Erica Dhawan

Leading Authority on 21^st Century Teamwork, Collaboration, and Innovation. WSJ Bestselling Author. Named “Oprah of Management Thinkers” and Ranked #1 of Top Women Keynote Speakers

Topics: Innovation, Best Selling Author, Business, Business Leadership, Change, Corporate Culture, DE&I – Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Employee Engagement, Entrepreneur, Leadership, Professional Development, Storytelling, Strategy, Teamwork, Thought Leadership, Women Leaders, Elite Performance, Productivity

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Biography

When leaders want to break team silos, drive exponential growth, and innovate through teamwork, they call Erica Dhawan.

Erica Dhawan is an internationally recognized leading authority, speaker, and advisor on 21st-century teamwork, collaboration, and innovation. Named as one of the top 50 management thinkers in the world by Thinkers50, she is the author of two bestselling books, Get Big Things Done: The Power of Connectional Intelligence and Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection, No Matter the Distance.

As we continue to experience an increasingly digital world where work practices are changing at a blistering pace, Erica Dhawan shares innovative strategies to unlock the collective power of teams, build a culture of trust across any distance, and create authentic engagement to ensure competitiveness.

Rated #1 on the Top Women Keynote Speakers list, Erica Dhawan frequently appears in the Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and The Wall Street Journal. Erica Dhawan speaks on global stages ranging from the World Economic Forum at Davos to the US Army to companies such as Coca-Cola, FedEx, Goldman Sachs, Walmart, and Cisco. Erica Dhawan holds degrees from Harvard University, MIT Sloan, and The Wharton School.

Contact us for Erica Dhawan fees and availability

Videos

Speech TopicsExpand each topic to learn more

Get Big Things Done: The Power of Connectional Intelligence

We typically associate success with speed and smarts. But in today’s hypercompetitive world, even those gifts aren’t enough. Collaboration expert Erica Dhawan argues that the game changer is a thoroughly modern skill called Connectional Intelligence (CxQ). As radical a concept as Emotional Intelligence was in the 90s, Connectional Intelligence is turning people into superconnectors who accelerate innovation, break down silos and foster breakthrough impact.

This dynamic, engaging, high-energy, fast-paced session will help participants understand the practice of using connectional intelligence as the key to purposeful collaboration, resilience, and business success. Attendees will shift the notion of collaboration from more meetings and emails to productive engagement that improves speed and quality of service, increases subject matter expertise and specialist sharing across silos, reduces cross-team dysfunction and delay, and eliminates duplicative work. Attendees will learn new insights and tools to accelerate the connected power of teams, become more agile and innovative, and drive breakthrough ideas and outcomes.

Learning Outcomes:
- Discover new ways to lead, inspire, and communicate with diverse teams through uncertainty
- Learn how to keep cross team collaborations aligned, build trust, and foster motivation
- Gain specific actions to inspire teamwork, innovation, resilience, revitalization, and results-driven progress
- Behaviors to understand and build trust and connection, no matter the distance

Win Together: Build Resilient and High-Performing Teams in the Age of AI

This isn't your ordinary keynote; it's a front-row seat to the future of inspiration and impact in the age of AI. WSJ Bestselling Author and award-winning keynote speaker Erica Dhawan promises not just a talk but an immersive experience where the secrets to unlocking peak performance and team spirit are revealed in the new world of work. Get ready to be captivated, motivated, and equipped with the tools to bring out the best in yourself and those around you.

Discover the exact strategies to build 21st century teams that defy the odds, whether it's how to be a better leader in the AI revolution or turn challenges into triumphs in the digital-first world. Spoiler alert: AI won't replace us, but leaders who master it will redefine the game. Globally recognized teamwork expert Erica Dhawan provides actionable insights, equipping attendees with the knowledge and strategies to not only adapt to the changing landscape but to thrive in it.

Learning Outcomes:
- Build Trust in Times of Change: Learn proven techniques to foster trust within teams amidst constant digital and AI transformation.
- Thrive Amid Uncertainty: Gain actionable tips to enhance engagement, minimize friction, and confidently navigate the unpredictable terrain.
- AI as a Leadership Tool: Recognize AI as an asset rather than a threat, and harness its capabilities for organizational success.
- Cultivate Team Spirit: Uncover strategies to enhance collaboration, experimentation, and camaraderie within your teams.

Collaborate Faster and Further, Together

Email replies that show up a week later. Video chats full of “oops... sorry no you go” and “can you hear me?!” Ambiguous text-messages. Is it any wonder communication takes us so much time and effort to figure out? How did we lose our innate capacity to understand each other? Humans rely on body language to connect and build trust, but with most of our communication happening from behind a screen, traditional body language signals are no longer visible - or are they? In her keynote, Erica combines cutting-edge research with engaging storytelling to decode the new signals and cues that have replaced traditional body language across genders, generations, and cultures. In person, we lean in, uncross our arms, smile, nod, and make eye contact to show we listen and care. Online, reading carefully is the new listening. Writing clearly is the new empathy. And a phone or video call is worth a thousand emails. In this keynote, Erica Dhawan, author of the bestselling book DIGITAL BODY LANGUAGE will supercharge your teams with collectively understood rules that foster connection, build trust and drive innovation.

Learning Outcomes:
- Understand your collaboration style and the digital body language signals you may be broadcasting (even if you don't intend to!)
- Create cultures of maniacal clarity across email, phone, IM, text, video, and even live meetings
- Develop a collaboration strategy that fosters valuable relationships, both in-person and online
- End cultures of useless meetings, missed deadlines, and digital misunderstandings

Testimonials

Terrific. Our leaders were very engaged and had immediate practical takeaways. You made a big impact.

– Mike Fucci, Chairman Emeritus, Deloitte

Non-verbal cues are vital to understanding each other. Now that so much communication happens online--and with the massive shift to distance learning and remote workplaces--we need Erica Dhawan’s book more than ever. In Digital Body Language, Erica shares tips and strategies for communicating effectively on chats, emails, and video calls, so everyone can successfully share and connect in the digital age.

– Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook

Erica’s presentation was an absolute hit.

– Erik Spoelstra, Head Coach of Miami Heat

Erica offers a profound look at how to foster inclusion and better leadership in our digital world.

– Billie Jean King, Founder, Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative

Erica’s session was engaging, relevant, and actionable. She is thoughtful, inspirational, and smart with a contagious positive energy. All organizations and executive leaders would benefit from having her as an advisor to drive behavioral change, harness the power of networks, and think beyond traditional cohorts. She is a thought leader in the development of collaborative ways of working, improving productivity and customer engagement and experience.

– Lisa McCann, COO & Global Head of Customer Success and Delivery Services, Korn Ferry

Erica’s presentation was absolutely perfect for our leaders. Our group was diverse and Erica was a hit with everyone! Her storytelling style of presenting along with a healthy dose of informative case studies kept everyone engaged and interested and excited about using connectional intelligence to transform our business.

– George Chavel, Chairman Emeritus, Sodexo

As a presenter at our organization's first large scale virtual conference, Erica delivered a keynote session that was not only engaging and thought-provoking, it was extremely relevant to what our organizational membership is currently experiencing. Erica's presentation took viewers outside of their home offices and truly felt like a live, in-person event.

– Hannah DeBevoise, AACSB International

Erica delivered an outstanding keynote. Her message about digital body language could not be more relevant and timely than it is today.

– Bridget Dunn, Meeting Planner, Association for Talent Development

So many of us saw ourselves in the vignettes that you shared both in terms of what we are doing well and areas that we need to develop. We appreciate that your tips were very practical and easily implementable. Incredibly good takeaways!

– Georgine, World Bank

WOW, what an incredible message you delivered today! I was getting feedback during the event from so many attendees saying how relevant and relatable your content was.

– Sandy, CDWG

Booksby Erica Dhawan

Digital Body Language

Get Big Things Done: The Power of Connectional Intelligence

Insights from Erica Dhawan

Watch our full conversation here: Unlock the Potential of 21st Century Teamwork

"What I've learned through my research over the last 15 years and as an advisor to companies is many of the signals and cues that led to great teamwork in the past have changed or evolved in our modern day world. "

- Erica Dhawan

"What I really saw was that there was a new connected mindset to say that would make or break 21st century teams, and I called it connectional intelligence."

- Erica Dhawan

"So what we all knew of as emotional intelligence in the 90s really had to be upgraded for the modern day work era that is more dynamic, more global, more diverse than ever."

- Erica Dhawan

"The modern day 21st century team has changed. It is a team that is global, is virtual, maybe hybrid, is multigenerational, matrixed, and requires a whole new way of thinking and enabling that curiosity, that innovation, that collaboration that we all want to achieve."

- Erica Dhawan

"We're going through another shift now with AI (...) It's really going to be about how we collaborate effectively with these tools that will make or break, whether the adoption leads to business outcomes."

- Erica Dhawan

"What's really important now is to understand yourself a little more (...) what will help you in your business, what's important, but be able to navigate both traditional body language and digital body language."

- Erica Dhawan