Leadership presence: Training in public speaking effectiveness

Programs and services to help you overcome your fear of public speaking and develop your authentic leadership presence

RiverWays Enterprises offers a comprehensive set of public speaking coaching and training programs with a primary emphasis on helping people become confident public speakers with an authentic leadership presence.

Because all our class sizes are small, with a maximum of 8 people in our longer courses and from 2 to 6 people in our small group coaching programs, you will receive plenty of personal attention and multiple opportunities to practice in a highly supportive and safe environment.

Although our focus is on public speaking, the skills and strategies learned in our programs are best integrated if you practice them in the non-stressful activities of your daily life. For this reason, all of our programs are about much more than just public speaking. You will:

Develop your confidence in any situation

Improve your skill as a leader

Become a better listener

Improve your ability to communicate with others

Enhance your self-esteem

Find that you are living your life with much more equanimity and presence

“The bottom line is that I’m more comfortable in front of audiences, and I know from the feedback I’m receiving, along with new invitations to speak, that I’m connecting with audiences.”
David Gumpert, Writer and entrepreneur (David's Story)

Authentic leadership presence is a subtle skill that requires time to integrate and internalize. Our most comprehensive public speaking training class is a 12 week program:

Speaking with Confidence for Results: This all-encompassing speaking presence training program is designed specifically to give you the opportunity to truly acquire this essential leadership competency. This leadership training program offers a systematic approach to mastering ALL the elements necessary to become a calm and authentic speaker in all your spoken communications.

For some people, making an extended weekly commitment is not possible. With this in mind, we also offer one and two day small group coaching programs which will give you the opportunity to practice and integrate the basics of our approach.

Speaking Presence Fundamentals : This one-day introductory small group coaching program which will give you the opportunity to learn and practice the very basics of public speaking presence. You'll find that this course alone will transform your attitude towards public speaking, giving you a sense that public speaking with confidence is actually something very achievable.

Successfully Speaking Small Group Coaching: In this two-day program you will learn the five essential strategies for becoming more present and confident when you speak and you will have the opportunity to practice these while designing and delivering a 5 minute presentation. You can participate in this program without any previous experience, but people often find that taken in combination with the Speaking Presence intro, they integrate this new approach more fully.

If none of these group options meet your specific needs, then you might want to consider private coaching. Our coaching sessions are designed to provide the extra flexibility to meet the uniquely personal speaking needs of individuals wishing to become more effective speakers.

If you aren't sure what's best for you, you might find this additional guide to our programs useful.

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Here's what participants say about our programs

“RiverWays’ programs offer an optimum learning environment to develop your speaking ability.”
JIM RITSCHER: PRESIDENT, ADVANCED LEADER INSTITUTE

more testimonials

David Gumpert, Writer and entrepreneur
www.ingejoseph.com
It’s been more than a year since I participated in your public speaking program and I’m amazed that not only have my new speaking skills not diminished, but they’ve actually improved.

I’ve been doing a lot of speaking to promote a book I co-authored about my family s experiences during the Holocaust (Inge: A Girl s Journey Through Nazi Europe), and I find that I continually think about the things I learned from you. I’m aware of my breath, of my eye contact with members of the audience, of my ability to slow things down, and so on.

The other thing that surprises me is that the terror I feel about public speaking is still with me, only now I’m much more comfortable with it than I was when I started my Riverways program. I know this sounds a bit strange, but it’s almost as if I’ve become friends with my fear. I’ve come to recognize that it’s not going away, and so now I find myself awaiting it, and trying to smile at it and humor it a bit.

The bottom line is that I’m more comfortable in front of audiences, and I know from the feedback I’m receiving, along with new invitations to speak, that I’m connecting with audiences.

Thank you, Carla, for helping me come in closer contact with my own inner strength, and in the process, develop speaking skills I know I’ll have for a lifetime.

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We are centrally located in the Upper Valley region of Vermont and New Hampshire close to the intersection of Interstates 89 and 91. As such we are in in the heart of New England and close to Boston and all of Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, New York and Maine.

Travel time from:

Albany, NY — 2.75 hours
Boston, MA — 2.25 hours
Brattleboro, VT— 1.25 hours
Burlington, VT — 1.5 hours
Concord, NH — 1 hour
Hartford, CT — 2.5 hours
Portland, ME — 3 hours
Portsmouth, NH — 2 hours