From the moment she simultaneously entertained and annoyed her family with awful Howard Cosell impersonations in the mid 1970’s, speaking has been a lifelong passion for Shira. Luckily, she has progressed beyond poor imitations of broadcast icons to now deliver workshops on Public Relations, Brand Development, Consumer Engagement, Crisis Communications and more. Over the years, she has delivered customized presentations to groups such as the Georgia Society of Association Executives, Panta Rei Woman’s Community, restaurant franchisor Focus Brands, Cox Communications and the Public Relations Society of America (Georgia Chapter).
“Shira Miller managed to make crisis communications planning entertaining with the one day workshop she created for company leaders. The interactive session took participants through real-world scenarios that are important to our business. We left with a clear direction of how to anticipate situations and respond quickly in protecting our brand image.”
-Jennifer Dempsey, Senior Director of PR and Corporate Communication, FOCUS Brands
“During the branding retreat for our volunteer leaders, Shira’s explanation of the key elements of branding and the importance of eliciting an emotional response kept us focused. We didn’t get sidetracked, yet had ample time to discuss the issues of importance. She knew the right questions to ask to get people to think deeper about who GSAE is and what we stand for. The end result is a shared vision for what constitutes the “value” of GSAE along with a roadmap of how to reach our aspirations to promote GSAE’s value and impact in our community. Her role in our success will be difficult to underestimate!”
-Wendy W. Kavanagh, CAE, President, Georgia Society of Association Executives
- Become the Most Popular Brand on the Block – Want to ensure your organization truly connects with its most important audiences? This interactive workshop helps participants identify their brand’s points of difference, key messages and then create strategies to help engage customers, increase sales and more.
- Crisis Communications Planning in Today’s 24/7 World – Prior to social media, organizations typically had 24 – 48 hours to contain a crisis. But in today’s 24/7 world, your response has to be instant. This interactive workshop teaches the steps for creating an effective crisis communications plan and tips for building good will before the worst ever happens.
- Develop Brand YOU – Learn how to create a brand image for yourself or your business that engages prospective customers, creates opportunities and helps make your dreams come true.
- Seven No or Low Cost Ideas for Using Public Relations to Grow Your Business – During this workshop, your team brainstorms and develops cost-effective ideas for gaining positive attention and creating opportunities.
- Leverage the Power of Social Media for Your Business – Think social media is just about some starlet tweeting what she wore to last night’s party? Actually, Twitter, Facebook and other social media outlets can be essential tools in helping you gain loyal customers. This session analyzes how your brand can best benefit from social media engagement and helps you get started.
Learn more about Shira’s motivational speaking topics.
KEY STRENGTHS
- Motivational Speaker
- Speaking Coach/Trainer
- Media Spokesperson
- Events Speaker/Emcee
- Industry Presenter
EXPERIENCE
Speaking Engagements:
- Panta Rei Women’s Community – Created and facilitated an interactive “Living a Lighter Life” workshop. Atlanta, Georgia, 2010.
- PRSA Georgia – Co-facilitated the Campaign Brainstorm Session at Real World PR Georgia for younger professionals. Atlanta, Georgia, 2010.
- Georgia Society of Association Executives – Developed “Understanding Brand Connection,” an interactive branding workshop, for the leaders of this association. Reynolds Plantation, Georgia, 2009.
- Focus Brands – Delivered a customized Crisis Communications workshop for the leaders of Carvel Ice Cream, Cinnabon, Schlotzsky’sand other Focus Brand holding companies. Atlanta, Georgia, 2008.
- Flourishing Business Forum – Created and facilitated an interactive discussion on “Adding excitement to your brand” for this group of entrepreneurs. Atlanta, Georgia, 2008.
- PRSA Georgia– Co-facilitated the Campaign Brainstorm Session at Real World PR Georgia for younger professionals. Atlanta, Georgia, 2008.
- NAWBO Atlanta– Discussed “How to improve your brand visibility and public relations.” Atlanta, Georgia, 2007.
- PRSA Georgia– Presented “Seven Ways to Capture Word of Mouth PR” workshop. Atlanta, Georgia, 2007.
- NAWBO Atlanta– Created interactive workshop called “PR to Level The Playing Field” that taught participants how to showcase their company’s expertise, raise visibility before prospective clients/customers and generate positive publicity about your business. Atlanta, Georgia, 2006.
- PRSA Georgia– Served as a panelist discussing publicity generation and media relations in a seminar called “The Media Relations Chess Game.” Atlanta, Georgia, 2006.
- No Foolin' PRSA Comedy Night– Co-hosted this lighter look at PR and presented an interactive program called "How Being Funny Can Get You In The Headlines." Atlanta, Georgia, 2005.
- Real World PR 2004– Moderated the opening session media panel for this Georgia PRSA seminar, which educated over 200 public relations students about the industry. Atlanta, Georgia, 2004.
- Ladies Fitness Retreat at Camp Woodmont– Presented interactive workshop called "Become Your Own Best Cheerleader" to teach participants how to keep themselves inspired and motivated. Cloudland, Georgia, 2004.
- Freelancer's Forum– Presented interactive workshop called "Unleash the Energizer Bunny Within" for this group of creative professionals including writers, graphic designers, PR consultants, marketing experts and web site designers. Atlanta, Georgia, 2004.
- Independent Counselor's Forum– Presented interactive workshop called "Jumpstarting Your Creativity" for this group of independent PR consultants. Atlanta, Georgia, 2003.
- Cox Communications, Inc.– Created and facilitated a workshop for the $5 billion dollar broadband company's system-wide public affairs officials called "Influencing Your Key Audiences." The session taught participants how to effectively develop and communicate essential messages to important audience groups including customers, reporters, government officials, education contacts and employees. Las Vegas, Nevada, 2001.
- J.A. Thomas & Associates– Created and delivered a "Powerful Presentation Skills" Seminar for the consultants and management team of this leading health care clinical documentation provider. Atlanta, Georgia, 2001.
- American Marketing Association (Atlanta Chapter) – "Creating a Crisis Communication Plan" - Atlanta, Georgia, 1996.
- Public Relations Society of America (Georgia Chapter)– "Maximizing Your Media Coverage" - Atlanta, Georgia, 1996.
- Morrison Health Care National Conference– Emceed "Morrison Health Care TV" stage show production - Atlanta, Georgia, 1995.
- Employment Management Association Annual Conference– "Hiring Non-Traditional Workers" - Chicago, Illinois, 1991.
- Illinois Department of Aging Conference– "Days Inns' Efforts to Hire Older Workers" - Chicago, Illinois, 1991.
- American Management Association– "Recruiting & Training the Older Workforce" - Orlando, Florida, 1990.
- American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)– "Tapping Older Workers at Days Inns" - Washington, DC, 1990.
Corporate Spokesperson:
- Interviewed on camera and in print by national, regional and local media outlets, 1989 - Present.
Public Speaking Instruction:
- Morrison Health Care, Inc. - Created and facilitated a presentation skills workshop for 40 regional management team members. Provided individual public speaking coaching to the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, 1994 - 1998.
- A.D.A.M. Software, Inc. - Led "Effective Co-Marketing Presentation Skills" workshop for the marketing management team, 1993.
- Atlanta Paralympic Organizing Committee - Presented "Public Speaking Tips for Speakers Bureau Presentations" to over 100 volunteers, 1993.
- Southwire Company - Created "How to Speak on Your Feet," an impromptu speaking seminar for plant managers, 1992.
- Days Inns of America, Inc. - Conducted weekly public speaking, media training and public relations workshops for visiting general managers and hotel executives, 1989 - 1992.
Additional Honors:
- South Carolina State Champion, Extemporaneous Speaking, 1983 & 1984
- Nationally Ranked, Extemporaneous Speaking, 1983