Brighter Life Confidence Coaching
Practical books and guidance for people whose voice shrinks when it matters most. Interviews, presentations, meetings, the talk you've been dreading. Confidence in speaking is a skill, and it can be learned.
The idea
Nerves before speaking are normal, and they aren't a sign that you're bad at it. What turns nerves into a problem is not knowing what to say, how to start, or what to do when your mind goes blank.
The books and course here deal with those practical things: how to structure what you say, how to settle your body and breath, how to sound like yourself, and how to handle questions and silence.
Nobody has to become a performer. The aim is to be understood, so people take away what you meant them to.
Fear of speaking is common. Staying stuck with it isn't a rule.
Who it's for
Interview anxiety is public speaking anxiety in a small room. Two guides take you through preparing, answering and recovering, step by step.
You can explain a system to yourself all day, but it's harder out loud to a room. An online course on speaking anxiety is built for engineers.
Habits that help with the presentation, the pitch, the wedding speech or the meeting where you want to be heard. The books and the practice question below are a good place to start.
The books
Both are practical, step-by-step and written for people who find speaking up hard.
A step-by-step guide to interview success for young people with public speaking anxiety.
View on Amazon →
A guide for non-native English speakers to overcome anxiety and shine in job interviews.
View on Amazon →More titles are on the way.
Practise now
The quickest way to get used to speaking is to speak. Get a question, start the clock and answer out loud.
The course
You know your subject. The course is for the moment you have to explain it to a room: practical exercises for the nerves, the structure and the questions, with no jargon.
About
I spent fourteen years in the Royal Navy, where I learned that leading people mostly comes down to being understood. A briefing, an order or a quiet word with a junior colleague all depend on saying the right thing, clearly, to the right person.
Along the way I played in a band, which taught me how it feels to hold a room, and what it's like when you lose it. Later I worked for technology companies, speaking at seminars, delivering training and coaching colleagues. I became the person people came to when an idea needed explaining well. The work took me all over the world, and working with people from many countries showed me that good communication has to cross accents, cultures and assumptions.
Now I write about helping other people find their voice and use it.
A short note now and then: one practical speaking idea, and first word on new books and the course.