Praise
Communication Training
Business Speaking, Storytelling and Strategic Communication™
"Before working with Laurece I was very unfamiliar with my confidence to deliver clear and concise content for my business; whether speaking to large groups, honing in on what my elevator speech is or simply attracting my ideal clients.
Laurece has helped me in many facets. I can see significant improvements in my abilities to feel secure and confident, I've learned several techniques from warm-ups exercises, visualization, and planning strategies to enhance the flow of my presentations. Learning to speak from the heart is one of the most valuable lessons any of us can learn.
Laurece is very energetic, sincere and full of surprises. I highly recommend working with Laurece. She's such a treasure. I have gained much love, wisdom, and knowledge, her process and guaranteed results."
Adryin Glynn, Design Professional, Adryin Glynn Designs
Mid-point in the training: "I believe I have made progress in all the challenge areas. Having these sessions has allowed me to reduce my filler words, slow down my pace, increase my breathing, and especially speak up in meetings internally and externally. I feel more confident in my ability to speak and to share my viewpoint. I also feel I am more clear with my words. I have learned to breathe well before joining a meeting to allow myself to reduce any stress I may feel. Overall, the exercises and practices have made me improve in all aspects. I feel less stress when I have calls.
I have been really enjoying the training. I feel like it has been a great learning experience for me. The individual sessions allow me to improve on myself and the group sessions allow me to learn from other people who are working on similar goals as me. The sessions are really helping me improve my skills and gain confidence speaking up.
Upon completion: (Salihah checked that she felt she’d made progress in the following areas: clear sentences with periods, eliminating filler words, releasing nervousness, speaking up in meetings, confidence, feeling more bold, willingness to talk, easy word flow, body language, self-expression, presentations, connecting with my listeners, speaking under pressure, communicating with superiors, remembering what you want to say, connecting with people from different cultures, self-kindness, clarity about work priorities, being myself, speaking my truth, expressing my ideas and my energy level.)
The training with Laurece was extremely beneficial. I have gained confidence throughout the sessions. The activities we did in each class can be carried over as I continue to grow in my skills. For example, doing breathing exercises before a big presentation. Also, she focused a lot on giving ourselves credit for the things we have been doing well and to continue to celebrate them. Laurece was wonderful and taught me a lot about myself and how to grow.
I believe I have grown in each of my problem areas. Overall, I am more comfortable speaking up internally and externally. I feel more confident about presenting my findings or sharing my ideas for projects. I am more comfortable talking to clients/taking the lead in various situations, such as thinking through writing a discussion guide and leading that internally. I also believe my words and sentences are clearer. I needed this course to gain confidence in being more vocal about my abilities.
This will benefit my career by allowing me to grow more in my role and take on more responsibilities. I will continue to be more comfortable with clients as I move towards working with them more. I will also continue to speak up more internally as well and dive towards more strategic work past my project manager tasks.
I think other Linkers who are at a transitioning point in their career can benefit. It can provide a boost of confidence when you are starting to deal more with clients and have a larger role in your projects. Especially Linkers who have a harder time with public speaking."
Salihah Siddiqui, Associate Project Manager,
The Link Group, Durham, NC
Mid-point in the training: "It has been great! Laurece has tactical solutions which really make me think deeply about myself and opportunities for improvement. She is encouraging and I have seen a difference in myself.
I've become more aware of myself when I speak and interact with others. This has helped me identify areas of opportunity and I'm excited to work on them.
Upon completion: (Elizabeth checked that she felt she’d made progress in the following areas: clear sentences with periods, eliminating filler words, releasing nervousness, speaking up in meetings, confidence, courage, feeling more bold, willingness to talk, easy word flow, breathing well when speaking, body language, telling stories, presentations, connecting with my listeners, speaking under pressure, mental focus and acuity, being myself, and my energy level.)
It has been great! I really enjoyed having both a one-on-one session and a group session each week. I've made progress with confidence and awareness of my speaking habits. I will continue to practice these skills and I believe they will help with my long-term career growth.
I think other Linkers will benefit from this training as well, especially Linkers who are beginning to transition into the lead role with more client communication responsibilities."
Elizabeth Breece, Research Manager,
The Link Group, Durham, NC
Mid-point in the training: "So far, it has been great! Laurece has been incredibly patient and understanding. Laurece is quick to listen to any areas I am wanting direct feedback on, and she offers tools I can practice throughout my day. The group sessions have been fun too, it allows Laurece to focus on key areas for each of us but allows us to collaborate on areas we each are working on.
The biggest impact I have had, has been the "rule of 3." It can sometimes be stressful to juggle each to-do for the day. Instead, I am trying to work towards 3 major things to complete each day, and if time allows focus on the other areas of growth.
I have also worked hard on my breathing. As a runner it is easy to "flip that switch" and manage my breathing well. I am now working to bring that into my everyday communication. Breathing allows me to respond and react in a collected and calm approach.
Working from home during COVID has made me very relaxed in terms of my posture. I don't even notice when I'm slouching most of the time! I am now working on managing posture, both in-person, and what my appearance is on camera. This has helped both my confidence and the responses/reception from clients.
Upon completion: (Spencer checked that he felt he’d made progress in the following areas: clear sentences with periods, releasing nervousness, confidence, willingness to talk, breathing well when speaking, body language, being understood, speaking under pressure, communicating with superiors, self-kindness, my energy level and communicating compassionately.)
Training with Laurece continued to be great, and it was always helpful! Laurece continued to push me in areas I was seeking improvement. She was also quick to give me resources and encouragement in my own self-kindness and grace. Releasing nervousness, focusing, and then speaking was something we regularly worked on, and I'm glad to say I am feeling more comfortable in these areas!
I was unsure how my progress would come full circle after the midterm evaluations, but I am happy to say I feel like I have a better understanding of how I can best share my voice here at TLG. I want to continue and work on my daily practices and stick to my 3 larger goals per day (avoiding becoming overwhelmed at points). I'm expecting the confidence in my voice and thoughtfulness before speaking will help me tremendously in areas where I am giving and receiving feedback throughout my projects. I am also hopeful these skills will translate to more client interactions longer-term.
Other Linkers would benefit from this training because it allows for purposeful self-reflection, and encouragement. The encouragement is key in areas of our project responsibilities and everyday interactions, and it may benefit others to practice these skills in an individual or group setting. Sometimes it is difficult to point out areas you want to continue to grow in, and this provided a third-party outlet to work on these skills!"
Spencer Amos, Associate Project Manager,
The Link Group, Durham, NC
Healing the Voice™
"I came to Laurece struggling with vocal fatigue, especially with the demands of a corporate role. Over six months, she helped me build stamina, identify the patterns that were exhausting my voice, and develop healthier habits through targeted exercises I could do both in sessions and at home. The combination of virtual and in-person coaching made it easy to stay consistent. My voice feels stronger and much more sustainable day-to-day. I highly recommend her coaching!"
Bryanna Foote,
Senior Product Leader, transforming healthcare challenges into scalable solutions that improve lives. Durham, NC
Reach Your Ideal Clients - Develop & Monetize Your Signature Talk™
"I decided to sign up for Reach Your Ideal Clients because I already gave talks but they weren't as effective as I'd like.
I wanted to have more impact and build my client base. Laurece asked me to set my R.O.I. for the course, to gain back my investment. She sent me information on how to focus on it and said she would support me. This was all before the course started. After ONE class session, and about a week of affirming what I wanted to bring in, I won a year long contract that more that pays for the course!
Laurece, I really feel like you are on my team and rooting for me. I never expected so much assistance from you! This is exactly what I needed and I am very grateful."
Heidi Hackney, Certified Professional Co-Active Coach, Hillsborough, N.C.
http://thecan-docoach.com/index.html.
"Months after working with Laurece, I continue to use all the tools she taught me. I even use some of them with my own clients! I have one client who is looking for a job and his interview skills have improved since we started using the same techniques Laurece taught me to prepare for public speaking.
As a business coach, Laurece helped me develop my packages, pricing, gave me scripts for talking with prospects and closing that really work, assisted me in gaining clarity about what was most important, gave me methods for trigger resolution, and helped me develop a schedule that works for me. This schedule makes me unique, no other coaches work this way, and my clients LOVE it!"
"When I started working with Laurece I was uncomfortable networking and my talks were generating little response. I had individual training with Laurece to prepare for a speech for 600 people. Then I took Reach Your Ideal Clients, and I am working with her again in individual sessions.
Now I am comfortable networking; I know what to say and I am at ease. I am confident and effective when I give talks. I am clear how to best serve the audience and simply offer a business proposition which attracts clients. Laurece encouraged me to think bigger and motivated me to attract more than my R.O.I.
As a result of working with her and releasing my "natural genius," as she calls it, one of the attendees at the 600 person talk recently decided to invest a million dollars monthly
in design work with our firm! What a R.O.I.! Thank you Laurece."
Todd Moses, Director of Engineering, Imaginovation, LLC, https://www.imaginovation.net/ Raleigh, N.C.
Business English for International Professionals™
"Working together with Laurece, was a discovery of all my pronunciation mistakes. English is my second language. My mother tongue is Spanish. I was shy to say some words because I did not know how to open my mouth and move my tongue. When I spoke, I did not notice my mistakes because I was fully present with my clients. However, she helped me realize that I was sending the wrong signals when I was speaking with mistakes. Instead of driving my clients in, I was driving them away. Before working with her, I was not super confident; I did not control my conversations with my clients nor engage with them. By the end of the 6 months, my confidence level was super high. I controlled my conversation with my clients. Finally, every time I told them personal stories, I was able to engage with them and as a result closed more deals. My confidence level increased, my pronunciation is better, and my communication is super clear, and engaging by telling personal stories. Thank you so much Laurece for your teachings! I appreciate your work. I recommend Laurece for your communication areas that need some work."
Salvador Espinoza, Insurance Agent, Brown’s Insurance Agency, www.BrownsInsurance.com Manassas VA.
"Before working with Laurece, I was overwhelmed by the fear of public speaking and would rush my words to get it over with, which often made me hard to understand, not to mention I have an accent, which made it even harder to understand. I tried to slow down during presentations but to no avail. I even used to think something was wrong with me.Over the past six months, Laurece has shown me that I don’t need to change who I am; I just need to adapt to the room I’m in by using the strategies she taught me. Working with her was a lot of fun: each session was filled with unique exercises, and her empathetic approach helped me break out of my negative spiral.Thanks to her Business English for International Professionals™ training, I’ve gained the confidence to face a large audience without letting fear control me, I naturally slow down and speak more clearly, and my presentations are now so much more effective that I’ve noticed a boost in my business sales. Laurece has truly helped me find my voice, and I highly recommend her to anyone struggling with public speaking or performance."
Victor Ize-Iyamu, Business Analyst/Developer - Fregur Global Concepts, North Carolina.
"I took Laurece's Business English session for several months. She is highly professional, provides a lot of fun, and is also an excellent musician. As a non-native English speaker, I faced many challenges, but she provided excellent support on an equal footing. Her lessons are more than just sitting in a chair and having a conversation. She uses body exercises and learns to communicate beyond words. This lesson gave me confidence and I am eager to learn more English with her. If anyone wants to improve your English skills, I believe contacting her Laurece is the greatest way to that goal."
Ishikawa-san, Assistant CFO, VP of Business Planning and Accounting, Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, Durham, NC