Australia's authority on trustworthy communication for leaders and brands.
Brands, leaders and communities around the world are suffering from a trust plummet.
Book Dr Neryl East and your audience will be inspired, energised and equipped to communicate in a new and powerful way, exploding distrust and building robust relationships and reputations.
As an authority on trustworthy communication for leaders and brands, Neryl brings to your event her unique blend of down-to-earth, warts-and-all experience, considered perspective and irreverent humour.
Who else could bring so much life to a story about an anti-corruption case that the audience is laughing while they learn the lessons?
Neryl has been a trusted adviser to leaders at the highest level - from the Chief of Defence to CEOs and Premiers - and has galvanised teams to rebuild trust during times of extreme challenge and change.
She’s sought after as a media commentator across TV, radio and print on brand catastrophes and communication crises.
She’ll take the time to learn about your audience and event, ensuring not only that you achieve your goals, but that people are raving about her session and excited to implement what they’ve learned. Think of Neryl as an extension of your team, invested in your success.
In her presentations, Neryl draws on colourful experiences from her career that encompass radio and TV, Olympic announcing and advising executives during major public crises.
She doesn’t just speak about trustworthy leadership, she’s been a leader herself – in senior government roles over decades, as the CEO of an award-winning industrial business and the President of a national peak body.
As well as being the author of five books, including an Amazon best-seller on media and reputation, Neryl has a PhD in Journalism and is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP).
Dr Neryl East isn’t just a speaker – she's a magnetic force of inspiration and transformation.
Talking Points
Trust Under Pressure: Be believable in a world consumed by doubt
Trust is in crisis and brands are under the microscope like never before.Trust Under Pressure: Be believable in a world consumed by doubt
From tech failures and cyber hacks to leadership blunders on a grand scale, we’ve seen reputations unravel in a heartbeat.
Mass uncertainty, polarised views and relentless scrutiny have reshaped expectations.
From employees to customers, clients and community, people with a stake in your brand are no longer passive. They demand transparency, accountability, and consistency - and they expect it now.
Inside organisations, this crisis of trust shows up as disengagement, a rampant rumour mill and fractured culture. Leaders and teams aren’t connected. There’s cautious communication and decision paralysis.
This presentation is your reset button. Dr Neryl East delivers incisive, actionable frameworks that enable brands, leaders and teams to rebuild credibility from the inside out.
We’ll cover three impactful pillars of content, customised for your specific needs and based on Dr Neryl’s Trust Personas:
The Truth-Teller: Authentic clarity in action.
It’s harder to tell fact from familiarity; if it’s said often enough, many people will believe it. Brands that thrive understand the keys to cutting through with clarity.
• A powerful framework to build believability
• Three-pronged credible communication process
• Compelling examples of authenticity in action
The Translator: A consistent cadence of connection.
We have more communication channels than ever, but more blockages to connection. People are stressed, overwhelmed and zoned out. Astute leaders and brands act as a conduit between their organisation and audience, translating messages so the meaning is understood and acted on.
• A proven methodology to connect deeply with others
• Apply positive influence by understanding what matters most to your teams, customers and community
• Build deep rapport and trust across diverse audiences and generations
The Trust Torchbearer: Be a brand that inspires trust.
Trust has plummeted in all forms of leadership and authority. There’s a crucial need for everyone involved in your brand to be a torchbearer of trust, modelling consistent behaviour that ensures they are believable, dependable and reputable even in the toughest of times.
• Positively shape perception through a new level of credibility
• Implement a proven framework to be a trusted voice and dependable anchor
• Galvanise your team as your brand’s most important reputation ambassadors
As a result of this presentation, your audience will:
1. Overcome one of the biggest trust barriers; lack of believability. They’ll stop causing confusion through hazy, hesitant communication. They’ll start having more impact through clarity, credibility and confidence.
2. Implement proven tools to relate deeply with others, whether inside the organisation or out in the public domain. They’ll stop contributing to negative issues, conflict and toxic cultures through misaligned or tone-deaf language. They’ll start communicating in a way that builds trust through understanding audience needs. They’ll become more engaged and customer-focused.
3. Reclaim and build trust through every interaction, day by day. They’ll stop inadvertently damaging their own reputation and that of their brand and start leading as trust champions, regardless of their role.
Ignite Your Influence How to command centre stage by being an outstanding, credible communicator.
Do people sit up and take notice when you communicate?Ignite Your Influence How to command centre stage by being an outstanding, credible communicator.
With trust at an all-time low, people are looking for credible voices. It’s never been more important for leaders at all levels to step up with influence – even if that feels uncomfortable.
This session will enable audience members to:
• Rapidly establish trust and rapport so others listen, respond and act on their information
• Implement a unique framework so they’re effective in high-stakes conversations, meetings and presentations
• Perform at their peak even when they’re not feeling confident
This presentation transforms both inner conversations and external performances!
From the secret stories you tell yourself to powerful lessons learned in a career spanning TV, the Olympics and some of Australia's biggest public scandals, Neryl takes you on an enthralling journey that will awaken the influential communicator within you.
Ignite Your Influence is perfect for audiences who want to increase their influence and success, and businesses and organisations requiring inspired and confident staff.
It can be delivered in-person or virtually and can be tailored to any length between 30 and 120 minutes. It can also be extended to a half-day workshop or Intensive.
Leading in the Spotlight: How to be a transformational leader who commands attention through outstanding communication
Today's leaders must be exceptional communicators, especially in spotlight situations - when the pressure is on and stakes are high.Leading in the Spotlight: How to be a transformational leader who commands attention through outstanding communication
In this keynote, Dr Neryl East draws on her extensive experience in the spotlight and reveals the secrets of communicating with such clarity and credibility that people sit up, take notice and act on your message.
Your audience will:
- Super-charge their credibility in pressure situations by knowing how to authentically communicate the right balance of strength and warmth
- Implement a unique framework that ensures they connect with their audience - whether in high-stakes conversations, presentations or media interviews
- Be equipped with a highly effective structure in crisis situations so they know what to say and when to say it
It's ideal for senior and mid-level leaders in any sector or organisation who are serious about creating and sustaining an outstanding reputation. It can be delivered in-person or virtually as a stand-alone presentation or extended into a highly engaging half-day Intensive.
Whether in the board room, on a stage or Zoom call, or in the glare of media lights, in our changed world it's never been more important for leaders to step up with confidence and certainty under pressure.
Harness the power of AI without killing your credibility
Generative AI is miraculous for saving time and resources – but use it unwisely and your credibility will take a hit.Harness the power of AI without killing your credibility
Staff in your organisation are no doubt using ChatGPT and other platforms as time-savers and research tools – in many cases under the radar of any regulation.
This presentation unveils the sweet spot, where the brilliance of generative AI can co-exist with your personal and business reputation.
It goes well beyond a traditional “new AI tools” session, awakening your awareness of the reputation risks and how you can manage them, so you're harnessing the bots for positive results.
You'll walk away with essential insights and tools to use generative AI to enhance, not destroy, your reputation.
Your audience will:
- Take away new guardrails for using generative AI without creating reputation harm
- Have a framework for positively regulating generative AI in their organisation
- Identify generative AI opportunities and risks specific to their sector
This session is ideal as a stand-alone conference keynote or an extended half-day workshop program.
Be Extraordinary, One Choice at a Time
Long before a global pandemic turned life upside down, each of us faced our own kinds of disruption. Be Extraordinary, One Choice at a Time
For Neryl East and her husband, Mike, that involved one life-altering moment.
Rather than accepting a bleak “new normal”, they went from their darkest night to an incredible triumph – all through small, moment-by-moment choices.
After hearing this story you’ll truly understand that you can, at any time, disrupt your own life and create the extraordinary.
This joyful, compelling and invigorating presentation shows audiences how setting a “giggly goal” can transform their business, relationships and life. It’s a fresh take to re-set hope and optimism in a post-pandemic world.
Your audience will:
- Use the momentum of negative experiences to propel them to the next level of success in any area of life.
- Implement the keys to making high-quality choices that will shape their extraordinary future
- Take a clear path of action to springboard their results beyond what they dreamed they could achieve
This presentation can be delivered in-person or virtually and can be tailored to any length between 30 and 120 minutes.
It can be delivered by Dr Neryl East alone or as a duo with Michael McKeogh.
It’s wonderful as a closing presentation or for specific events like International Women’s Day.
Local Government Topics
Dr Neryl East is Australia's authority on local government communication and leadership. She has extensive experience providing support and advice to both Councillors and Executive teams.Local Government Topics
After a career in television and radio, Neryl moved into senior council communication roles, including at Wollongong City Council where she managed the fallout from Australia’s most notorious local government corruption scandal. Her book on that issue, Named and Shamed, was serialised in the media.
As a speaker and master class facilitator, Neryl now provides strategic support to council leaders nationwide. She convenes the Local Government Communication Professionals Network, comprising 1000 council communicators around Australia.
In her presentations Neryl draws not only on her local government experience but also her work with senior leaders in other sectors, including the former Chief of the Defence Force General Angus Campbell, Police Commissioners and transport leaders.
For senior Council leaders and elected Councillors:
-Misinformation, Disinformation and Activism: How to build trust in an increasingly turbulent world.
- Building and Leading a Resilient Community Through Times of Crisis
- Leading in the Spotlight: How to stand out (for the right reasons) when your community is watching
- High-stakes communication in a political environment
- Navigating ChatGPT and more in local government (AI and credibility)
- The hottest trends and biggest challenges in local government communication
Councillor education:
- From campaigner to civic leader: How to work as a team without compromising individual values
(this touches on Code of Conduct, media and social media practices, behaviour in the
Chamber)
- Positive social media practices for Councils (including how to respond to negative comments, bullying, trolls etc)
- Advanced media skills for Councillors (includes speaking in the Chamber)
Sessions for senior leaders and council management teams:
- The keys to building trust with the community
- Credible communication for Council leaders (includes difficult conversations, communication about change)
- Advanced media skills for Council leaders
Video
Dr Neryl East | Speakers Showreel | Connected Audiences
Dr Neryl East is a professional speaker and executive coach who shows leaders how to be heard, stand out and command influence.Dr Neryl East | Trust Under Pressure sample
From the hidden stories we tell ourselves to powerful lessons learned in a career spanning TV, the Olympics and some of Australia's biggest public scandals, Neryl takes you on an entertaining journey that will ignite the influential communicator within you.Dr Neryl East | Ignite Your Influence sample
Everyone in your team has a new and pivotal role to play, regardless of their position. Whether they know it or not, they're your organisation's secret reputation weapon. This presentation shifts thinking as leaders and team members gain a new perspective on the critical importance of clear communication within your business - particularly after the changes driven by COVID-19.Great presentation and full of such real-world and valuable advice that we can all use. ... keep reading Woollahra Municipal
An excellent presentation. People were talking about it in the halls for the rest of the conference.
Very motivating, inspiring, funny and full of fabulous advice.
Insightful and dynamic!
We highly recommend Dr Neryl East. Her stories were highly engaging for our members and her presentation was very practical.
Thanks for sharing your wisdom, knowledge, experience and in particular your tailored tips. Great feedback from all our staff and Councillors involved.
A fantastic presentation!
Neryl is no doubt the best speaker I have ever heard.
Extremely powerful.
Her passion, energy, immense knowledge and easy style has made her a favourite.
I can’t recommend her more highly.
Fantastic content, actionable in the workplace immediately.
Thank you Neryl, fantastic presentation, valuable content, thoroughly enjoyed this session. We need more!
We have received lots of positive feedback on your session – lots to think about!
People were talking about it in the halls for the rest of the conference.
Neryl not only provides practical advice for communicating with influence, she also showcases how it should be done. She is engaging and charismatic; she understands and connects with her audience; and she shares highly quality, relevant content. Highly recommended.
We highly recommend Dr Neryl East. Her stories were highly engaging for our members and her presentation was very practical.
I've not come across anyone with the range of skills and experience that Neryl offers.
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