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.
Hi, I’m Sarah, 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
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.
Numbers Speak
Experience
Recommendations
Clients
Google Reviews
My 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
- Proud supporter of Independence Australia, UNHCR, Whitelion and other causes: a % of fees is donated every month.
What my clients are saying
I highly recommend Sarah’s course to anyone who wants to improve their communication techniques. The course provided me with a range of tools for structuring, presenting and dealing with nerves and anxiety associated with public speaking. The safe and supportive environment was perfect for practicing and refining my communication and presentation skills.
Karen Conradi
System and Technology Project Manager - Bureau of Meteorology
Sarah has so much to offer with her range of courses, and as a coach. I found Sarah to have an uncanny knack of diagnosing the problem and presenting an immediate solution. Sarah was professional, responsive, calm, patient, and understanding. If you are hesitant in pursuing a public speaking course, please don’t be with Improve your Public Speaking! Thank you, Sarah!
Marty Connel
Sarah has an uncanny knack of diagnosing and presenting an immediate solution
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.
Judy Kynaston
GM - Early Childhood Australia
Adverto was very impressed with the work that Sarah produced for us. Her take on spoken presentations has allowed us to present to some of the worlds largest petroleum companies with ease and comfort. Working with Sarah was a pleasure; due to her professionalism and knowledge. We would happily use her skills again in the future.
Bianca Stadelbauer
Administration Manager and Content Coordinator - Adverto
Sarah is a phenomenal coach. She understands her subject matter deeply and takes time with each of her students. Her courses are highly recommended for those looking to improve their public speaking or influencing skills.
Liam Killen
Sarah is a phenomenal coach!
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!
Kathryn Halliday
Membership and Events ArchiTeam
Trusted by leading organisations
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.
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.
