Working in financial services, the ability to present and articulate ideas carries a high degree of importance. Being able to be understood clearly helps with confidence in speaking abilities. Courtney Armstrong at New York Speech Coaching was able to effectively streamline the process by quickly identifying the issue and recommend a tailored-made solution. Courtney was also really understanding, patient and really lovely to work with. After taking the recommended action, within weeks I was able to notice a significant difference in my pronunciation and therefore confidence in the workplace. In short, New York Speech Coaching provides a comprehensive solution, ranging from accent reduction to speaking techniques, as well as other initiatives. I would highly recommend the service and working with Courtney, to anyone who would like to enhance the articulation of their speech.

For years I have been trying to break through my barriers to speaking, always with meager results. When the idea of online speech coaching was presented to me, I was a little apprehensive because I wasn't sure how it would work. I was lost until meeting with Courtney from NYSC during our first session.Courtney is a very patient and professional coach. I have been making incredible improvement and development of speaking skills through sessions with her and I have noticed constant progress.

I want to thank Courtney for her dedication and support during our sessions.

I struggled with selective mutism as a child, and while I’ve been able to overcome it, verbal communication remained stressful for me into adulthood. Working with Courtney at NYSC has not only built my confidence and comfort with speech, but her friendliness and positive attitude make her lessons a lot of fun too! The results have been terrific — across social and work settings, I’ve become less passive and more assertive / “punchy” when I speak. I highly recommend working with Courtney and NYSC if you’re looking to take your communication skills to the next level.

Working with Joti at NYSC was transformative for my career. I give technical lectures and seminars regularly as part of my job but had always struggled with anxiety and projecting my voice in large rooms. Joti listened to me and developed tailor-made exercises to help my delivery. We worked on breathing, posture, eye contact, and building connections with the audience. Now when I present, I feel more confident and can deliver my technical presentations much more clearly. There is a marked difference in the comments and positive feedback I get after my presentations now that I have gone through speech coaching with Joti.

Joel is one of the very best coaches--of any subject--that I've ever worked with. I came to Joel to work on improving my vocal projection and resonance to reach my full potential as a speaker in both personal and professional settings. From session one, he gave me concrete strategies that I could use right away. He tailored his instruction to what I needed on a lesson-by-lesson basis. The results have been spectacular. On top of everything, he made the process so fun. Can't recommend him highly enough!

Finding Joel remains one of the big highlights of my professional and personal life. I came to NY Speech Coaching seeking a lofty and rather conceptual goal. I wanted to max out my full potential to be a great storyteller and a charming, persuasive communicator not just with my clients and colleagues but also with my husband, family and friends. Joel is an EXPERT. He knows the meticulous science of voice projection, tone, resonance and more and he teaches you ways to maximize your full body as a vocal instrument. Additionally, Joel is holistic in his teachings. He does a fantastic job of marrying your body and mind through breath work, visualizations and warm up exercises. Lastly, what I love about Joel's coaching style is that he preserves your individual personality and character instead of teaching cookie cutter methods.

I’ve been working towards a director role in the next step in my career. I lacked confidence in communication and giving presentations in front of groups of people. I was referred to New York Speech Coaching by my manager as he has taken courses here and thought I would benefit and help with my nervousness in front of people. Courtney has been super helpful in providing me with ways to get me out of my shell while allowing me to stay true to my personality. Working with Courtney has been a great experience as she provided me with the breathing techniques to help slow down my pace and work on speaking patterns that allowed me to build my confidence in the ability to convey my thoughts in spoken word. I highly recommend New York Speech Coaching and working with Courtney as she has been a great instructor.

Daniel is an enthusiastic coach that brings a lot of attention, experience and knowledge into each of our private sessions. Going into our lessons my goal was to gain confidence and tools I need to bring out my natural voice and ability to communicate and found lessons with Daniel incredibly helpful! I especially appreciate Daniel's philosophy to bring out and celebrate our individuality instead of fitting us into preconceived and conventional molds. I highly recommend Daniel to all who wish to hone their public speaking / communications skills.

My sessions with Joti have been instrumental in helping me to overcome speaking anxiety in both my professional and personal lives. Joti has helped me to feel more confident managing difficult phone conversations, present clients at panels, speak in court, and engage in job interviews. I have benefited greatly from her use of role-play, examples, guidance on breathing and posture, and many more tips. Joti's support in helping me to write and deliver my wedding vows was so special, and really allowed me to feel calm on my wedding day. Joti's careful explanations and examples help me to focus my delivery, and her guidance on self-regulation strategies support me to stay grounded and present. I look forward to working with Joti as my career progresses and I face new opportunities in the future.

As a tech sales professional, I rely on my voice to influence and motivate people to take action based on my suggestions. Oftentimes, I found myself over communicating my points and losing my audience. Courtney Armstrong pointed out my areas of opportunity, and strengthened my weak points with tangible and actionable exercises that gave me confidence in my communication. I highly recommend NYSC!

There are not enough words to thank Joel for what he has given me. I simply cannot overpraise his thoughtfulness, attention to detail, and practical wisdom. My students and coworkers have all benefited from his fine observation, care -- and, in the words of Bellow, first-class noticing. I came to N.Y.S.C. with essentially no speaking experience whatsoever -- with, in short, only a deep love of my subject -- and, with his help, I have been able to share that reverence and endearment with others. Thank you, Joel.

I am incredibly fortunate to have worked with Joti for the past quarter. She has been instrumental in developing communication strategies and providing applicable tools to increase my desired outcomes. I have become more mindful of how I present myself and my style of speech. Joti has helped me build my confidence as a woman in a male-dominated industry. I feel better equipped as a professional. Joti is kind, personable, honest, and sharp. She cultivates a safe space for her clients to practice, fail, and learn. My coaching sessions with Joti has been a great investment, I highly recommend!

I was signed up for private sessions to help me with a speaking commitment that I agreed to do in September. This brought me to work with Daniel Reece at New York Speech Coaching.

Daniel took the time to get to know me and my inhibitions and fears for standing in front of a large audience. He empowered me with tools to not just deliver a speech but more importantly connect with my audience and involve them in what I had to say.

I learned techniques and how to be consciously present in that moment and not just try to get it over and done with.

I have done speaking engagements before, but none like this one.. and you could tell I connected with my audience from the standing ovation I got at the end of it all.

Thank you Daniel … I will always remember this moment as one of the most gratifying and surreal experiences in my life.

Investing in NY Speech Coaching with Joel Rainwater is one of the greatest gifts I’ve given to myself. My progress was palpable almost instantly, and within just a few sessions, I was owning my executive presence, learning how to manage the power of breath, and elevating my confidence in all communications. Joel’s commitment to his students’ improved performance is second to none. Perhaps the greatest gift is that not only will my advancements reverberate in my own career and personal life as I continue my lessons with him, but they’ll also impact countless more that read this testimonial and to whom I refer NY Speech Coaching with Joel. I feel incredibly grateful to have him in my arsenal of continuous personal and professional improvement and I guarantee that you will too.

From our first session, Joti understood my goals and what I was trying to achieve. She gave me the confidence and the techniques I needed to speak in a wide range of forums, from a fundraising event to job interviews. Even though our sessions have ended, I implement her strategies, tips, and techniques in all my public speaking engagements. She showed me how to find my voice and share it with the world. I will be forever grateful.

I would highly recommend Joel Rainwater as an executive presence coach.I connected with Joel soon after landing a new job that required me to take on a leadership role with clients, internal stakeholders, and junior talent. From our first phone conversation, I was impressed by how well he understood my specific goals and challenges. Joel demonstrated a professional and creative approach to our sessions. He had an agenda for every session, although he was also flexible to change our focus depending on my work needs. Joel engaged a wide variety of tools to help me craft my executive presence including visualization, breathing exercises, physical movements and real life situation simulations. Joel was plugged into every minute of our session, he was always spot on his observations, his tactical advice and thoughts. Joel made a significant difference to my professional life. I have been able to leverage our sessions into being a more impactful leader at work with clients, internal stakeholders, and junior talent. While I still have a long journey ahead of me, I am genuinely excited and happy to continue working on my executive presence with Joel Rainwater.

My whole job revolves around talking to clients all day long and I struggled with it big time at first. I found New York Speech Coaching via google, it had good reviews, so I decided to give it a shot, and I was not disappointed. Joti Patel is amazing at what she does! She really took the time to learn about my goals and career and made it fun in the process. I truly looked forward to my calls with her and loved noticing improvements on client calls as the weeks went on. I would absolutely recommend New York Speech Coaching to anyone wanting to refine their public speaking skills or increase their confidence when speaking. Thank you Joti for you help and guidance!

Working with Caleb Shomaker from New York Speech Coaching is been a pleasure and highly productive in equal measures. With a superb focus on my specific needs, a gentle and unwavering dedication Caleb has made tackling with deep-rooted bad speech habits enjoyable and fun while keeping me on track with my goals. I cannot recommend him enough, for both: professional and personal goals. I expect to keep coming back as I venture in more ambitious endeavors and more demanding environments.

As a start-up and technology leader, the ability to clearly articulate vision and ideas carries a high degree of importance. Caleb Shomaker at New York Speech Coaching was able to quickly identify areas of improvement and tailor a personalized approach. Over the course of several sessions we removed poor speaking habits while effectively rebuilding a strong communicative foundation. I noticed a significant difference in my speech control, intentionality, and vocal clarity. In summary, New York Speech Coaching provides a comprehensive solution, ranging from breathing to speaking techniques, that helps individuals bring an awareness to their own tendencies while emphasizing and coaching more constructive habits. I would highly recommend the service to anyone who would like to enhance the effectiveness of their speech and presentation skills.

Public speaking has always been one of my GREATEST fears – this is not a hyperbole in the slightest. Growing up, I was the student who would fake sick, or actually make myself sick, to avoid speaking in front of the class; and on those rare occasions I couldn’t talk my way out of it, I would end up delivering a presentation completely red in the face, shaking like a leaf, and speaking in a voice that made me sound strangled. It should come as no surprise that I carried this fear with me from the classroom to the office, which resulted in me never having the courage to speak in meetings (even small ones!) and getting passed over for promotions. I started my sessions at New York Speech Coaching hopeful, but skeptical that such a long-standing and deep rooted issue could be overcome, but working with Brendan Houdek has been an absolute game changer for me! I went from being the person who ran away from every opportunity to speak, preferring to fake illness rather than stand in front of a room, to a person who confidently contributes in every meeting and practically leaps at any opportunity to speak in front of a group. The amount of co-workers and my leaders who’ve mentioned that they’ve noticed a change in me is both surprising and gratifying. I now speak with confidence and control – and it’s having a huge impact on my life, both professionally and personally.

Brendan's dynamic personality and NYSC's innovative and effective communication techniques have proven to be a winning formula for me. Over the past year, I have increased depth and tone, reduced filler words, learned how to breathe properly, gained confidence in my communication style and even improved body language. Highly recommend Brendan---not only will you make great progress in a short amount of time, but you'll also have fun along the way!

Brendan Houdek has been a great public speaking coach for me and my team. He has helped us tremendously in getting better at not only public speaking but in communication in general. Brendan has a unique ability to make the room comfortable, engaged, and looking forward to the next session. I’m glad I was introduced to Brendan and NYSC when I did. - Vadim Supitskiy, CTO, Forbes

My time working with Brendan has been immensely beneficial to my work. As a spinal surgeon, I am frequently called upon to present complex ideas, both to patients and other professionals. It is crucial that I present these ideas in ways that are clear and engaging to the audience. Through speech coaching, I’ve been able to gain both greater awareness and control over my speech, enabling me to achieve a level of communication that is simultaneously clear and professional, yet authentic. I highly recommend Brendan for anyone looking to take their communication to the next level.

I have been doing public speaking for 20 years. My coaching sessions with Brendan have helped me become a much better podcast host and communicator in general. He very quickly helped me work out a handful of poor communication habits, some of which I wasn’t even aware, which had been plaguing me for years. For anyone interested in taking their communication game to the next level, I enthusiastically recommend New York Speech Coaching.

I’m not an English native speaker and was looking to work on my speaking self-confidence issues that were impeding me to achieve my professional goals. I wanted something more than just a second language class and public speaking courses sounded interesting, that’s when I met Caleb! I worked with Caleb over the course of a few months and can honestly say that our time together has improved my speech tremendously. Not only do I feel like I have control over my voice, but I also have a better understanding of how my body and breath work together to produce sound. Every lesson was perfectly tailored to what I wanted to work on and what he thought would help. If you’re hoping to learn in a warm environment and see real results, this is the place for you. He provided a safe space to practice and work on my anxiety triggers, identified some bad habits I have when speaking and gives me -very easy to follow- directions and exercises to do along the week. After 5 sessions I’m very happy with my progress. I feel way more confident and even received positive feedback at work! I’m very excited about the things I will accomplish after a few more sessions and the impact not only on my work but also on my social life.

I highly recommend New York Speech Coaching. This place is built with a friendly and professional team. The guidance in my learning process was really helpful and thoughtful for my specific needs as a voice over artist. My coach Tricia Veldman was simply the best I could ask to coach me, with a very technical and human approach to the learning process. Don't think twice — take classes at New York Speech Coaching. You will not regret it!

I’ve been a student of Tricia’s for almost 2 years now and am very pleased with my progress of significantly increasing the clarity of my pronunciation. More importantly, I have gained tremendous confidence in my ability to capture the attention of clients and peers (which have not gone unnoticed!). Given that it is key to success in my career and everyday life, I highly recommend New York Speech Coaching to anyone that wants to improve or sharpen their communication skills.

I was nervous about requesting gender-affirming voice and communication changes after embarking on a new transitional journey. But, when I reached out to NYSC they were extremely inclusive and sensitive to my needs and requests. In just a short amount of time, I have made such incredible strides in my journey to feminization of my voice. Caleb has truly provided me the tools required to see amazing results and has continued to foster growth and development in my vocal abilities. From vocal exercises to his extensive scientific knowledge, Caleb has this and so much more information to continue assisting with your speech challenges. I feel as though I am only on the beginning of my vocal journey with Caleb, but I know I will continue with him because he has the resources, experience, knowledge, professionalism, and overall positivity to allow us to see the results I desire. Working as a biopharmaceutics consultant adds a layer of complexity to my schedule and Caleb is always more than willing to accommodate me with flexibility. I would not be where I am today in my journey without the lessons from Caleb and NYSC.

Having presented at many business reviews over my 15 year career, I knew there was substantial room for improvement in my communication and executive presence. I contacted Caleb, expressed my areas of concern and we went to work over the several weeks. I realized an immediate result after only the first few sessions. I am learning techniques that I would never have known without our engagement. His coaching style is tailored to my specific needs and can be put into practice each day I am at work. Our review sessions are so valuable that I will continue working with Caleb for the foreseeable future. I highly recommend Caleb, if you want to improve executive presence while having a clear consistent and confident communication style.

I consider myself an average public speaker and didn’t think I needed an introductory public speaking class but I learned so much from Tricia. I recommend working with Tricia whatever your public speaking skill and comfort level. I took away some important strategies that I had never considered. I am definitely speaking with more confidence after taking her class.

Tricia Veldman is an amazing speech coach, motivator and mentor! She is always very nice, polite and has this great energy that inspires me every session. Tricia is a true expert in the area! She made me not only a better public speaker, but she took me out of the shell and gave me back my confidence! I highly recommend Tricia! She is the best!

With all of the changes professionals have gone through in 2020, I felt that communicating and engaging effectively over Zoom became a necessity to succeed in my Sales career. I hired Tricia in early 2021 as my private speech coach to improve my Executive Presence. I am so impressed with all of the progress I've made. Tricia is an excellent coach, she customizes the lessons and works with individuals to reach their full potential. I highly recommend Tricia!