Allison Shapira has been inducted into the National Speakers Association’s Speaker Hall of Fame — joining fewer than 1% of professional speakers worldwide.
For my entire life, I've sat at the feet of these speaking legends; I've listened, learned, and grown. It's the honor of a lifetime to sit amongst them.
The Council of Peers Award for Excellence (CPAE) is the speaking industry’s highest lifetime achievement honor. It is awarded by peers, through a rigorous evaluation of a speaker’s integrity, message, delivery, and full body of work, to those who have reached the top echelon of the profession. Allison joins past honorees including Ronald Reagan, Colin Powell, and Zig Ziglar.
Allison received the award at the closing gala of the National Speakers Association’s annual conference in Austin, Texas, surrounded by colleagues, friends, and family.
For over 20 years, Allison Shapira has advised senior leaders — from Fortune 100 executives to prime ministers and cabinet members — on how to build trust and influence through their communication. A trained opera singer, she founded Global Public Speaking in 2003 around the idea that anyone can learn how to captivate an audience.
She is the Washington Post bestselling author of Speak with Impact, Speak with Impact VIRTUALLY, and, most recently, AI for the Authentic Leader, which explores how executives can use AI to strengthen — rather than dilute — their credibility and bring out their authentic voice. She teaches The Arts of Communication at the Harvard Kennedy School and writes for the Harvard Business Review and the World Economic Forum.
Her current work centers on believability: what makes a leader believable in an age of AI, when anyone can generate polished words in seconds. This honor marks two decades of that work: helping leaders find the words, presence, and trust that make people believe them.
Congratulations to the other inductees: Peter Katz, Manley Feinberg, Jess Pettit, and Anton Gun.
Presented by the National Speakers Association, the CPAE recognizes speakers who have demonstrated sustained excellence in professionalism, delivery, and impact over the course of their careers. It is widely regarded as the speaking profession's highest lifetime achievement honor.
Allison Shapira is the founder and CEO of Global Public Speaking, an executive communication and advisory firm, and an adjunct lecturer in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. For over 20 years, she has worked with Fortune 100 executives, heads of state, and cabinet members on how to speak with clarity, trust, and influence. She is the Washington Post bestselling author of Speak with Impact, Speak with Impact VIRTUALLY, and AI for the Authentic Leader. Her guiding principle: how you communicate is how you lead.
