Case Study
Michelle: The Founder Who Had to Speak Up
Michelle is chief operating officer at Supersolid Limited. A self-described shy person, she’d once chosen a quiet life as an artist. Then she started her own company, and found she needed to speak, clearly and often, in exactly the situations she’d spent years avoiding.
The Challenge
Michelle describes herself as a shy person, and had chosen an occupation to match: life as an artist, where she “didn’t need to speak to people too much.” That worked well, until she started her own company and suddenly needed to talk to her employees. “Communications was an important part of my job, so naturally I wanted to improve my confidence.” Speaking-related situations had become genuinely difficult for her.
What made it more frustrating was that she’d tried before. She’d attended many voice-training courses, yet couldn’t convert what she learned into practice. “I’d read from a text perfectly well. I knew the theory, but for some reason I just couldn’t use it in my everyday life.” The knowledge was there. The bridge to real life was missing.
I knew the theory, but for some reason I just couldn't use it in my everyday life.
The Solution
The turning point was understanding where the problem actually lay. “I didn’t know where the problem lay until I met my LSW coach, Theo.” Theo showed Michelle that it wasn’t only a matter of technique, but of mental state too, and would ask her to recap the kinds of situations she’d found herself in over the week, so the work stayed connected to her real life rather than the page.
That rounded approach was exactly what the previous courses had missed. “It’s a very well-rounded course that tackles the problem from all angles.”
The Result
The change for Michelle has been real and grounded. She’s honest that she still feels nervous at times, which is only human, but the panic attacks she used to experience in speaking situations have completely diminished. Progress, not a pretence of perfection.
Most of all, she came away with something that had eluded her through every course before. “The course has helped me to find my own voice, and to feel comfortable about using it.”
I didn’t know where the problem lay until I met my coach, Theo. It’s a very well-rounded course that tackles the problem from all angles. It has helped me to find my own voice, and to feel comfortable about using it.
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