Who Are My Typical Clients?
They’re normal people with normal public speaking goals—probably like you.
When I look around at the public speaking coaching landscape, the solutions offered often seem rather … dramatic to me. The marketing frequently promises that you’ll ✨Find Your Inner Voice! Learn to Tell Your Story! Become a paragon of Suavity & Charisma, and thereby influence others to do your bidding! Turn speaking situations from petrifying near-death experiences into euphoric triumphs! ✨
These are (sort of) good goals, & I’m sure many people have them. But they’re pretty far removed from my (adult)* students’ struggles & speaking objectives, which tend to be more grounded & practical. In consultations, people usually say things like, “I’m speaking more often at work these days, and I don’t think I’m as effective a communicator as I could be. Plus, sometimes I get kinna nervous, & I want to sound (and be) confident.”
But Steve, all we wanted was the quarterly sales outlook.
For these folks, recounting scintillating sagas or delivering impassioned calls to action aren’t part of their professional day-to-day. They’re more focused on straightforward Corporate America speaking challenges: contributing to some meetings, leading others, giving the occasional presentation, or just chatting with coworkers or networking. Standing ovations aren’t needed—just leaving a good impression, & getting points across in a clear & compelling way.
So, majestic “Friends! Romans! Countrymen! Lend me your ears” rhetorical stylings would just be weird in those settings, as would poignant personal stories that tug at hearers’ heartstrings. This is the office, not the stage—and my coaching approach reflects that. It prioritizes practical, straightforward suggestions & exercises for normal business communication.
Now, I have plenty of other types of students too, many with grander or more niche/unorthodox speaking needs & settings.** & I’m delighted to coach all of them! But if you feel like you’ve got Normal Worker Speaking Problems & want a coach with clear, actionable strategies to tackle them, perhaps we should talk. 🙂
*I also coach children/teens, but this article isn’t about them. This one is.
**We’re talking emcees, DJs, grad students, educators, CEOs, wedding toasters, Tedtalkers & conference speakers, and folks who just want to be better conversationalists.
