About Christie Ward and The Impact Institute

Teams have real issues. We deliver real results.

Communication. Leadership. Teambuilding. These so-called “soft skills” are vital for every team, in every organization. Through interactive, highly customized workshops, trainings, coaching, and keynotes, Christie Ward, CSP and The Impact Institute teach the skills and tools that leaders and teams need to be effective with each other, their managers, their subordinates, and their customers, whether they work in corporations, government entities, or non-profit organizations.

The focus is on learning and building skills – with real-world examples, practical tactics, and interactivity – to meet this outcome: You walk away having learned something. Real behavior change takes place. Individuals are different. Teams are stronger. And significant results are realized, as groups fuse into high-performance teams that tackle strategic business goals.

For leaders at all levels, Christie Ward teaches skills to communicate with crystal-clear clarity. For supervisors and managers, Christie takes the mystery out of managing people by teaching effective, “front line” communication and teambuilding skills. For individual contributors, Christie Ward’s “how-to-fix” workshops teach how to effectively communicate with your colleagues and managers, stressing why each person must take responsibility in building a great team and a great workplace.

BIOGRAPHY: Christie Ward, CSP
Leadership Facilitator and Principal of The Impact Institute™

Christie Ward, CSP is a nationally acclaimed leadership and communication expert known for high-content, high-energy workshops and keynotes that get results. A fearless facilitator who tackles the tough subjects, Christie’s workshops are highly customized to meet organizations’ specific needs and are interwoven with real-world stories and actionable tactics. Since 1999, when she founded The Impact Institute, Christie has focused on communication, leadership, and teambuilding topics that result in more productive teams and effective leadership. Highlights include lowering union grievances at an AT&T division by 66%. In addition, she personally coached the World Champion of Public Speaking for the year 2000. Previously, as Director of Training for CareerTrack, Inc., Christie coached and managed 200 of the best professional trainers around the world.

A leader on and off the platform: Examples of Christie Ward’s accomplishments in life, in business, and as a committed volunteer

  • Lowered union grievances 66% with a companywide training intervention at AT&T in Denver
  • Turned around numerous mission-critical teams in federal and local government
  • As a Client Development Manager, took a sales team to the top, quarter after quarter
  • Directed a worldwide, internationally acclaimed trainer corps of over 200
  • Voted by her peers to be Chair of the prestigious National Advisors to Chapters for ASTD and serves on the National Board for ASTD
  • Awarded NSA/Colorado Member of the Year in 2008, 2009, and 2011
  • Personally coached the World Champion of Public Speaking in 2000
  • Shepherded her daughter through a successful bone-marrow transplant
  • Active supporter and volunteer at the Tennyson Center for Abused Children in Denver, where she judges a speech contest for the children every year
  • Active volunteer with Goodwill Industries, where she conducts mock-scholarship interviews with inner-city high school students to get them ready for the real deal
  • Taught in inner-city schools and colleges in 3 states
  • Lost 90 pounds and kept it off since 1985

Professional memberships, education, and certifications

  • Earned her Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation in 2009 (held by fewer than 10% of the professional speakers in the International Speakers Federation)
  • Association for Talent Development (ATD): Current and past positions include Program Advisory Committee for the International Convention and Expo, Chair 2016
  • National Speakers Association (NSA), Colorado Chapter: Current and past positions include President, Past President, Director and Founder of the Colorado Speakers Academy
  • Awarded the ASTD-Rocky Mountain Chapter Best Practices award for a program that lowered union grievances at AT&T in Denver by 66%
  • Academic year abroad at the Universidad de Valencia, Spain
  • Undergraduate degree from University of Southern California
  • Graduate studies at Portland State University in Adult Education
  • Certified in Zenger-Miller, Achieve Global
  • Certified in Situational Leadership
  • Certified in Global Integration Matrix Management
  • Certified in Everything DiSC Behavioral Profiling
  • Certified in the Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team
  • Certified in People In Flow
  • Certification pending for Neurolink

Schedule a workshop, training, or keynote for your group.
Forge a stronger team. Contact us now.