Jan 16, 2015
Last week I met someone who had recently invested a significant amount of money on Public Speaking training. He then gave an important speech but was disappointed with the feedback. And in retrospect, he was not happy with his performance.
When I met the gentleman he was animated, engaging and had charisma; he explained some of the things he was asked to do. I must admit I was slightly concerned because it appeared to be stiffling his natural presence. He asked me to watch the video of his speech to see what I thought. I hasten to add he wasn't asking me to train him and I wasn't pitching for work.
My instinct was correct; the trainer had 'choreographed' moves for his speech with an elaborate movement of his hands and arms - rather like semaphone. It stiffled his personality and he looked awkward. Such a shame.
I was, of course, very careful with what I said: I didn't want to knock his confidence, but was supportive and was positive.However, it made me think what you should look for in a speaking coach. I believe speaking is a performance and you work with the individual to create a natural persona, and don't have a one technique fits all approach to training.
I share my tips of questions to ask a potential coach. And if you are interested: I have a Superstar Speakers' course, face to face or online (one to one). More details here http://www.executivevoice.co.uk/store/courses/superstar-public-speaker-course/