Helping you, or people in your organisation, to achieve the best outcomes from speaking
You have goals for your public speaking or presentations. And being a competent, credible and influential communicator and presenter is more important than ever.
I can help.
I’m Sarah Denholm, a speech coach, trainer and consultant. Based in Melbourne, I do public speaking, presentation and influence skills coaching and training in Australia and globally online.
If you have something to say (or are employed to do so), and want to be truly comfortable, engaging and influential, I could be the right coach for you or your organisation.
Whether that’s giving a conference keynote, boardroom presentation, meeting or 1:1 appointment.
For example, recent private 1:1 coaching in 2024 has included preparing clients for:
International conferences as keynote speaker.
A National Press Club Address.
Successful school principal and healthcare executive interviews.
My mission is to help people communicate clearly, confidently and competently, to be able to:
- Advance their career, business or cause
- Contribute freely
- Thrive and grow
Without losing their:
- Confidence
- Sense of self
- Authority
- or Presence – that sense of inner spaciousness that makes all the difference to impactful and influential communication.
Many of my private coaching clients in organisations are looking for a sounding board and safe environment to learn and practise new skills.
After years of struggling with performance and public speaking anxiety (my story is below), I’ve learned what’s needed to prepare and perform at your best in front of an audience.
I originally trained as a professional Classical pianist, and performed at a high level in venues such as the Purcell Room, Southbank, London.
Believe me, this hones your skills on stage. Seem unprofessional – whether that’s playing wrong notes, being unprepared, or not connecting with your audience – and your reputation and career plummet. So it’s the perfect learning ground for public speaking!
Some of my clients
Helping you, or people in your organisation, to achieve the best outcomes from speaking, presenting and influencing others
You have goals for your public speaking or presentations. And being a competent, credible and influential communicator and presenter is more important than ever.
I can help.
I’m Sarah Denholm, a speech coach, trainer and consultant. Based in Melbourne, I do public speaking, presentation and influence skills coaching and training in Australia and globally online.
If you have something to say (or are employed to do so), and want to be truly comfortable, engaging and influential, I could be the right coach for you or your organisation.
Whether that’s giving a conference keynote, boardroom presentation, meetings or 1:1 appointments.
My mission is to help people communicate clearly, confidently and competently, to be able to:
- Advance their career, business or cause
- Contribute freely
- Thrive and grow
Without losing their:
- Confidence
- Sense of self
- Authority
- or Presence – that sense of inner spaciousness that makes all the difference to impactful and influential communication.
Many of my private coaching clients in organisations are looking for a sounding board and safe environment to learn and practise new skills.
After years of struggling with performance and public speaking anxiety (my story is below), I’ve learned what’s needed to prepare and perform at your best in front of an audience.
I originally trained as a professional Classical pianist, and performed at a high level in venues such as the Purcell Room, Southbank, London.
Believe me, this hones your skills on stage. Seem unprofessional – whether that’s playing wrong notes, being unprepared, or not connecting with your audience – and your reputation and career plummet. So it’s the perfect learning ground for public speaking!
Some of my clients
About: background
Qualifications
- Certified Master Business Coach Graduate of B-Coach (2004)
- Certified in Communicating for Influence and Impact – Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) 2022
- Master’s degree in piano performance (1990)
- TAE40110 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment
- Asia Pacific Institute of Learning and Performance member
- AusAPT (Australian Association of Psychological Type) member
105+ LinkedIn recommendations: view profile. 95+ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Google reviews.
Proud supporter of Independence Australia, UNHCR, Whitelion and other causes: a % of fees is donated every month.
Sarah’s in-house presentation was exactly what we were looking for. Our team are experienced presenters and trainers but were looking to identify areas we could improve and help the team transition into the online space of webinars and video conferencing. Sarah’s easy presentation style suited our group perfectly.
“Sarah Denholm provided our Architect members with realistic tips on how to better pitch to clients and present at Awards and other events. Her engaging presentation allowed the audience to contribute without the pressure of forced participation – this was really well received. Thank you to Sarah and we will be recommending her to anyone in need of advice or public speaking training!
There are one hundred different reasons for doing this course and Sarah seems to know them all and kindly deal with them. The way she builds self-confidence in everyone is fantastic. Plus being able to think and structure in a clear way
“I never thought I would look forward to a course where I would have to speak in public each week, but this course was so interesting and helpful I did look forward to it! It can really actually improve your public speaking a lot!”
“Sarah runs a very effective public speaking course. The course she runs provides a relaxed environment but she is not afraid to provide frank feedback on your speaking/presentation skills whilst enabling you to find your own personal style. Her course is well organised and Sarah’s own experience of overcoming anxiety makes her authentic and passionate.
I got considerable benefit from completing this course and highly recommend it to anyone.”
My struggle with performance anxiety as a musician
During 6 years at music college in the U.K. I suffered performance anxiety. The competition and pressure was intense, but I coped – until chronic and disfiguring eczema took over my body. I deteriorated until I had to be hospitalised – twice. At one point I didn’t leave the house for three months – my world was tiny.
When I resurfaced, not cured but improved, I had a problem. My performance anxiety became overwhelming, and I could barely get on stage. I was self-conscious, worried about what the audience were thinking of me, and couldn’t keep my focus on the music. I was in danger of losing my career.
So I bought a round-the-world ticket and took six months off to backpack on my own (challenging for a then shy introvert!). After meeting a man from Melbourne, I moved to Australia and started a new life as a pianist. And I found my performing anxiety solution: learning how to speak in public.
I started as a very nervous speaker, trying to speak to audiences at concerts. My voice shook, I couldn’t look at people face-on…and I swallowed all the time! I decided to do something about it.
How I work
I found that with specific tools – and practice – I actually began to enjoy public speaking. This started my passion for helping others to communicate effectively in front of groups, large or small.
My mission is to help people to find or to amplify their voice, so that they can achieve their goals through successful, authentic, comfortable communication.
I work at any level: from speaking anxiety, right through to high-level keynote speech content, structure and delivery.
My skills combine:
- Communication and influencing skills tested with clients for over 15 years
- Performing experience over 35 years on stages
- Linguistic expertise (clients for whom English is their second language can find this a real asset) in pronunciation, grammar and vibrant word choices
- Working in the education sector, teaching, training and facilitating
Learn more about my Services – Individuals or Services – Organisations.
Recent media interviews include in the business and career sections of The Age Melbourne, Sydney Morning Herald and ArtsHub Australia; Exemplar Magazine; Your Next Chapter and Movement and Mindfulness podcasts