With a PhD in the field in Complex Systems and AI, Akanda was referred to me for help with his presentation skills.

His new role in a software company included giving presentations to prospective customers on the company’s products, something Akanda had very little experience or confidence in. A native of Bangladesh, English is also his second language.

Passionate and knowledgeable about what he does, it soon became clear that one of Akanda’s first challenge was going to be to slow down as well as to be clear in his pronunciation, especially of technical terms.

To help him with pronunciation of longer technical words, I made recordings for him which he could listen to and practice with between sessions.

We also worked on some of the basics such as pace, volume, eye contact, etc. The improvement Akanda made was very noticeable, to his employers as well as to me.

Often responsible for opening a virtual presentation and greeting the attendees, we worked on how to build rapport even before the presentation has fully begun as part of the engagement process with the audience. He learnt how to include some personal stories when introducing himself not only to highlight his expertise but also to add some humanity to what can be a dry topic.

We then looked at the importance of focusing on the benefits of the software for the customer and/or the end user rather than on the state-of-the-art technology. To this end, we explored how Akanda could use stories of what the future could look like for those customers once they were using the new software.

By the end of his programme, Akanda was so much more confident and competent with his presenting and was also working on persuading his colleagues to focus on outcomes rather than process in their sales presentations too.

Programme followed:

Akanda took the 18 hour On Tap programme and topped up with a further 8 hours.

Here’s what Akanda said:

Rachel has coached in a 6 month long public speaking course, and I have learned a great deal from her. My public speaking and presentation skills have improved significantly, and the improvements were noticed by my colleagues.

Each of the sessions were tailored to my personal needs and her coaching style is very dynamic. Her extraordinary techniques not only improved my speaking skills but also boosted my confidence, which also played a huge part in improving my leadership type skills. I can't recommend her enough!