Cara Hale Alter

Relying on 20 years of research, Cara Hale Alter has a deep understanding of how nonverbal communication shapes the perception of leadership presence. She literally wrote the book on projecting credibility and confidence: the critically acclaimed The Credibility Code. In workshops, she’s known for delivering precision feedback with warmth and humor. On stage, she’s an energetic and compelling presenter, having won numerous national awards for public speaking.

As the founder of SpeechSkills, Alter has provided training to some of the world’s best-known companies, including Caterpillar, Google, PayPal, Pixar, Pinterest, Kaiser, Schwab and Facebook. A guest lecturer at UC Berkeley, Harvard, Stanford, and UC Hastings College of Law, Alter has also worked with numerous top-100 law firms. She is a frequent media resource, appearing in Forbes.com, The Globe and Mail, USA Today, and countless other media outlets. A past board member of NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners), Alter has had the pleasure of speaking at more than 500 conferences, in 20 different countries. She’s currently a featured expert on the Lean In website with her video series Taming Adrenaline.

With a BA in speech communication and an MFA in theatre, Alter’s early career includes professional work as a voice-over artist and commercial actress. However, perhaps her best preparation for a career as a keynote speaker has been her years spent as a camp counselor for the YMCA.

When she’s not working, Alter enjoys cooking, hiking, and playing board games with her husband and two grown children in their hometown of San Francisco.