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    BPI Expert Faculty

    Ilene Bergelson

    Speaking Skills Coach & Physical + Verbal Expression Coach

    Lifemoves Health LLC

    Key Takeaways

    • 1.Combines her background as an award-winning actress with her expertise as a certified coach to enhance leadership communication.
    • 2.Creator of the EmpowerSpeak workshop series and the Light Bytes audio series, both focused on empowered communication.
    • 3.Utilizes mindfulness, Applied Improvisation, and performing arts techniques to improve spontaneity and presence in communication.
    • 4.Helps executives develop compelling storytelling skills and conscious interpersonal communication.

    About Ilene

    Who is Ilene Bergelson?

    Ilene Bergelson is a highly respected speaking skills coach and Physical + Verbal Expression Coach affiliated with the Best Practice Institute (BPI). She brings a unique background as an international presenter, educator, and award-winning actress to her work, specializing in communication and leadership development. Her methodology emphasizes elevating effective and conscious communication in the workplace by integrating principles of inner awareness, connection to self, and partnership-oriented coaching. Bergelson's distinct approach helps clients achieve greater self-expression, both physically and verbally.

    What is Ilene Bergelson known for?

    Ilene Bergelson is widely recognized for her expertise in leadership presence, compelling storytelling, and conscious interpersonal communication. She is the creator of EmpowerSpeak, a workshop series designed to foster effective communication, and the founder of Lifemoves Health LLC, a certified Women-Owned Business Entity focused on conscious movement training. Her contributions extend to an audio series, Light Bytes, which provides insights on empowered communication. Bergelson is known for her ability to deliver direct insights with a sense of humor, making her programs engaging and impactful.

    Her methods incorporate mindfulness practices to cultivate presence and craft audience-centric messages. She also utilizes Applied Improvisation segments and best practices from the performing arts to enhance creativity, spontaneity, and agility in both impromptu and rehearsed communication scenarios. Her experiential skill-building activities are designed to expand comfort zones and improve overall communicative ability. Clients consistently report that her programs are not only highly effective but also enjoyable, with lasting impacts on their communication skills.

    What is Ilene Bergelson's background and experience?

    Ilene Bergelson's career is marked by a distinctive blend of performing arts and executive coaching. As a classically trained, award-winning actress, she has performed on Broadway, in film, and on television. This extensive background in performance has provided her with specialized communication and presence techniques, which she now shares with senior-level executives to help them unlock their full potential as influential communicators.

    Beyond her artistic endeavors, Bergelson is a highly credentialed coach. She is a Certified Exercise Physiologist through the American College of Sports Medicine, holds a Personal Training certification from the American Council on Exercise, and is a CHEK Institute Corrective Holistic Exercise Kinesiology Practitioner (Level 2) and Holistic Lifestyle Coach. Furthermore, she is a globally certified coach in Tiara International’s True Leadership Model. She has provided coaching services to Fortune 500 companies, boutique firms, and individual professionals, helping them to enhance leadership presence, cultivate compelling storytelling, and elevate conscious interpersonal communication. She also consults with physicians, physical therapists, and rehabilitation professionals, bringing her holistic approach to a diverse range of fields.

    What topics does Ilene Bergelson speak and write about?

    Ilene Bergelson addresses a wide range of topics centered on effective communication, leadership, and personal development. Her core themes include leadership presence, the art of compelling storytelling, conscious interpersonal communication, and developing robust speaking skills. She places a significant emphasis on physical and verbal expression, as well as body awareness through movement, recognizing their crucial role in impactful communication. She also explores concepts such as organization development and change, learning and development, employee engagement, and creativity and innovation through her work and presentations.

    Her workshop series, EmpowerSpeak, focuses on creating an uplifting and "risk-centric" atmosphere where participants can develop their presentation skills. Through her audio series, Light Bytes, she shares insights on empowered communication that resonate with professionals globally. She applies principles of Applied Improvisation to enhance communication agility and spontaneity, demonstrating how techniques from the performing arts can be valuable in professional settings.

    How does Ilene Bergelson contribute to the Best Practice Institute?

    As a valued expert at the Best Practice Institute, Ilene Bergelson significantly contributes to BPI's mission through her insightful webinars and coaching expertise. She has presented notable webinars such as "Tales on Talk: Stories, Revelations and Takeaways from Coaching Communication," where she shares behind-the-scenes insights from her executive coaching practice. This session delves into the processes and discoveries made while coaching individuals and organizations on impact and communication culture. Another key presentation, "What Makes You an Expert is Not What Makes You Interesting," addresses the common challenge executives face with presentation anxiety and offers strategies to overcome it.

    Bergelson frequently contributes to BPI's discussions on topics like Organization Development & Change, Learning & Development, Leadership Development, Employee Engagement, and Coaching. Her role at BPI involves equipping professionals with the tools to become more confident and centered communicators, especially in high-stakes situations. Through her expert guidance, BPI members gain practical strategies to optimize presentation content and improve communication outcomes.

    Background & Perspective

    Background

    Ilene Bergelson brings a unique blend of experience as an international presenter, educator, award-winning actress, and executive coach to her work. As a classically trained actress, she has performed on Broadway, in film, and on television, giving her specialized insight into communication and presence. She is the founder of Lifemoves Health LLC, a certified Women-Owned Business Entity focused on conscious movement training.

    Bergelson is a Certified Exercise Physiologist (American College of Sports Medicine), a certified Personal Trainer (American Council on Exercise), a CHEK Institute Corrective Holistic Exercise Kinesiology Practitioner, and a Holistic Lifestyle Coach. She is also a globally certified coach in Tiara International’s True Leadership Model.

    Areas of Expertise

    Bergelson specializes in elevating effective and conscious communication in the workplace. Her core expertise includes:

    • Leadership Presence: Helping leaders cultivate a strong and authentic presence.
    • Compelling Storytelling: Guiding professionals to craft and deliver impactful narratives.
    • Conscious Communication: Fostering mindful and effective interpersonal communication skills.
    • Physical & Verbal Expression: Integrating body awareness and vocal techniques for powerful self-expression.
    • Applied Improvisation: Using improvisational techniques to enhance spontaneity, creativity, and agility in communication.

    Topics Covered

    Ilene Bergelson speaks and consults on a range of topics related to leadership and communication. She created the EmpowerSpeak workshop series to help professionals build presentation skills and the Light Bytes audio series for insights on empowered communication. Her sessions often incorporate experiential activities to address:

    • Presentation and speaking skills
    • Overcoming performance anxiety
    • Audience-centric communication
    • Enhancing creativity and spontaneity
    • Leadership and self-development
    • Coaching for impact and cultural change

    Areas of Expertise

    Leadership PresenceCompelling StorytellingConscious CommunicationSpeaking SkillsPhysical ExpressionVerbal ExpressionBody AwarenessApplied Improvisation

    Research Topics

    Leadership DevelopmentLearning & DevelopmentCoachingSelf Development

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