Shawna Cole

Organizational development, leadership and change management, learning and talent development, adult learning and facilitation, communication and interpersonal skills, social-emotional intelligence, intercultural communication, workplace relationships, and organizational culture. I'm particularly interested in exploring the hidden consequences of everyday decisions, why seemingly small changes create unexpected work, and how people and organizations navigate complexity.

I hold a Master of Education and have more than 20 years of experience teaching, training, presenting, and facilitating adult learning in academic. Previous: 2024 and 2025 – BC TEAL, TESOL ON, and ATESL Conferences: Presentation on integrating social-emotional learning into English language teaching and curriculum design. November 2025 – Institute for Performance and Learning (I4PL) National Conference: The Social-Emotional Quantum Leap: Designing for Human Agility in Complex Times Upcoming: November 2026 – Institute for Performance and Learning (I4PL) National Conference: Human Skills by Design: Building the Conditions for Use That Turn Skill Into Capability. February 2027 - Languages Canada Conference, Vancouver: Fluent, But Still Struggling: Designing the Human Skills Layer of Language Education May 2027 – CPHR BC & Yukon: Chicken Math at Work, an interactive session exploring the hidden consequences of organizational decisions My broader teaching experience includes TESOL teacher education, communication amd soft skills training, professional development workshops, leadership training, and workplace learning programs. I previously held academic leadership, organization development, and change management roles and have designed and facilitated learning for educators, professionals, and organizational leaders. I am also a published educational textbook co-author and the founder of Cole Educational Designs.

I'm a storyteller at heart and an educator by profession. I love taking complex ideas and making them accessible, relevant, and sometimes a little funny. My lecturing style is conversational, engaging, and grounded in real experiences. I combine storytelling, research, humour, and practical examples to encourage audiences to question assumptions and see familiar situations from new perspectives. I also enjoy incorporating interactive elements that invite people to connect ideas to their own lives. I'm particularly interested in the unexpected consequences of everyday decisions and the ways seemingly small choices can ripple through our work, relationships, and lives. My goal is for audiences to leave not just knowing something new, but noticing something they might never have questioned before.