Sonya Hamlin - Recent Activities

RECOGNITION AND AWARDS

Mass. Broadcasters Hall of Fame: Sonya has been inducted to the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame in honor of her many innovative years on TV in Boston: as host of the groundbreaking Sonya Hamlin Show, as first cultural reporter in the U.S. and as creator/host of Meet the Arts on WGBH for PBS.

Rioult Dance Company Honor: The Pascal Rioult Dance Company honored Sonya Hamlin this May by hosting a dance concert at the Joyce Theatre and a Gala event in her honor on April 16, 2009. Since her career began as a dancer and chairman of the Dance Departments at Radcliffe and Harvard, Sonya has been invaluable as spokesperson, host and inspiration for Pascal Rioult and members of the Rioult company.

TELEVISION

TODAY Show-NBC: Sonya, a long-time contributor, was a guest on the Today show on March 25, 2009 discussing her concept of "Age is Just a Number"

RADIO

WBZ Radio - Sonya was a guest on the Jordan Rich Show in September, 2009 to highlight her induction into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

Total Picture Radio - Sonya was interviewed by Peter Clayton on Total Picture Radio, The Voice of Career Leadership, a channel devoted to career advancement and emerging trends in the job market. On September 23, 2009 Sonya discussed, "Connecting in Today's Stressed Out Workplace" and on a follow up interview on December 10, 2009, "Can You Handle Criticism? How to take it and how to give it".

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Financial Women's Association Coaching Summit: Sonya presented "Do People Listen When you Talk? What it takes to be heard and understood today" to a group of 400 at Credit Suisse in New York. Using role play and audience involvement, Sonya updated everyone's ideas about what it takes to be heard today; what new kinds of personal skills you need to present, explain and persuade in today's emailing, non-talking world.

Insurance Accounting & Systems Association Regional Conference: In a highly animated and interactive presentation with audience participation, Sonya presented "Creating a strong imprint and branding yourself" to a group of 150 sales executives.

LEGAL AND JURY CONSULTING

January 28, 2010: Sonya began webcasting a live series for Thomson Reuters, based on her latest book Now What Makes Juries Listen. The first webcast was entitled The Impact of Technology on Today's Jurors. Sonya discussed how technology has affected today's jurors and what litigators need to do now.

April 20, 2010: Sonya Hamlin hosted the 2nd in a series of live webcasts entitled Major Generational Differences in Today's Jurors, Beliefs, Values, Goals and Credibility Issues. This webcast was based on the chapters from her book Now What Makes Juries Listen highlighting the major changes that have taken place in today's jurors and what new awareness and techniques trial lawyers now need to use to create successful outcomes.

February 9, 2010: Jurors in the Age of Google: Sonya addressed the annual conference of the Federal Bar Council in Hawaii. This conference was attended by appellate and federal judges and the lawyers who present before them. The subject was Jurors in the Age of Google and how the courts will handle the new problems created by the technology age and the differing standards of the four generations who sit on juries.

Sonya's role was to help the assembled members understand what happened to communication and how the Internet, cellphones, and Google have changed us. She presented an analysis of what people, i.e., jurors, expect to communicate and learn now and how that affects their responses in court. She demonstrated many new skills and approaches to handling the new jury more effectively, even suggesting some changes to the charges given by judges.

June 9, 2009: Guthrie Theatre: Continuing Legal Education (CLE): "Love, Law and Legislation" at the Guthrie Theatre. Minneapolis. Sonya hosted and moderated a continuing legal education program (CLE) sponsored by Thompson Reuters (her publisher) and the famed Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis.

The subject of this groundbreaking program was the law and sex discrimination. Several scenes from Tony Kushner plays and real life events were presented to explore the issue, with a panel, Tony Kushner himself as well as Sonya speaking. The Audience was made up of 400 lawyers and the program was also webcast online.

Consultant: Sonya has been actively as a jury and communications consultant in a major case over the last several months, preparing both lay and expert witnesses, creating demonstrative evidence and communication strategies for a major case.

Coach: Sonya dealt with the challenge of explaining complex legal matters to the press as she coached senior executives at the ABA in presentation skills last summer.

ACTING

Hourglass: Following her spirit that continues to reach out for new ways to express new and basic truths and to make a difference, Sonya has just completed starring in a new play, Hourglass, about Myra Goldman, leading activist and intellectual voice who blasts our society for creating mediocrity; at the Gene Frankel Theatre in New York.

Vagina Monologues: Performed throughout the world, Sonya starred in the New York presentation of the Vagina Monologues. Money was raised for women's causes that provide safe housing and support for women and children.

I Never Saw Another Butterfly: Choreographer: A musical play created from the poetry of concentration camp children in Prague, Sonya choreographed all the songs and staged the movement. The play tells the story of how these children were encouraged by teachers in the ghetto to write and paint. The poems and paintings were saved and are on exhibit in the Prague Museum. The show played the whole month of June in New York's Community Church.

Shakespeare & Co.: Sonya performed in two new plays, one with Olympia Dukakis at Shakespeare & Co. in Lenox, MA.