Washington DC Speech Coaching

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 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 if you’re looking to take your communication skills to the next level.

I’m so glad that I found Courtney and decided to make this investment on myself. I’ve always struggled with speaking in front of an audience but it’s something that I need to do as part of my job.

I highly recommend D.C. Speech Coaching. In my case Courtney Armstrong helped me improve the quality of my interaction with various stakeholders, from board members, team members and other industry leaders with whom clear communication skills are absolutely key.

I was looking for coaching to help me improve the clarity and fluidity of my deliveries be it for conversional setting and for presentations to broader audiences. The progress I have been able to achieve over the last quarters to Courtney’s guidance are commensurate and have been notices by my family, friends and professional entourage alike. Working with Courtney allowed me to improve both the content and the delivery of my talks and speeches. In addition, Courtney allowed me to identify areas of improvement with regards to my accent, always coming up with “to the point” exercise and solutions to further perfect the clarity of my communication.

Even though Spanish is my native language, I was never able to pronounce the trilled 'r' sound. This led to low confidence speaking the language and insecurities around other Spanish speakers - including half my family. Over the years I tried dozens of solutions to improve - articles, video tutorials, private instruction (both in-person and virtual), and even a pronunciation course - but nothing helped. It was super frustrating and I all but lost hope, but decided to give it one more attempt. Leading up to the first session I was hopeful that in the best case scenario I would be able to see progress after 4-5 sessions. Instead, I trilled my first 'r' within 4-5 minutes! As I continue to practice and make progress towards incorporating it into regular speech in Spanish, I feel really hopeful about my relationship with Spanish, friends, and family. Thank you D.C. Speech Coaching!!!

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 D.C. 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, Courtney 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.

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 working with Courtney as she has been a great instructor.

I’m so glad that I found Courtney and decided to make this investment on myself. I’ve always struggled with speaking in front of an audience but it’s something that I need to do as part of my job. Upcoming presentations would cause me much anxiety and I struggled with sleeping well. Courtney was able to give me tools and tips from the first session to help alleviate some anxiety and address some of my underlying concerns. I continued to work with Courtney over the course of a year and each session I walked away with more skills and techniques, boosting my confidence with each session. She truly is such a wonderful supporter and having someone that I could speak to and confide in was tremendous. While I still don’t love presenting or speaking in front of an audience I know that it’s something that I am capable of doing well with some preparation! I’m so grateful to Courtney for this!

I sought out voice coaching while establishing my career as a freelance writer, which sometimes involves appearing on podcasts and panel discussions. I have always considered my voice and presentation skills to be weak, with vocal fry, difficulty projecting, and an abundance of "likes" and "ums". Courtney Armstrong made me feel immediately hopeful that public speaking and the ability to use your voice to your advantage are skills that can be strengthened and mastered. Through a combination of breathing and other voice strengthening exercises, as well as public speaking practice, I saw a significant improvement in my voice and confidence after just a few sessions. About a month or two in to working with Courtney, I appeared on another podcast, and could really feel and hear the improvement in my communication. After about 10 sessions together, I now have an abundance of exercises and tools to return to ahead of important interviews or just to improve my communication in day-to-day life. Working with Courtney was a rewarding and fun experience and I could not be more grateful for her expertise and encouragement.

I speak for a living and still (regularly) get nervous before talks, similar to athletes before their games in front of a big crowd. Courtney has been an excellent coach on the sideline for the past two years. She creates a comfortable, safe space where I can be myself. I always walk away wanting to become the best version of myself and feeling more confident in my ability to speak.

I am confident that any client working with Courtney will significantly improve their public speaking skills! If you want to turn insecurity into excellence, reach out—and work with—this talented coach.