Cultivating Influence through Presence, Storytelling, and Impactful Communication

Thomas Freeland received his B.F.A. and M.A. in Theatre from the University of Colorado and his Ph.D. in Drama from Stanford University. He appeared in several productions at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. He has also appeared in numerous productions with the Stanford Repertory Theatre. He has taught at the University of Colorado, American Conservatory Theatre and Oberlin College. In addition to acting and directing, he writes and translates plays, and has been published in Performing Arts Journal, Modern Drama and New German Critique. He is in his twenty-fifth year as a Lecturer in the Oral Communication Program at Stanford University, teaching Voice, Acting, Public Speaking and Rhetoric.

Matt Abrahams is an educator, author, podcast host, and coach who has published research articles on cognitive planning, persuasion, and interpersonal communication. He teaches popular classes in strategic communication and effective virtual presenting and received Stanford GSB’s Alumni Teaching Award. Outside of the classroom, Matt is a sought-after keynote speaker and communication consultant. He has helped countless presenters improve and hone their communication, including some who have delivered IPO road shows as well as Nobel Prize, TED, and World Economic Forum presentations. His online talks garner millions of views, and he hosts the popular, award-winning podcast Think Fast, Talk Smart The Podcast. His new book, Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You’re Put on the Spot, provides tangible, actionable skills to help even the most anxious of speakers succeed when speaking spontaneously. His previous book, Speaking Up without Freaking Out: 50 Techniques for Confident and Compelling Presenting, has helped thousands of people manage speaking anxiety and present more confidently and authentically.

Jonah Willihnganz is the Director of the Stanford Storytelling Project, an arts program that explores how story craft and practices can be used to create personal and social change. He is also the co-founder of the LifeWorks Program for Integrative Learning in the School of Medicine, which teaches students how to build natural capacities through practices from the arts, humanities, psychology, and wisdom traditions, and he co-leads the Dalai Lama Fellowship program at Stanford. Jonah’s research focuses on how narrative practices can help deepen capacities such as presence, courage, and empathy, and he has published fiction, essays, and articles on literature and pedagogy. He teaches courses in creative writing, American literature, media studies, and critical theory, and created the first college courses on storytelling in audio media. He received a bachelor's degree from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, an MFA in creative writing from Hollins University, and a PhD in English from Brown. 

Dawn J. Fraser is Senior Producer at the Stanford Storytelling Project, where she mentors and coaches students to tell stories across diverse broadcast formats — most notably podcasts and live storytelling events. In this role she coaches speakers to craft, refine, and deliver various kinds of stories, including those who have been selected to speak at TEDxStanford. Dawn is also the Founder and CEO of Fraser’s Edge, Inc, which provides coaching and consulting services for businesses, thought leaders and advocacy based organizations to develop their leadership potential through storytelling. She currently serves as a Lead Instructor with The Moth and was featured as a speaker among some of the nation’s top innovators at TED@NYC. Dawn received her undergraduate degree from UCLA and a Masters in Public Policy (MPP) from Harvard’s Kennedy School, where she was awarded the Barbara Jordan Award for Women’s Leadership.

Helen L. Chen is a research scientist in the Designing Education Lab in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University. She holds an undergraduate degree in communication from UCLA and a PhD in communication with a minor in psychology from Stanford. Helen is a board member of the Association for Authentic, Experiential and Evidence-Based Learning (AAEEBL), co-author of Documenting Learning with ePortfolios: A Guide for College Instructors, and co-executive editor of the International Journal of ePortfolio. She works closely with the Association of American Colleges and Universities and consults with institutions on general education redesign, authentic assessment approaches, design thinking, and personal branding and ePortfolios. Helen's current research and scholarship focus on engineering and entrepreneurship education; the pedagogy of portfolios and reflective practice in higher education; and redesigning how learning is recorded and recognized in traditional transcripts and academic credentials.

John Stafford, MA '06, has deep experience across brand storytelling, campaign strategy, and insights and analytics. John has built two award-winning, nationally-recognized marketing and digital teams that support university leaders in solving complex communications challenges and in driving technology transformation initiatives across the enterprise. John has a Master’s Degree in Communication from Stanford and a B.A. in History from the University of San Francisco.