Seeking a new job and greater challenges, Gosia, originally from Poland, found herself repeatedly down to the last two candidates at interviews but never got the job. “I kept wondering what the reason was for this,’” says Gosia, who felt that something was missing from employer feedback. “I was leaving interviews feeling that I hadn’t connected with my interviewers—they weren’t nodding while I was speaking to them,” she continues. It was time for help.

Based on the positive feedback from alumni on the London Speech Workshop website, Gosia decided “within a second” to sign up to the course. “I liked the flexible approach,” she says. “When I told Gilly, my coach, that I had an interview in two days, she completely shifted her approach; we didn’t follow the programme and instead focused exclusively on interview techniques.” Gosia noticed an immediate improvement. “I suddenly felt equipped—I had new skills that I could implement not just in interviews but in my daily life.”

To fit with her schedule, Gosia had to book evening sessions and would often come along feeling a little worn out from the day. “But I always left feeling elated and alive—Gilly’s engagement is absolutely contagious,” she concludes. Gosia’s five sessions were sufficient to give her the boost she needed. Within days of finishing her course, Gosia went on to land a fantastic new job.

Ajay was facing a stream of interviews and presentations when he went to LSW for help. “I was aware that I tend to speak very quickly. I would talk to groups only to later find out that what I had said hadn’t been heard,” he says.

“I found LSW on Google; the website is very professional, which gave me confidence,” says Ajay. “I like that they offer you a ‘taster’ session, especially as you don’t know what to expect at first.”

Ajay has found confidence through his work with his coach Gilly, and has recently bought an additional 10 sessions. “She helps me to formulate my ideas and adapt my presentations to deliver them in the best possible way. I equate Gilly with a personal trainer—someone who sets you up for the future, I feel more able to get my message across during presentations now,” says Ajay. “The course has given me ideas and techniques I never would have known about before.”

As a “shy person”, Michelle chose a quiet occupation as an artist where she “didn’t need to speak to people too much”. This worked well until Michelle went on to start her own company and needed to be able to talk to her employees. “Communications was an important part of my job so, naturally, I wanted to improve my confidence,” says Michelle who would often experience panic attacks in speaking-related situations.

While she had attended many voice-training courses before, Michelle found that she simply could not convert knowledge 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 every day life,” she says. “I didn’t know where the problem lay until I met my LSW coach, Theo,” adds Michelle.

Theo showed Michelle how the problem related not only to technique but also to her mental state and would ask her to recap the kinds of situations she had been in over the week. “It’s a very well-rounded course that tackles the problem from all angles,” says Michelle.
Although she still feels nervous at times, the panic attacks have completely diminished.
“The course has helped me to find my own voice and to feel comfortable about using it.”