Presentation: Engaging with and Controlling Your Inner Dialogue – Before You Speak!
Abstract: Projects don’t stall because you missed a milestone—they stall when communication breaks down, stress spreads, and even experienced leaders struggle to keep people aligned. If you’ve ever felt stuck—not because you didn’t know the process, but because the people part got messy—this session is for you.
This seminar will help you manage emotional investment without losing connection. During this session, you will learn two pragmatic tools that you will dynamically place into your toolbelt through an engaging exercise. Implementing two tools: the “Caring Dial” and “Over the Shoulder,” you’ll create a customized guide to preserve energy, maintain trust, and deliver on outcomes—even in emotionally charged environments.
- Improve cognitive control during a conversation to maintain composure and say what you mean, in the moment.
- Apply emotional intelligence to increase team trust and stakeholder alignment.
- Use visual frameworks to reframe difficult conversations and lead with composure.
Whether you’re managing a high-stakes initiative or navigating everyday friction, this session will leave you with a sharper vocabulary, stronger presence, and the confidence to lead beyond the plan.
PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen
Biography: Margot Halstead, MBA, PMP, MCC is the creator of Owning Your IT: Actionable Tools to Improve Your Interpersonal Communication—a framework that helps project leaders strengthen emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and team alignment. With over 15 years of experience designing and delivering leadership programs for NASA, the Department of Defense, FEMA, and Fortune 500 firms, Margot brings a rare blend of technical precision and human insight to the challenges project managers face every day.
As both a certified PMP and Master Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation (ICF), Margot bridges the discipline of project management with the behavioral science of coaching. Her work focuses on the patterns that derail collaboration—and the tools that restore clarity, composure, and trust. Her signature Grumples—visual bookmarks from her book—help leaders recall techniques under pressure and apply them in real time.
Margot’s sessions are experiential, practical, and deeply aligned with PMI’s Talent Triangle. Participants describe her facilitation as “direct, life-changing, and unforgettable.” Whether you’re navigating stakeholder tension, team burnout, or high-stakes delivery, Margot equips leaders to manage what truly determines project success: the human connection.
