Eleni Kelakos uses theater techniques to help business leaders be confident, relaxed and real under pressure and scrutiny, so they can speak and lead with greater impact.

Eleni is a presence and presentation expert, and the Chief Transformational Officer of The Eleni Group, now in its second decade. She uses performance techniques– learned over twenty years as a professional actress and award-winning nationally touring singer/songwriter in New York and L.A.– to help business leaders speak and present themselves with more authenticity, confidence and impact no matter who’s watching.

When she’s not coaching individuals or facilitating trainings at companies like General Motors, Plante-Moran, and The Kubota Tractor Corporation, Eleni practices what she preaches, firing up hearts and minds with her signature keynote presentations at conferences nationwide.

A double major in Theatre and Semiotics from Brown University, Eleni is a past president of the National Speakers Association of Michigan. She’s sung the national anthem at Shea Stadium for three (winning) Mets games, and has produced four acclaimed CDs of her original songs. Her book, Touch the Sky: Find Your Voice, Speak Your Truth, Make Your Mark, was a gold medal winner of the 2014 Global e-Book Awards. She lives happily with her husband, and two constantly shedding cats, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

PROGRAM INFORMATION

PERFORM AT YOUR PEAK: 3 PRINCIPLES FOR A CONFIDENT AND COMPELLING PRESENCE UNDER PRESSURE
Format: ​Keynote, 50-60 Minutes; (and/or 90-120 minute breakout)

Great leaders and great actors are remarkably alike. Both radiate a confident, powerful physical, vocal, and energetic Transformational Presence. And because they do we trust and follow them. 

Great leaders and great actors are great, because they choose to be great. They understand that the cornerstone of Transformational Presence is the choice to achieve Presence Mastery– being fully who they are and performing at their peak wherever they are no matter who’s watching . And they commit to taking conscious, consistent actions to achieve Presence Mastery so they can make their difference.

In this interactive keynote, Eleni Kelakos shares her journey as a young actress in New York and Hollywood struggling to define her unique brand and show up genuinely and confidently during pressurized auditions and performances. She reveals the acting methodologies that ultimately allowed her to identify and embody her unique presence –techniques she uses on a daily basis with business leaders who want to speak and lead with the greatest impact.

This program is perfect for:

Managers who are struggling to “own the room” in meetings or presentations
Senior leadership wanting to bring a greater clarity, confidence and authenticity to their overall leadership presence.
Sales teams wanting to raise the level of confidence & consistency in their pitches/presentations
The audience will leave with:

The 3 building blocks of Transformational Presence
Techniques that minimize limiting beliefs/behaviors so they can step into Spotlight Moments and perform with confidence under pressure
The Daily Presence Practice for ongoing development of presence and performance Mastery

THINK LIKE AN ACTOR, SPEAK LIKE A PRO
Format: Breakout or Concurrent session  (note:  Can also be keynote, half-day or one-day raining or webinar)

This session is perfect for: Sales teams who want to improve their ability to pitch or present so they can connect more effectively with potential clients and land more contracts
Managers who want learn how to handle performance anxiety so they can give more effective presentations.
Trainers who want to improve upon their existing ability to facilitate training, so they can be more engaging and effective
IT professionals or engineers who want to strengthen their ability to give presentations and connect with clients or colleagues, especially if they are numbers-based introverts
Whether you’re conveying difficult or complex information to a client, facilitating a team meeting or speaking to a group from behind a lectern at a professional conference, you are continuously presenting ideas and information. No matter the speaking scenario, the pressure to present in a clear confident and engaging manner is undeniable.

This interactive session gives your audience the tools they need to prepare and deliver effective, impactful pitches and presentation with less fear and more confidence. And they’ll take away theater-based presentation techniques that will help ignite their Transformational Presence, so they can bring their most genuine and engaging self to the speaking platform.

Audiences will learn:

The Five Principles of Transformational Presence
“We’re Going to Disneyland;” How to structure an effective presentation
Getting it off the page– Preparation techniques to increase confidence confidence and genuine connection
Techniques to to minimize the Fear Factor
Techniques to increase audience attention, engagement and Buy-In

STOP PLAYING SMALL
Format: ​Keynote 50-60 Minutes or Breakout 90 min-2 hrs

This program is perfect for:
Women in the business world who are struggling to be taken seriously by their male counterparts
Mid-level managers who want to shore up their professional presence so they can be considered for positions of greater leadership
Members of corporate Women’s Affinity Groups
It’s in the best interest of women working within the business world to lead out with passion and conviction. To stand up for what they believe and stand out in all their magnificence.  Instead, and all too often, they shrink to fit, capitulate when challenged, apologize for their strengths and diminish their unique voice. 

This presentation will inspire attendees to take charge, take action and stop playing small, giving them practical tools to help them use their physical, energetic and vocal presence to command respect and attention.

Attendees will learn:

10 ways to stand out and be perceived with greater authority and impact
How gender affects listening and communciation, and how to make it work for them
How to use their voice, words and body language to better reflect their power

TOUCH THE SKY! (A KEYNOTE CONCERT)
Format: ​Keynote 50-190 min.

Touch the Sky is designed to inspire attendees to re-connect and re-commit to what’s important, so they can reach their potential on a daily basis.  And it reflects Eleni’s background as a professional singer, songwriter and actress. both in content and delivery. Woven from a mix of powerful stories, original songs and simple strategies, Touch the Sky is an experience, not just a lecture. 

Within the program, Eleni zeroes in on four specific things :

1. Reminding people of the value of who they are and what they do
2. The value of perspective in overcoming internal and external obstacles
3. Taking charge of what you can control by making a choice, taking action and being accountable
4. Making it contagious– spreading this “can-do” attitude throughout the ranks.

This program is perfect for:

Health and wellness professionals struggling to balance caring for themselves as they care for others
Administrative professionals or Educators who are burdened by increased workloads with fewer resources
Underperforming Direct Marketers who are struggling to focus on their work and goals while trying to balance family and other competing responsibilities.
Attendees walk away feeling:

More valued and appreciated by their organization
More hopeful for a brighter future
More energized and better equipped to handle job stress, take concrete steps and motivate their team members.