Testimonials
Educational and entertaining
Congratulations on the excellent presentation given at the SNEC conference. Presentation skills are so basic to what a project manager does it continues to amaze me that there is so little emphasis on such a critical PM tool. Your presentation was very entertaining as well as educational – the best kind! Thank you for your excellent contribution to the conference attendees.”
Dick Kennedy
Director of Corporate Sponsorship
PMI Central Massachusetts
I learned how to use well though out stories when presenting
Gilda’s workshop was effective primarily because Gilda modeled what she was talking about. She had great stories. She paced the presentation really well. She modulated the volume, tone, timing of her speech, use of humor, etc. Among the valuable things I learned, I will definitely work on having stories well thought out before I speak.”
Anne M. Wilkins, CFP
Investment Advisor Representative
Anderson Wealth Management
Great communicator with excellent content
Gilda Bonanno’s webinar on Executive Presence for Leaders: Communicating with Confidence, Competence and Composure for the Manhattanville School of Business Women’s Leadership Institute was truly invaluable. Gilda herself is an example of a great communicator. Her webinar had excellent content and the presentation was organized and enjoyable. I would highly recommend Gilda for any communication training.”
Jean Mann
Director of Marketing and Enrollment Services
Manhattanville College School of Business
Gilda challenged us to think outside the box... and laugh!
“I highly recommend the talented Gilda to you! Gilda led a fun team building event for our GE Capital Controllership team. The belly laughs we all had at the event were a great way to let off steam after a challenging business quarter. She employed techniques used in improvisational comedy to engage the team, challenge them to ‘think outside the box’ and most importantly, let their hair down and laugh! Under the umbrella of good-natured fun, the team picked up subtle negotiation skills, as presented in Gilda’s “Yes, and...” improv exercise, and met that important ‘thinking on your feet’ challenge. Thanks, Gilda!”
Monica Zarba
Training Coordinator and Executive Assistant
GE Capital
Provided a wealth of opportunities for participants to actively learn
“It was an absolute pleasure having alumna Gilda Bonanno present her workshop on “How to Schmooze” with our institution’s alumni. Her training and coaching credentials and her ability to engage a diverse audience with a wide range of professions provided a wealth of knowledge and opportunities for our participants to actively learn and craft their networking skills.”
Anthony Izzo
Assistant Director, Annual Giving
Marist College
Gilda had her audience riveted
“It was a tremendous thrill getting to work with and host Gilda Bonanno, who was the featured speaker at Dominican College’s President’s Lecture Series in November 2013. Gilda’s commanding narrative of her experiences had the audience of mostly high school and college students riveted. Additionally, Gilda’s strategies for enhancing communication skills and maximizing opportunities were especially helpful to the adolescents in attendance, particularly in today›s economic climate. Working with Gilda proved to be one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had hosting speakers. She is a consummate professional, generous with her time and someone whose passion for what she does is contagious in the best of ways!”
Matt Robertson
Host and Organizer, President's Lecture Series
Dominican College
Effective and engaging, makes a real connection to the audience
“Gilda is an effective and engaging speaker and trainer. She has presented several workshops for the Women’s Business Development Center over the past three years, including Public Speaking: How to Talk to Strangers, Presenting Your Best Self: Communicating & Advocating for Success, and Grow Your Career With Networking Savvy. Gilda is well organized and prepared for every workshop. She does her homework on fine tuning her presentation for her audience. She is easy to work with and very supportive to participants.
Whether she is helping aspiring women entrepreneurs learn how to speak effectively about their businesses or teaching Hispanic business owners how to network with their colleagues, Gilda provides practical exercises and techniques that empower people to build self-confidence and develop bold communication skills. Gilda cares about her audiences and is able to make a real connection with them. I highly recommend her.”
Marian Cicolello
Vice President, Connecticut
Women's Business Development Council (WBDC)
Easy-to-implement insights that I will put into use immediately
“I recently attended Gilda’s Bold Presentation Skills and I’m so happy I did! Gilda provided some really great tips on how to utilize story telling within a presentation that I will put into use immediately. I’m looking forward to practicing her “easy-to-implement” insights and guidelines with my next presentation. Thanks Gilda!”
Jennifer Covello
Virtual Banking Operations Manager
Quorum Federal Credit Union
Inspired by you to let my voice be heard
“I want to thank you for sharing your insights with me at yesterday’s Women Architects Event. I was especially inspired by the recommendation that we ‘take up more space at the table.’ That we speak up, speak with clarity and confidence, and literally put our elbows out. Especially as women in a male-dominated construction industry, we must be proud and strong and make our voices heard! I will be paying attention to how I present myself: am I clear and confident? Or am I asking permission with my tone of voice? I will make an effort to leave out the ‘umms’ and ‘uhhs’ and other filler words that take away from the directness of my intended statement. I appreciate your advice and will put it to work!!” –
Maura Newell Juan, AIA
Principal Architect
seventy2architects
Get Gilda as your coach
“If you want a good presentation and you need to start from zero, get Gilda as your coach. She talks you through it, gets you into the process and helps you see the LIGHT. As I begin my fourth semester of Columbia University›s Master›s program, I still get butterflies, but I know I can get through it by engaging in the process of learning how to do things the right way and getting better at them. Practice, practice, practice - that was the key that Gilda taught me.”
Pat Miller
Landscape Designer
Excellent workshop - fun and engaging!
“It was great to meet you and thanks so much for presenting at the National Speakers Association 2015 Convention! You workshop and your presentation skills were excellent. Yours was one of my favorite workshops. You were fun and engaging and put the audience at ease. You also demonstrated to us how improv exercises can enhance our presentations. And the exercises you led enabled me to make great connections with my two partners. Well done!"
Emily Ballance, MEd, LPC, CSP
Keynote Speaker, Motivational Humorist, Licensed Professional Counselor
Her energy, enthusiasm & humor engaged the audience
“We invited Gilda to present “Bold Presentation Skills for Women in Business” for our Women’s Leadership Council event. She did a fantastic job! Her energy, enthusiasm and humor engaged the audience and she provided coaching tips that are easy to incorporate into our presentations. The feedback from the attendees was very positive — each woman walked away with specific ideas to make her presentations more confident, memorable and powerful. We look forward to inviting Gilda back to speak to us again."
Lisa Labella
Executive Director, Women's Leadership Council
Bridgeport Regional Business Council Affiliate