Who am I?
When people find out I'm a public speaking coach, they tend to make two assumptions. Firstly, I must love public speaking and secondly, I must come from some sort of performing background.
Neither of these is true!
I used to be the COO of a London start-up and have never sought the spotlight! Public speaking isn't something that comes naturally to me. I learned how to present because, like many of you, I didn't have a choice.
This path has been critical to my success as a coach.
It's taught me that what you say matters as much as how you say it, and that anyone can look confident, but feeling confident is what really matters.
But most importantly of all, it's taught me that being able to communicate your ideas effectively magnifies your ability to affect change.
Your work is only as good as your ability to communicate it.
Learning how to deliver high-stakes presentations helped me grow my previous business from 4-250 people.
When I became the founder of TEDxClapham, I saw that one, short presentation could go on to have a monumental impact. Talks I've worked on have gone on to change government legislation, attract 8-figure investments and create life-changing opportunities for the speakers themselves.
Equally important are the presentations that happen behind closed doors in board rooms and at company-wide events. Working with presenting teams inside organisations has been incredibly fulfilling. Whether it's preparing senior leadership to communicate their vision to the team, or accelerating the careers of the company's rising stars.
It's one of the reasons I wrote Make It Count. Delivering presentations in those environments can be very intimidating for the person having to do it and very frustrating for the people who’ve got to listen to it. This book serves to bridge that gap!
To see it being given to whole teams and new starters as part of their onboarding has made the challenge of writing it more than worth it!
