Communication Coaching
Most professionals communicate competently. Very few do it with precision. The difference between the two shows in the rooms where it matters.
What the work involves
Communication coaching is less about finding the right words than about understanding what you are trying to do when you speak — and whether the way you are doing it is actually achieving that. Often it is not, by a small but consequential margin.
The small distinction matters. Whether the audience hears a statement or a question. Whether a pause reads as confidence or hesitation. Whether the structure of a briefing leads the listener towards the conclusion or leaves them to find it themselves. These are the things we work on.
I take my time with the preparation. We go line by line where it is useful. The work tends to involve noticing what is and is not there — in a sentence, in a presentation, in the way you tend to open difficult conversations — and then being deliberate about it.
What this kind of coaching suits
- Professionals preparing for senior or executive selection processes
- Specialists who communicate clearly to their peers but struggle to reach non-specialist decision-makers
- Managers who communicate well one-to-one but find group meetings and formal briefings harder
- People who have received feedback about their communication and want to work on it deliberately rather than guessing
The first version is not the final version
There is always a before and an after. The version of how you communicate now is not fixed. Attention is most of the work — once you can see the specific thing that is not doing what you want it to do, changing it is a matter of practice, not talent.
The work in practice
A data analyst at a financial services firm in the City had been shortlisted twice for a senior role and not appointed on both occasions. The feedback from both processes was similar: technically strong, not landing clearly at panel level. We worked on the way she was opening her answers — there was too much hedging before the substance arrived. We also looked at how she was handling the questions she found uncomfortable. After eight sessions over three months, she was shortlisted again. This time she was appointed. I find it useful to note that I do not know which specific sessions made the difference. She does, probably.
Each engagement is different. The coach is responsible for the rigour of the process; the client is responsible for the action between sessions; the result is what the two combined produce in the conditions of the time.
Some things people ask
What kind of clients do you typically work with?
Professionals who are doing well at their current level and want to communicate more effectively at the next one — or in the process of getting there. Senior managers preparing for promotion processes. Specialists who know their field well but struggle to translate it for non-specialist audiences. People who communicate clearly one-to-one but find formal group settings harder to read and respond to.
How long is a typical engagement?
Most communication coaching runs for six to eight sessions over two to four months. Some clients work around a specific event — a promotion process, a new role with a significant stakeholder requirement — and the engagement is shaped around that timeline. The first conversation helps clarify what makes sense.
What is included in the price?
A single session is £185. The 6-session programme (£720) includes session time, written notes after each session, and a between-session brief on the area we are working on. The 12-session programme (£1,450) adds a mid-programme review and a written assessment at the close. Payment plans are available — ask when you get in touch. Full terms, including the cancellation policy, are on the Terms page.
What happens between sessions?
Usually a short written brief — a specific question to sit with, something to notice in the week, or preparation material for the next session. The work between sessions is part of the work: how you communicate is a pattern, and patterns shift through repetition over time, not just through a single hour of reflection.
How is coaching different from therapy?
Coaching works from where you are now towards specific changes you want to make. Therapy tends to work with the roots of patterns — often including emotional history and psychological process. The two are different in aim, method, and professional training. There is some overlap, particularly around confidence and self-presentation. When a question belongs to therapy rather than coaching, I will say so.
The first conversation costs nothing.
Half an hour, online or by phone, to discuss what you are working on and whether this kind of coaching might be useful.
Book a free callOr call directly: +44 7824 159 387