Step Off the Cliff

Kerri Garbis is the Founder, President, and CEO of Ovation, a communication skills training firm. Kerri has trained hundreds of executives internationally on presentation skills, storytelling for business, etiquette, and emotional intelligence. At the helm of Ovation, a 30-person global training firm, Kerri ensures that every Ovation engagement delivers the highest level of client-focused professional training. Dedication to this standard sets Ovation apart from the competition and ensures multiple repeat engagements and many long-term clients.

A professional actress since childhood, Kerri has starred in productions such as Evita, Singin' In The Rain, and The Lady With All The Answers. You may also have seen her catching a pass from a New England Patriot, singing a Christmas carol, or complaining of bloating in a television commercial. She is also a member of the Actor's Equity Association. Kerri is a business etiquette expert certified by The Emily Post Institute and an emotional intelligence expert certified by The Hay Group. She is also the Founder of Be Ready, a nonprofit initiative offering Ovation's professional presence training to the black youth of America.

To be a successful leader, you need to understand how you show up and influence your audience — whether that is your employees, fellow business leaders, or speaking at an event. You need to think about how you communicate with your voice and body language.

According to Kerri Garbis, leaders should start by becoming more self-aware in order to become strong communicators. With good training, you can learn to alter your messages and method of delivery for different situations. Kerri also advises leaders to recognize their strengths, surround themselves with people who are smarter than they are, and find the right resources to get where they want to be.

Kerri Garbis, the Founder and CEO of Ovation, is Andrea Heuston's guest in this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show where she talks about using her professional acting skills to build a communications firm made up of actors as facilitators. She also talks about her company's continuous learning platform, Studio G, and her new nonprofit, Be Ready, which offers training to the black youth of America.