sought by thought leaders at global forums such as Clinton Global Initiative, Deauville Women’s Forum, Pop!Tech, Stiftung Mercator and the Women Moving Millions Annual Summit. With her breadth of experiences across political, social and philanthropic organizations, she is an expert in communicating to diverse audiences and building effective collaborations between sectors.

Lisa’s commentaries on women, politics, behavioral change have been published in publications including Fast Company, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Newsday and The Seattle Times. In 2004, Witter was a contestant on the Showtime reality show, “American Candidate.” She regularly speaks on issues such as new media, corporate social responsibility, influence science and women’s empowerment for companies such as PNC Bank and Cognizant Technologies.

Her company, WITTER ventures GmbH, is a social business that works globally to apply behavior change communications to develop and implement innovative, practical solutions in partnership with companies, foundations, NGOs and individuals. Some of her clients include organizations such as Oak Foundation, Stiftung Mercato, Crisis Action, Social Progress Index, National Geographic, UNICEF and Women Moving Millions. Prior to founding her own company in 2013, she was a partner and Chief Change Officer for 14 years at Fenton, the largest public interest only communications firm in the world.

She is co-author of The She Spot: Why Women are the Market for Changing the World and How to Reach Them. She is a co-founder of the award-winning SheSource.org and was honored as an outstanding activist by Oxygen.com in 2000.

Lisa is on numerous advisory/boards including Maxwell Health, the Op-Ed Project, Danone’s Stonyfield Farms. She studied at the University of California Santa Cruz, the University of Washington, the Universita di Padua and the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education.

Her passions are hanging with her two little dudes playing sports – adventuring in nature and doing the robot dance, skiing and snowboarding with her hubby, being an autodidact, late night movies alone, wearing pretty dresses, losing herself in music and feeling deeply connected (sometimes with red wine) to wherever and whomever she is with.

Her motto: “Be kind, work hard and have fun.”

She resides in Berlin but lives globally, including a significant amount of time in New York City, Geneva and London.

Testimonials about Lisa:

“Lisa wowed our team and left them more confident and skilled in presenting with impact. She drew from her compelling personal experiences to the best available brain science to offer top tips galore – from constructing a winning argument to how to pitch your voice. ‎A truly invaluable training from a fabulous trainer!” – Nicola Reindorp, Campaign Director at Crisis Action

“Lisa nailed it! Bluntly, authentically, in your face. Talking about the Art & Science of Persuasion, it all comes down to trust in the end. And there are so many things we can say, see, feel and do that will help us build this trust to harness the power of persuasion! Lisa’s intelligence, eloquence and elegance were absolutely remarkable in order to convey this topic in such an outstanding way.” – Johanes Kohn, participant, Tech Open Air Conference  “I worked on the Obama campaign as an early state staffer and saw every speech, from Iowa, to New Hampshire, to the “Race” speech. I saw firsthand the power of words and effective communication to create enormous change. Simply put, participating in a workshop with Lisa helped me understand and absorb the fundamentals of effective communication at the highest levels. It helped me understand how I could use words and communication as a tool for myself, and my own vision. She taught me how to reach people where and how it counts. I’d go back to Lisa’s workshop again and again. She’s an expert. And she’s wonderful.” – Donnel Baird, Founder of BlocPower.

Speaking TOPICS:

The Brain; understand Brains and Behavior Change

Talks:

What is New and What You Need to Know.

A Checklist for Change: 12 Things You Need to Know About Communications Today

Communication and marketing

Talks:

The New Normal in Social Media: What it means for you and your work

Trends in Corporate Social Responsibility: Get on or be gone?

Brand or Be Branded: Taking Control of Your Image in an Era of No Control

Top Trends in Philanthropy and Why They are Good for You and Your Business

Political Entrepreneurship and Why We Need More

Corporate Social Responsibility: Good Business

Innovation

Talks:

Innovation Everywhere: Spotting and Sparking Ideas from Unexpected Places

Beware of the Shiny New Thing: Why the old ideas might just be the best

Men, Women – Understand the difference

Talks:

From the She Spot to Mad Men: Why Women are the Market and How to Reach Them (booked based)

The New Macho: What is it and why guys dig it (and how work and the world is being transformed by it)

The Strategic Suspension of Humility for the Sake of Humanity: Why Women Need to Dump Humble Pie and Be More Public

Understand the Workplace, Society and the World

Talks

Why Fun Works and How You Need More of It (at home, work, politics and social change)

‘Making “Workplace Flexibility” Work for Everyone – Including the Bottom Line

Leadership

Talks

Good Influence: 10 lessons from influence science that can make your more persuasive and powerful

Style Matters: Leadership and Listening in a Complexity

Making “Workplace Flexibility” Work for Everyone – Including the Bottom Line

Sabbaticals: Watch-Out for What Happens When You Stop and Think

Confessions from a Recovering F.O.M.O (Fear of Missing Out)

Tip Toe and Stomp: Discerning When to Protest vs. Parade for Change at Home,

Work or Civic Life