How Leaders Shut People Down – and Why They Must Stop
Leaders can’t make sound decisions based on skewed data. And yet, when the costs of speaking up are high, people go quiet, and leaders find
Leadership Keynote Speaker & Author
Making Sense of Silence, So Better Choices Become Possible
Elaine Lin Hering is an author and leadership keynote speaker known for her work on unlearning silence; helping people and organizations solve for silence so they can collaborate, communicate, and manage conflict.
Leadership Keynote Speaker & Author
Making Sense of Silence, So Better Choices Become Possible
Elaine Lin Hering is an author and leadership keynote speaker known for her work on unlearning silence; helping people and organizations solve for silence so they can collaborate, communicate, and manage conflict.
Trusted by Leading Institutions
THE COST OF SILENCE
Silence Isn’t Neutral, and It’s Costly
Silence undermines teams and stifles talent. It looks like:
- Meetings where only a few voices speak
- Risks that go unraised or unheard
- Key people holding back and quietly quitting
- Leaders asking for input and not getting it
Silence limits learning, innovation, and sound decision-making.
If This Feels Familiar, You’re Not Alone
Elaine Lin Hering understands silence from lived experience and from decades of research, teaching, and facilitation. She works with people and organizations who care deeply and often find themselves thinking:
- “We’ve asked for input—why aren’t people speaking up?”
- “Why won’t people talk to each other instead of about each other?”
- “We offered training on how to give feedback. Why aren’t people having the conversations?!”
Elaine’s work helps people see what’s really happening, so they can choose a different way forward.
Elaine's FREE Webinar
If you’ve been told to “just speak up” and found that advice impractical, this webinar offers a different starting point. Elaine offers guidance for how to speak your mind with discernment, intentionality, and impact.
A PRACTICAL PATH FORWARD
Roadmap for Change
You can’t solve a problem you refuse to see.
Diagnose Accurately
Notice where silence is showing up and what it’s making difficult—conversations, decisions, or collaboration.
Build a Team
Work with Elaine through a keynote, workshop, or ongoing partnership—depending on what you need most.
Open Communication
Use the skills and frameworks so people speak up, work better together, and make more informed decisions.
unleash people's best insights, ideas, and expertise
What Changes When You Solve for Silence
When you address silence, people and organizations begin to see:
- More honest conversations, earlier
- Better decisions based on accurate information
- Leaders who receive and respond to input differently
- People who feel seen, heard, and able to contribute
This isn’t about saying everything. It’s about creating conditions that unleash people’s best insights, ideas, and expertise.
What Clients Say
Next Steps
Ways to Work With Elaine
From keynotes that introduce shared language, to workshops that support application, to resources that help people lead in real-time, each engagement is focused on making your team work.
How to speak your mind, unleash talent, and live more fully
The Book
Unlearning Silence offers a practical and deeply human way to understand silence and choose different responses—at work and in everyday life.
It can be read on your own or used as a shared foundation for learning together.
Resource Hub
The Resource Hub includes articles, guides, webinars, and FAQs that support you in using your voice and unleashing the talent on your team. It’s a good place to start if you’re curious, exploring, or not yet sure whether working with Elaine makes sense for you.
Meet Elaine Lin Hering
Helping People Communicate Clearly and Work Better Together
Elaine Lin Hering is a USA Today bestselling author and keynote speaker known for her work on unlearning silence, helping people understand why they hold back and how to choose differently.
She’s been a Lecturer at Harvard Law School and a managing partner of a global leadership development firm. At the heart of her work are two convictions: everyone deserves to be seen, known, and heard—and the habits we’ve learned can be unlearned.
Meet Elaine Lin Hering
Helping People Communicate Clearly and Work Better Together
Elaine Lin Hering is a USA Today bestselling author and keynote speaker known for her work on unlearning silence, helping people understand why they hold back and how to choose differently.
She’s been a Lecturer at Harvard Law School and a managing partner of a global leadership development firm. At the heart of her work are two convictions: everyone deserves to be seen, known, and heard—and the habits we’ve learned can be unlearned.
A Note from Elaine
The advice, “Just speak up” doesn’t work.
Solving for silence makes it possible for us to honor each other’s talent and dignity. It is the building block for strong organizations, teams, families, and communities – and the world I (and perhaps you also) want to live in.
That’s the work I’m committed to, and I’m glad you’re here.
Find the Words When It Matters Most
When the moment comes, knowing what to say can make all the difference. This free resource gives you four practical phrases you can keep “in your back pocket” to contribute, question, or shift a conversation without shutting it down.
Because speaking up isn’t about being louder. It’s about making sure you’re part of the conversation.
Stay Connected
Receive free monthly no-fluff insights on how to use your voice and unleash talent.
What People Get Wrong When Deciding Whether to Speak Up
As humans, we’re incredibly attune to how costly speaking up can be. If the cost of sharing our perspectives, insights, expertise, or ourselves is too
3 Things to do When You Don’t Know How to Use Your voice
Do you wonder what history books will say about this time? I know I do. Daily headlines, volatility, and things “above our pay grades” can
Frequently Asked Questions
Common Questions About Unlearning Silence
Elaine Lin Hering approaches communication and psychological safety by addressing silence—what causes it, how it’s reinforced, and how it can be unlearned.
Rather than encouraging people to speak up at all costs, she helps leaders and teams recognize why silence exists, how it’s impacting their work, and how to create conditions that make speaking up more effective.
Elaine Lin Hering is known for diagnosing the real problem and offering practical solutions.
Instead of teaching surface-level techniques for speaking up, she helps people understand why silence exists across individuals, teams, and systems—and what they can do to solve for silence.
Yes. Elaine Lin Hering brings a fresh leadership perspective by challenging “just speak up” advice and identifying silence as the underlying issue.
Her work helps leaders rethink communication, collaboration, and conflict-avoidance.
Elaine Lin Hering is well suited for leadership kickoffs, offsites, and conferences focused on collaboration and culture.
Her keynotes give leaders shared language for addressing silence, navigating disagreement, and strengthening cross-functional collaboration.
Yes. Elaine Lin Hering’s work resonates strongly at women’s leadership events because it addresses the real dynamics that shape who speaks and who stays silent.
She offers practical ways to speak with clarity and choice within real-world constraints.
Elaine Lin Hering helps organizations understand how silence shows up and the downsides of “nice” but conflict avoidant cultures.
Her work equips leaders and teams to surface concerns earlier and engage in more productive, direct communication.