Speaking – Sonali Dsilva

Lift up your next internal conference, women’s gathering or leadership retreat with Sonali to recharge and inspire your people. Sonali is a highly engaging speaker and storyteller who genuinely connects with her audiences and gives them a reason to practice inclusion and value diversity at work.

Sonali gets to the heart of why organisations and teams are incomplete without inclusion. She makes it participative and practical to be inclusive, so everyone can feel safe, respected and belong at their workplace.

Sonali’s work is valued by organisations on themes of inclusive leadership, women’s leadership, inclusion and belonging, and how leaders and teams can thrive in a diverse, changing and complex work environment.

Enquire if Sonali might be the right presenter and speaker for you!

Sample Presentation Topics

How to Lead with Inclusion In a Diverse Workplace

Many leaders could lead with more inclusion if only they knew how. These leadership shifts are often not as complicated as imagined and seem tough only from a distance. This presentation will position inclusive leadership as an accessible and attainable skill set for leaders.

What your audience will learn

How leadership expectations have shifted at work
Being aware of the people benefits of inclusion
Addressing the everyday obstacles to inclusion
Discovering why teams do better when included
Learning practical strategies to lead with inclusion

Creating Psychological Safety and Belonging at Work

Know what helps teams experience emotional safety at work and why. Safety allows a team to take interpersonal risks without fearing judgement or rejection. Learn to take actions that instil psychological safety and belonging, and help people to be fully present and engaged.

What your audience will learn

How psychological safety impacts teams
Creating a respectful and safe workplace
What triggers lack of psychological safety
Why safe teams are also high performing
Learning to create and sustain safety at work

Developing a Culture of Connection and Belonging

A disconnected and disengaged team often falls into lack of commitment and low performance. Help your leaders to make belonging a tangible action, identify moments of disconnection and find meaningful ways to offer connection and belonging to a team.

What your audience will learn

What a culture of belonging looks like
Why teams need to feel belonged at work
Detecting the early signs of disconnection
Fuelling inclusion through engagement
Leadership actions that accelerate belonging

Interrupting and Managing Leadership Biases

Learn about the five key decision-making biases that get in the way of leaders and prevent them from being inclusive, fair, empathetic and accountable. Learn smart ways to identify and interrupt these biases before they derail leadership efforts or exclude your team.

What your audience will learn

How unconscious biases affect decisions
Five decision biases every leader should know
Learning effective ways to interrupt biases
Discovering ideas to jumpstart inclusion
Making progress on inclusive leadership

Building Inclusive and Diverse Teams

Having diversity alone is not enough, and leaders need to have the tools that enable team inclusion, so everyone can deliver on the promise of diversity. Learn how inclusive leaders activate differences to create an energising, inspiring and inclusive work environment.

What your audience will learn

Why diversity is incomplete without inclusion
How to put inclusion before diversity
Learning high impact inclusive practices
Getting your team onboard with diversity
Activating differences and raising inclusion

Advancing Leadership and Opportunity for Women

Find smart ways to get around the age-old issues of women getting stalled in their careers at work. While hiring more women is a clear goal, learn to create pathways for inclusion and equal opportunity for women to thrive and advance into leadership and influence.

What your audience will learn

What gender equality really means at work
Involving men in advancing women’s leadership
Harnessing mentoring and sponsorship
Adopting powerful retention strategies
Creating a sense of gender inclusion at work

Developing Visible Women Leaders

Women leaders often face different relationship and perception challenges compared to men at work. Learn about how women can reframe confidence in a way that interrupts imposter syndrome and propels genuine connections and expands women’s influence.

What your audience will learn

What makes women more visible at work
Reframing confidence and self-worth at work
Learning how to be visible on your terms
Clarifying your leadership values and strengths
Moving from networking to connecting

Check Sonali’s Availability to Speak at Your Event

Client Testimonials

Through AITD, I had the privilege of co-hosting an amazing webinar delivered by Sonali, called ‘Activating an Inclusive Learning Experience'. Sonali’s depth and breadth of knowledge around D&I is quite simply incredible. Her webinar uncovers varying types of facilitation, which are important...

Jennifer W.

Fmr. Programs Manager | Australian Institute of Training and Development (AITD)

Sonali facilitated a team session for our group as part of a team day. Her approach is curious, energetic and positive. Sonali and I had a number of open and pragmatic conversations prior to the day, informing her approach and the material covered. She led an engaging and thought-provoking...

Claire P.

Manager Studies | BHP, Olympic Dam Asset Projects

Sonali’s knowledge and passion for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is second to none. Her professional yet relatable approach to her workshops allows her to connect to all her participants in a very unique way. This in turn means that the learning is absorbed and understood regardless of your...

Alex J.

Infrastructure Manager | La Marzocco Australia

Sonali presented at Beyond Bank Australia ‘In Conversations with D&I” speaking about the topic of Inclusion to our employees. She is an inspiring presenter who speaks authentically, sharing numerous personal experiences around the topic of Inclusion and giving simple practical strategies for our...

Deborah B R.

Fmr. Organisational Development Manager | Beyond Bank Australia

I can unhesitatingly provide a high recommendation for Sonali. She has advanced skills and knowledge in designing and facilitating leadership programs for a range of audiences. Sonali has been a part of our panel of expert facilitators and delivered successful leadership programs for our clients...

Joanna C.

Fmr. Programs Manager | PACE at the University of Adelaide

I recommend Sonali D'silva for designing and developing inclusive leadership development programs. Sonali supported Arup to present a seven-module program across Southeast Asia - opening hearts and minds to the leadership qualities and behaviours which enable inclusive teams.

Abbie W.

Diversity & Inclusion Associate | Arup