Dethra Giles

Executive Leadership & HR Strategist, Modern Workplace Influencer, Leadership Communication Expert
Dethra Giles smiling at the camera in a white cutoff shirt and large round brown and block glasses with her hands caressing her face
  • Strategic leadership communicator and workplace culture advisor trusted by organizations including the CDC, NBA, and Salvation Army
  • Recognized among the “Top 100 HR Influencers” (Engagedly) and one of the “Top 22 Most Influential Figures in HR” (HR Gazette)
  • Empowers professionals and organizations to lead with clarity, communicate with confidence, and cultivate energized, resilient teams

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Dethra Giles is a workplace and career optimizer who advises organizations and individuals on how to chart their unique paths to success. She is a four-time TEDx speaker who has been named a “Top 100 HR Influencer” by Engagedly, and was selected by HR Gazette’s “HRchat” podcast as one of the “Top 22 Most Influential Figures in HR.” With clients including Kaiser Permanente, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), The Army Corp of Engineers, Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the Salvation Army, Giles shares timely leadership insights that can be implemented by organizations of any size and across industries. 

Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, Giles shares the principles she has created to help organizations and individuals identify their goals, visualize their potential and set out to achieve above and beyond what they deem possible. She lovingly holds no punches and gets the audience immersed and inspired as she provides her proven framework for how to turn motivation into impact, and how turn impact into action.   

Since 2007, Giles has served as the CEO at ExecuPrep, an international performance optimization firm that works with groups and individuals all over the world to improve performance, productivity, and profit. In her role, she leads a team of, in her words, “dope professionals” who are on a mission to make businesses better from the top down and bottom up. Previously, she has served as adjunct faculty at the Federal Executive Institute, Georgia State University, Mercer University, and as a faculty member for Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses and the Tory Burch Foundation.  

From coaching multibillion dollar organizations to speaking at some of the largest global conferences, Giles strategies sparks a change that ultimately leads to success in all aspects of life. 

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Speaker Video

Dethra Giles on Effective Communication

Dethra Giles: Effective Communication and Resolving Conflicts

From Cubicle to Corner Office: Reimagining Your Journey to Success

Deeper Conversations About Taboo Topics at Work | TEDxSpringHillCollege

Leading Through Change: A Roadmap for Energized and Resilient Leadership. In today’s fast-moving workplace, leaders face growing demands to guide teams through complexity while keeping morale high and vision clear. In this energizing session, Dethra Giles reframes leadership as a communication superpower—an essential skill that enables leaders to inspire action, foster cohesion, and build momentum across their organizations.  

This session highlights how effective communication serves as a key to revitalizing teams, sustaining motivation, and cultivating a positive, future-focused culture. 

Attendees will explore:  

  • How to lead with intention, energy, and clarity—even in the face of evolving priorities 
  • Tools to transform uncertainty into opportunity (like leveraging AI)  
  • Communication techniques that unify teams, align goals, and create a sense of purpose and progress  

Leaders will be ready to embrace the future while navigating the demands of today’s workplace.

How to Win More Fights: Tools for Navigating High-Stakes Conversations. Dethra Giles immediately hooks the audience with a single question: “How many of you want to win more fights at work?” This question resonates deeply because effective communication lies at the heart of successful leadership—and avoiding tough conversations comes at a high price. Leaders who hesitate to address poor performance can drain organizational resources, while teams that fail to speak up against flawed ideas risk costly project failures. 

To combat these challenges, Dethra introduces her proven D.A.R.E. model—Describe, Acknowledge, Review, and Engage—a practical framework designed to build conversational competence. This approach equips participants with the tools to tackle difficult discussions head-on, driving resolutions that benefit everyone involved. By mastering these skills, attendees not only save their organizations significant time and money but also unlock opportunities for personal and professional growth.  

Owning the Room: A Proven Strategy to Amplify Your Voice for Impact. This discussion focuses on empowering professionals to harness the power of their voice. Dethra introduces a proven formula that enables leaders to discover their unique voice, refine it, and transform it into a tool that is both powerful and persuasive. Participants learn how to speak less but say more, assert their presence, and create a lasting impact in any room. Tailored for underrepresented groups and leaders of all levels, the session equips attendees with the confidence and skills to effectively guide teams. 

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