Testimonials

"For more than a decade, Gilda has been a trusted partner to the Women’s Business Development Council and to me personally. She has served as Emcee and Speaker Producer for many of our most visible and high-stakes events, including our Annual Gala & Awards Ceremony—which brings together business leaders from across Connecticut, members of our congressional delegation, the Governor, and state legislators—and Women-Owned Business Day at the State Capitol, a strategic advocacy event that convenes state leaders and elected officials in support of women entrepreneurs.
Gilda brings an extraordinary blend of strategic thinking, preparation, and on-stage presence. She works effortlessly with our leadership team, staff, and partners to shape the program and ensure that every speaker—whether an elected official, honoree, or client—feels confident, prepared, and aligned with our mission. On stage, she creates warmth, clarity, and flow; behind the scenes, she brings calm, judgment, and a steady hand to moments that truly matter.
Gilda consistently elevates the impact of everything she touches. She understands our mission deeply, anticipates what’s needed, and shows up with professionalism and grace every single time. I trust her completely and value her not only as a collaborator, but as an essential member of our extended leadership team."

“Gilda demonstrated the highest level of professionalism, preparation, and composure throughout her role as Emcee for the Barnum Festival Luncheon. She brought a dynamic presence while maintaining precise control of the program, ensuring a seamless flow and sustained audience engagement. She worked collaboratively with our team behind the scenes, thoughtfully aligning with event goals and key messaging to ensure clear, effective communication. Her ability to adapt in real time, manage transitions, and maintain momentum contributed significantly to the overall success of the luncheon. Gilda was a trusted partner in delivering a polished and impactful event, and I would recommend her without hesitation to any organization seeking a skilled, reliable, and engaging emcee.”

"Gilda presented "Finding Your Voice, Making it Matter" for our training.  She shared practical, invaluable suggestions about improving their communication and presentation skills that helped them to create and deliver a clear, concise and compelling message.   The students raved about her so much that we had to bring her back for future workshops. She is so FABULOUS and we are SO lucky to have her as a beloved member of our CSYale faculty!"

"Over the years, I have had the pleasure of working with Gilda to prepare for a number of high-stakes presentations—both personal and professional. Her coaching has been a game-changer, consistently helping me sharpen my messages, connect more effectively with my audience, and present with greater confidence. She is incredibly easy to work with, insightful, and always manage to bring out the best in me. Additionally, I have had the opportunity to bring Gilda in to work with members of my team, and her influence has been equally valuable there. Her guidance has made a significant impact on our team's ability to communicate and perform at a higher level. We have also invited Gilda to speak at our internal leadership events, and she never fails to deliver with insight and energy.

“I called on Gilda to support an important panel so that each speaker felt confident in their preparation and execution on stage. Gilda was an incredible partner. Her flexibility to jump in at any stage of the process, her ability to scale the work according to the situation’s needs, and her skill in supporting individuals with a range of experience and backgrounds were superb."

"Gilda is one of the best emcees and facilitators that I have had the pleasure to work with. She brings professionalism, relatability, and approachability to her work. Gilda was instrumental during our organization’s largest signature event of the year, where we attracted donors, elected officials, board members, volunteers, and other key stakeholders. Gilda’s expertise enabled us to drive donations during the live fundraising portion of the event in a much more succinct way than it had been done in prior years. We would love to continue working with Gilda in the coming years, because she brings so much knowledge of what it takes to run a successful event - from planning the run-of-show, scripting and rehearsing speeches, and having familiarity with a wide range of venues."

"Given that I have had many opportunities to participate in many similar types of engagements, it is very clear to me that we were all were the beneficiaries of Gilda’s extraordinarily effective skill, expertise and style while serving as our facilitator. Gilda seemed extremely well trained in the art of facilitating and never detracted from our effort in any way.

I was particularly impressed that by the time Gilda entered her facilitator role during day 2, Gilda had already successfully gained trust and respect from all of us. Clearly this accomplishment enabled Gilda to successfully take the disciplined and directed demeanor manner she assumed.

Simply stated, she was, by far, the best facilitator I have ever experienced."

"Gilda is an excellent resource for our employee skill building and development. We first partnered with her to teach our team how to develop and deliver more effective, clear and concise presentations. The results were so good that we brought her back to do more presentation skills training with another group of employees and also our finance team which was preparing to present overseas to International customers and colleagues."

“Gilda dedicated a lot of time to learn about our organization’s challenges and opportunities and was very effective in crafting a presentation that met the needs of the audience. The ‘Collaboration and Relationship Building’ presentation was highly engaging and educational, with content that was thoroughly researched and well structured. She broke down key principles into practical advice for professionals at all levels. I left the session feeling more knowledgeable and inspired to implement new strategies in my own work.”

"Gilda Bonanno’s webinar on Executive Presence for Leaders was truly invaluable. Gilda herself is an example of a great communicator, and her webinar had excellent content that was organized and enjoyable. The session was well paced and easy to follow, and I would highly recommend Gilda for any communication training."

“I wanted to take a moment to thank you, and to let you know how helpful the “How to Schmooze” workshop was for me. It has completely changed how I approach networking events. Rather than spending most of the time speaking to people I already know, or standing in the corner of the room looking at my phone, I now feel comfortable and confident in approaching people and making new contacts. In fact, after using your techniques at a number of events, I can now honestly say that I look forward to networking events, rather than dreading them. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!”

"Gilda is the ultimate professional coach.  She excels in providing a foundation of techniques and skills combined with building confidence to succeed."