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Kensho Coaching

by TEDx speaker Peter Scott

Why Do You Need a Coach?

Why should every speaker have a coach? Sometimes people who aren't speakers think that speaking in public is just a matter of "speaking from your heart" and being "present in the moment." And - no slight against being authentic - but it's not enough to get you the results you want from being in front of an audience who have paid to hear you. Public speaking ability is not a talent that some people are lucky enough to have been gifted with by a generous fate, but a skill that can be learned.

Take it from someone who didn't have that talent, it can be learned.

Years of diligent training at speaking clubs and with many mentors and coaches has given me the insight I needed to present TEDx talks and am sought for delivering keynotes around the world.

Believe me, if I can do that, so can you.

And the key to becoming a successful public speaker is coaching. One-on-one evaluation and mentoring from an experienced, trained coach. Someone who has been in your shoes and knows what it takes to get from any point in the journey to the stage. Someone who can see your strengths, weaknesses, and the essence of the unique voice inside you that wants to come out.

Have you always felt that you had a message to deliver, that the world needs to hear, but somehow, it doesn't move people when you say it?

I've been there. A coach who is trained in evaluating every aspect of your speaking can bring it out. Everything from the essence of your idea to the structure and language of your talk, to the delivery - gestures, vocal variety, and stage choreography - is involved in how well you communicate.

Whether you want to get to the Red Dot of TED, or speak at your company's fundraising event, or deliver a paper at an academic conference, the right coach can make the difference between Oh No and Oh Boy!

TEDx Program

  • Tailor your journey to the red dot according to your budget. The complete 12-hour program looks like this:

    1. 1,2. Self-discovery (two sessions)
    2. 3. Purpose
    3. 4. Ideation (generating the talk idea)
    4. 5. Voice (who you are as a speaker)
    5. 6. Content (the throughline and raw material)
    6. 7. Story (the arc of the talk)
    7. 8. Application (the process of applying and auditioning)
    8. 9. Tone (emotional valence changes throughout your talk)
    9. 10. Vocal expression
    10. 11. Body language and gesture choreography
    11. 12. Stage presence and memorization

The sessions can occur online at a cadence of either 1 hour every other week or 1/2 hour every week, mix-and-match as desired. The options are:

  • Two months (sessions 1-4): $1000
  • Four months (sessions 1-8): $1500
  • Six months (sessions 1-12): $2000

No guarantee of acceptance into any TEDx event is given or implied. Your journey should be started in plenty of time to reach stage 8 by the time you need to apply for an event of your choice and reach stage 12 by the time coaching starts for speakers selected to an event you are accepted into. A TEDx event that accepts your application will require that you take free coaching provided by them.

Inquire about options for in-person or group coaching.

Peter's Speaking Experience

Peter has spoken at major conferences from Bali to Ireland, making his first appearance on a convention stage over 40 years ago. He inspires audiences to understand artificial intelligence and how to use it for the benefit of humanity. He's given talks of all types and lengths to audiences ranging from school children to senior citizens and programmers to entrepreneurs. He's been on the TEDx stage four times, three of which are online: TEDx RoyalRoads University, TEDx BearCreek Park, and TEDx Brighouse. He's spoken before hundreds of thousands of people in webinars and even testified in person before a committee in Britain's House of Lords. He both hosts a weekly podcast and has guested on many other podcasts and live call-in shows. And he regularly gives continuing studies courses at universities. In short, Peter has a wealth of experience in dealing with different audience types, situations, problems, and opportunities.

Peter's Coaching Credentials

But as we said, an expert is not enough to learn from; you need a good teacher. Peter has coached dozens of TEDx speakers and been part of the curation teams that select successful TEDx applicants. He has also trained people to become TEDx speaking coaches.

Peter has been a certified coach through the International Coach Federation for over a decade and for even longer has been active in Toastmasters International, holding the highest designation of Distinguished Toastmaster. He has advanced through the International Speaking Contest on many occasions, given educational sessions at district conferences, and mentored hundreds of aspiring speakers through the Toastmasters program. He also has a master's certification in NeuroLinguistic Programming earned through training under John Grinder himself.

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