I am always keen to hear from potential clients in order to get to know them and assess their individual requirements.
Philosophy
“Leonie’s sessions help give you clarity and focus, and every hour working with her continues to add value for years to come, in both professional and social spheres.”
(Will Gough, National Grid)
At present, communication skills are not taught at schools, universities or many businesses. The higher up you go, the greater the expectation that you should be an effective communicator.
It used to be enough to get a degree or learn the technical skills necessary for any job. Things have changed. There is far more competition now than ever before and therefore it is essential to understand how to sell yourself in order to sell your expertise and your business.
Effective communication is a skill we all can and need to learn.
People are often given the unhelpful advice to simply ‘be yourself’. However when you are nervous or uncomfortable that would result in you appearing nervous and uncomfortable… so what you need to understand is how you ‘perform yourself’.
Once you understand how to perform ‘being yourself with skill’, you can be confident about going into any potentially stressful situation knowing that the appropriate persona you are playing will act as an invisible shield.
Understanding the audience is the other side of the coin. In my experience, the first question people usually ask is “…what am I going to say?” instead of “…who am I talking to”. It is important to empathise with your audience because this must have an impact on what you say and how you deliver it.
Why am I able to help?
When I first started teaching nearly 20 years ago, I had some useful skills around performing from my extensive experience as an actress. However, my coaching has broadened and deepened. It derives from my experience, having worked with a variety of individuals in many businesses over the years. I have been in the privileged position of being an outsider and therefore able to observe and see the interpersonal dynamics that go on. What I now teach comes out of those observations.
