Public Speaking Coaching
Speaking in front of an audience is a craft, not a talent. The mechanics — pace, structure, where to pause — can be worked on deliberately. We do.
What this work covers
Most professionals who come to this kind of coaching are not bad speakers. They are competent speakers who occasionally lose the room, or who communicate more clearly one-to-one than they do in front of groups, or who notice that their credibility in a large meeting is lower than it should be given what they actually know.
The work is close and attentive. We look at the material you are working with, the structure you have given it, and the way you move through it when you speak. Sometimes the issue is in the structure. Sometimes it is in the pace. Sometimes it is in where the weight falls — which sentences you are treating as important that the audience is not following as important, and vice versa.
Who comes for this
Professionals preparing for board presentations, Select Committee appearances, conference slots, internal briefings to senior leadership, investor pitches, and high-stakes internal reviews. Also: people who have been promoted into roles where public speaking is suddenly more frequent and want to work on the adjustment deliberately rather than by trial and error.
This is not the right work if you are looking for media training (I am not a broadcast coach) or voice work (there are specialists for that). It is the right work if the issue is in the content, the structure, or the delivery of a specific professional context.
The first version is not the final version
Preparation takes time — this is the slower part of the work, and it is the part that matters most. I sit with the material in advance of sessions. We go through it carefully together. The version you leave with is not the version you arrived with.
The work in practice
A senior manager at a public-sector body in Achmony had been asked to present a significant change programme to the board — her first time presenting at that level. She came in two weeks before the presentation. The material was detailed and accurate; the structure was not serving the audience. Over three sessions we rebuilt the order, identified the two decisions the board actually needed to make, and cut the slide deck in half. She told me afterwards that the board asked sharper questions than she had anticipated and that she had the answers ready.
Each engagement is different. The coach is responsible for the rigour of the process; the client is responsible for the action between sessions; the result is what the two combined produce in the conditions of the time.
Some things people ask about this work
What does a public speaking session actually look like?
Sessions run for sixty minutes. We work on the specific piece you are preparing — a board presentation, a panel appearance, a conference slot. The first session is about taking stock: what you are trying to do, what is getting in the way, what the audience actually needs to hear. After that, we work on the material itself — structure, sequence, weight, pacing. The version after the version is part of the work.
Is this done online or in person?
Both are available. In-person sessions take place at an office in Achmony, a short walk from The business district. Online sessions are via video call. For rehearsal work — standing up and running through a presentation — some clients find it useful to be in the room together. We discuss what makes sense for your situation before we start.
Who is this not for?
This is not media training, not voice coaching, and not performance work for broadcasters or actors. If you need specialist voice work — projection, accent, breath support — I can point you towards people who do that carefully. What I work on is the structure, sequencing, and delivery of professional presentations: the content side of communication, not the technical voice side.
Can I have a single session rather than a programme?
Yes. Some clients come for one session specifically to work through a presentation they have coming up in the next week or two. That is a legitimate use of the work, and it is the right call if you have a specific event rather than a pattern you want to address. A single session is £185. If it is useful, we can talk about whether continuing makes sense.
How much does it cost?
A single session is £185 for sixty minutes. The 6-session programme is £720, which includes session time, written notes after each session, and a between-session brief on the area we are working on. The 12-session programme is £1,450 and adds a mid-programme review and a written assessment at the close. Payment plans are available — ask when you make contact. Full terms, including the cancellation policy, are on the Terms page.
The first conversation costs nothing.
Half an hour, online or by phone, to discuss what you are working on and whether this kind of coaching would be useful.
Book a free callOr call directly: +44 7713 692 048