Sian Beilock
Dr. Sian Beilock, cognitive scientist and President of Dartmouth College, is reshaping how leaders navigate conflict and change. Known for her calm, decisive approach, she offers research-driven tools for managing crisis, polarization, and institutional upheaval.
When other campuses fractured under protest, Dartmouth stayed steady—thanks to Beilock’s early action: facilitating expert-led discussions that modeled how to think, not what to think. She champions free expression, but not when it silences others.
Beilock’s leadership centers on clarity, dialogue, and courage. Drawing from studies on groupthink and dissent, she fosters cultures where bold ideas thrive.
Her message: authentic leadership doesn’t avoid conflict—it creates space for diverse voices and critical thinking. In a time of misinformation and pressure, Beilock equips leaders to stay grounded, act fast, and lead purposefully.
Beilock is a best-selling author whose books, such as Choke and How the Body Knows Its Mind, cover the science behind behavior under pressure and the link between mind and body. Her writing connects deep cognitive research with valuable ideas for anyone seeking top-level results.
Topics
Leadership and Communication in the Workplace
Simple things managers do, from putting the take-home point of an email in the first paragraph to helping to foster ’collective intelligence’ in their teams can make the difference between good vs. great performance. In this talk, Sian Beilock delivers the latest research on best-practices for leadership and communication.
Fostering Teamwork—Especially in Times of Crisis
The brain registers social pain much in the same way that it registers physical pain. This fact puts a whole new spin on how to develop teamwork. For instance, teamwork exercises that help people feel more physically connected may help foster mental connectedness as well. Sian Beilock unpacks the most recent brain science to help your group perform at its best.
Creating Better Thinkers, Communicators, and Performers
We often know what to do, but not how to tell someone else how to do it—the so-called ’curse of expertise.’ Putting together teams of people with varied knowledge and experience helps ensure everyone is on the same page. In this presentation, Sian Beilock delivers insights from social science research on creating the best teams and the best conditions to foster optimal individual and group performance.
Enhancing Productivity Through Science-Backed Brain Hacks
When you are stuck on a problem, you are more likely to come up with the solution if you take a break rather than if you continually toil away, beating your head against the wall. Psychologists call it the ’incubation effect.’ Taking a break is akin to rebooting a computer when it has frozen, dead ends are lost and you come back with a blank slate, more likely to find the solution. Psychology and neuroscience hold many of the keys to optimal performance. Audiences will leave this accessible and illuminating presentation with simple, science-driven strategies that enable them to work smarter and perform better.
Choke
Why do the smartest students often do poorly on standardized tests? Why did you tank that interview or miss that golf swing when you should have had it in the bag?Why do you mess up when it matters the most — and how can you perform your best instead?
Choke: How to Perform Your Best Under Stress
What happens in our brain and body when we experience performance anxiety? What are we doing differently when everything clicks into place? What specific techniques should we utilize to ensure the best performance when it matters most? In an energetic tour of the latest brain science, Dr. Sian Beilock explains why we all too often blunder when the stakes are high and what we can do to ensure that we put our best foot forward when the pressure is on.
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