Accomplished speaker, trainer, author and storyteller, Afsaneh Noori captivates her audience by authentically sharing her colorful stories that teaches the art of going beyond survival to thrive in change.
Iranian born and raised, Afsaneh and her immediate family moved to the United States in 1974. This migration was a major change that marked the way she perceived life from that point on. Moving from Middle East to USA at 20, Iran’s Revolution and execution of her loved ones, Going from riches to rags, Multiple marriages and divorces, Leaving corporate life to start a business, Becoming a mother, and Rejecting Islam at 12 to becoming a UU at 52 are among the changes that she has made work in her life and that gives her the passion to help others through change.
Afsaneh graduated from the University of South Florida, where she earned her Bachelors of Science in Industrial Engineering. She then began her career as an Engineer with the Tampa Electric Company (TECO). The company quickly recognized her capabilities beyond the traditional role of engineer. Her role grew to that of an Internal Consultant, Trainer, Team Developer and Change Agent. She went on to lead a company-wide education program called Changing Gears, intended to help employees understand the effects of competition and change have within the utility industry and TECO. This project culminated in her co-producing a training video and coaching upper and middle management for implementation.
Afsaneh left TECO in 1994 to become a professional organizational consultant and trainer. She founded Socio-Tech Systems, Inc., a consulting firm that supported organizations in developing balanced strategies for transformational change. In addition, she collaborated with two other well-known consulting groups, Productivity Development Systems, Inc. and The Human Dimension, to continue her ongoing education and work in the field. Her client list included Ford, Caterpillar, United States Air force, Nortel, City of Tampa, and FL Recreation & Parks Association, among others.
Afsaneh launched her newest project, Change Thrivers in 2006 based on her book Change Thrivers- Your Resource Guide for Making Change Work. In 2009, she left the consulting work behind to focus her attention to teaching Change Thrivers skills. Afsaneh’s work is based on the belief that her work is also her spiritual expression; her reason for being in the world at this particular time. She strongly feel that all the events of her life including the 20 years of work as an organizational change consultant have brought her to this point in time, so she can facilitate others to thrive in change.
In Change Thrivers, Afsaneh draws upon her organizational consulting experience as well as her personal journey towards self-discovery. Through Change Thrivers, Afsaneh teaches individuals how to embrace change and realize their undiscovered potential. From books and keynote speeches to seminars, workshops and a monthly radio show, Afsaneh’s Change Thrivers empowers people to successfully navigate the uncertainty of change by understanding the nature of change and trusting the process of life.
“Inspiring!”, “Empowering!”, “Entertaining!”, “Thought provoking!”
These are just a few of the comments your audience will cheer with Afsaneh Noori at your next event. Afsaneh’s presentations are modified in length for keynote speeches, workshops or intensives. The topics of her presentations are:
1. Thriving in Change
This workshop is based on Afsaneh’s book Change Thrivers—Your Resource Guide for Making Change Work. It is designed to help individuals explore the nature of transformational change. They examine suitable responses to welcome the various stages of change. The Change Thriver Model focuses them on developing three sets of necessary characteristics; solid mindset and belief system to stay anchored, self-preservation tools to weather the storms, and effective approach to reinvent themselves. The awareness and techniques gained in this workshop empowers participants to go beyond survival and thrive through changes.
2. Compassionate Change Leadership
This is a dynamic learning program for leaders who want to gracefully guide change initiatives. It focuses on how to lead organizations through the most challenging aspects of change: understanding the need for it and the initial resistance to it. Organizations constantly face new challenges that require evolving policies and processes. Yet organizational change also means individual change, which is often an emotional experience for the people going through it. Beyond surviving change, organizations can learn to thrive in change!
3. Change-Ready Organizations
Leading and functioning well in a changing organization requires effective leadership skills, integration of social and technical team skills, and aligning support systems. Understanding the nature of change and the human side of work is the key to creating a collaborative work environment. This workshop offers an overview for establishing collaborative team based environments where people are equipped to respond to change effectively and can take advantage of the opportunities it may offer.
Change is Life in Motion... Anything that lives changes. We cannot stop change but we can choose how to change.