.jpg/:/cr=t:7.45%25,l:0%25,w:100%25,h:71.43%25/rs=w:365,h:365,cg:true)
Adrienne S. Harris
Creator, Swann Consulting
Facilitator, Writer-Editor, Coach
Consulting Philosophy and Approach
I started Swann Consulting in March 2008 with a simple philosophy: To lead effectively, leaders must communicate effectively. So, I help leaders
- get clear about their communications purpose
- understand their audiences and how best to connect with them
- create compelling leadership stories
- gain and maintain trust by communicating with integrity.
Key Skills and Abilities
Depending on their specific needs, I support my clients as a
- strategic thinking partner
- results-oriented facilitator
- persuasive communicator
- adaptable project manager
- relationship-focused coach.
Experience and Education
Before I started Swann Consulting, I
- served as chief of staff for CARE USA
- served as chief of staff and head of executive communications for Morehouse College
- earned a master's degree in communication from Georgia State University
- earned a bachelor of arts degree in sociology from Emory University.
Training and Coaching
In addition to consulting through my company, I am a facilitator and coach for two training and development firms:
- Ariel helps business leaders achieve success through powerful, authentic, results-oriented communications. I lead virtual and in-person workshops on writing and editing, presentation development, and leadership presence.
- Inspiring Educators helps public education leaders enhance their leadership and communications skills. I lead virtual and in-person workshops on cultivating leadership presence, framing critical issues, and crafting inspiring narratives.
How a Bedtime Story Led Me to My Mission
The seed that ultimately blossomed into my work as a leadership communications consultant was planted when I was six years old.
My father, mother, sister and I lived at Prairie Shores, a high-rise apartment community in South Chicago, within walking distance of Lake Michigan. Francine Brown, a neighbor who lived across the hall from us, sometimes told me and my younger sister children’s bedtime stories.
One night, after Jerri had fallen asleep, Aunt Francine whispered to me: “Tonight, I’m going to tell you a different kind of story -- a true story.”
It was the tale of Hannibal, a great military commander from the ancient city of Carthage on the north coast of Africa. She described how he successfully led his army against Rome with an audacious and creative strategy, crossing the Alps on elephants to surprise enemy troops from behind.
Through the picture her words painted in my mind and the meaning they impressed on my heart, I witnessed the colorful pageantry of Hannibal’s advance and understood his courageous determination to protect his homeland.
That was the night I fell in love with true stories -- captivated by the power of narrative to portray in my imagination the unfolding of actual events. Later, I learned that people become what we imagine ourselves to be in the stories we consistently tell.
I am a leadership communications consultant because I am on a mission to create more good in the world. I do that by helping mission-driven leaders use persuasive communications to engage with their stakeholders, craft stories of the best possible future they can imagine, and work together to create that future in the present.
With the right story, anything is possible.
