What People Are Saying

  • "Debra led two great training sessions focused on building high-trust relationships and storytelling for business. Our 60-person sales and client success teams loved her interactive and fun approach, and they learned techniques for making deeper connections with each other and with partners. Her expertise in storytelling was apparent and was very relevant to our daily work. Debra taught us how make potential partners the protagonists/heroes of the stories we create and also how to best demonstrate the benefits of partnering with us. I'd definitely recommend bringing Debra into your organization!"

    – Diana Rothschild

    Director, New Business Development - Retail at DoorDash

  • "I took the Stanford Continuing Studies class "Thinking on your feet" last year with Debra Schifrin and Dan Schifrin - and by far it was the best soft skills class I’ve ever taken.... I still reference the material and it really helped me be a better communicator. The class was interactive, fun, and engaging."

    – Jacob Bertram
    Senior Manager Corporate Finance, Nordstrom

  • “Debra's workshop was one of the most fun and insightful that I have ever attended. She did an incredible job of getting us to relax, enjoy connecting with each other virtually, and tying the exercises to practical things to improve our everyday work lives.”

    — Casey Boyles
    Growth Operations and Strategic Initiatives Director, Learning Marketplace at Guild Education

  • "Our team had the pleasure of working with Debra in our recent virtual training workshop on improv and storytelling skills in a business setting. We all loved Debra's workshops - she was able to bring to life improv concepts and how those might be applied in a business setting. She was an excellent teacher - she demonstrated the skill with her co-trainer and then she provided a range of skills for us to practice during the workshop...We'd definitely recommend Debra for future sessions!"

    — Jennie Tung
    Global Head of Bain Academy

  • “I've spent 16 years in sales and have attended many role-play training sessions. Salespeople dislike role-play training, but this course is so well-designed and useful that I would recommend it to any sales organization. I'll definitely share my experiences in this course with my colleagues.”

    — Stanford Continuing Studies Professional in Debra Schifrin's course

  • "What made Debra's session so impactful was that it was experiential and relevant. After each activity, Debra showed us how to apply what we had just learned to our business environments. Debra has an amazing ability to connect with participants and inspire even the most cautious to get up and try it out."

    — Davina Drabkin
    Associate Director of Executive Education, Stanford Graduate School of Business

  • “Debra's 'thinking on your feet' improv workshop was the highlight of our recent virtual offsite… Personally, I came away from the workshop totally energized and put the new learnings to use right away.”

    — Pam Brown
    Managing Director, hrQ

  • “I attended Debra’s workshop which was fun and engaging. The skills I picked up are directly applicable to a business setting. Debra also interacted with some high school girls I mentor. She was wonderful with them, giving practical help and new skills.“

    — Michelle Clayman
    Managing Partner at New Amsterdam Partners LLC and Owner, New Amsterdam Partners LLC

  • “Debra was great! She did an impressive job of relating the principles of improvisation and performance to…communication and presentation in the workplace. Her workshop is particularly great at helping folks develop a deeper level of self-awareness. Participants come away with a clearer definition of the type of presenter they want to be, a better understanding of where they currently stand relative to those goals, and an arsenal of tangible tools… to get from where they are to where they want to be with regards to presentation and confidence.”

    — Wande Olabisi
    Vice President, Altamont Capital Partners

  • “I was part of a high powered group of women leaders who recently participated in Debra's program. I was slightly concerned that they may not relate. I was SO wrong! We engaged in a lively, creative, mutually supportive learning and trust building experience focused on leveraging our listening skills…I highly recommend a collaboration with Debra. She has developed a unique, safe and engaging training platform that focuses on rapidly building collaboration, listening and communications skills.”

    — Linda C. Coughlin
    Independent Board Director; Founder and CEO, Great Circle Associates

  • “Debra is just awesome! She led my team in an improv-based training that was a fun and engaging way to improve our ability to connect with others, collaborate and influence. I was expecting some fun team-building and came away with that and so much more. I highly recommend bringing Debra in if you are looking for a unique, collaborative and impactful approach to training communications, leadership or influence.”

    — Kristy Friedrichs (McBride)
    Chief People Officer, New Relic

  • “Debra is a fantastic teacher and corporate trainer. I took a course Debra co-taught on Spontaneous Management when I was an MBA student at Stanford. It was one of my favorite courses! She does an excellent job integrating the learnings with the activities we do, and thinking intentionally about how to engage students... So beneficial for students and fun at the same time!”

    — Kenneth Fang
    Alumnus, Stanford Graduate School of Business

  • "At Stanford Biodesign, we asked Debra to meet with our fellows to help them with creativity, building on one another's ideas, and general team bonding. She did all of that and more! The feedback we got from the participants was incredibly positive…Plus they had a lot of fun!"

    — Lyn Denend
    Director of Academic Programs, Stanford Biodesign, School of Medicine

  • “We all got a lot from practicing the active listening and the "thinking on your feet" skill set that Debra teaches in an interactive, fun (even on Zoom!) format… I walked away with more energy and new skills. Really appreciate the work that she did and highly recommend her services to others."

    — Mairin Macaluso
    Director of Member Impact and Engagement, Leadership Now Project