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Master your Story
Master your Stage.
Executive coaching for entrepreneurs, founders, public speakers, and
senior executives who have the substance - but need the room to get it.
I enable you to communicate with authority in meetings, board
presentations, keynotes, TEDx talks, and career-defining conversations.
ᗢ You'll receive a clear diagnosis of actionable next steps. Confidential by default. NDAs available.
RICHARD FORD
Executive Coach & Public Speaking Consultant
Master your Story
Master your Stage
Communication Coach ◆ Award-Winning Speech Writer ◆ Public Speaking TEDx Advisor.
With 20 years of corporate experience, there is a reason senior leaders at Vodafone, Microsoft, the BBC, and local Governments trust me to craft their story, sharpen delivery, and make it land when the stakes are highest.
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Master your Story
Master your Stage
Communication Coach ◆ Award-Winning Speech Writer ◆ Public Speaking TEDx Advisor.
With 20 years of corporate experience, there is a reason senior leaders at Vodafone, Microsoft, the BBC, and local Governments trust me to craft their story, sharpen delivery, and make it land when the stakes are highest.
Master your Story
Master your Stage
Communication Coach ◆ Award-Winning Speech Writer ◆
Public Speaking TEDx Advisor.
With 20 years of corporate experience, there is a reason senior leaders at Vodafone, Microsoft, the BBC, and local Governments trust me to craft their story, sharpen delivery, and make it land when the stakes are highest.
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senior executive - GREATER IMPACT, GREATER RECOGNITION.
“Richard over delivered with the quality of the speech and the way he worked with the slides. Learning the power of the pause was great. The keynote session went well. And I look forward to working with himon future projects”
Terry K · Chief Strategy Officer, BDACS
senior executive -
GREATER IMPACT, GREATER RECOGNITION
“Richard over delivered with the quality of the speech and the way he worked with the slides. Learning the power of the pause was great. The keynote session went well. And I look forward to working with himon future projects”
Terry K ◆ Chief Strategy Officer, BDACS
KEYNOTE SPEAKER -
he made me sound authenitc
"My experience with Richard was amazing. He heard me, he had me catching my breath as I read my own thoughts. I highly recommend Richard for your writing and presentation project. I’ll be using him again and again and again."
Altreisha F◆ Author and Founder, Cake Therapy Foundation
senior executive -
GREATER IMPACT, GREATER RECOGNITION
“Richard gave me an honest read of how I was being received, sharpened my board updates and prepared me for the hard questions. I stopped deferring and defending - and people started hearing the leader they already had.”
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Andreas M ◆ Financial Director, Microsoft
founder Entreprenuer - built a story that sells itself
“Richard helped me turn the strategy behind my business into a clear story I can tell with confidence. Each session builds on the last, combining practical tools with expert guidance. I always leave with something concrete I can use. For any founder or entrepreneur who needs people to understand and believe in what they’re building"
Andreas M · Financial Director, Microsoft
keynote speaker - FROM COMPLEX IDEAS TO KEYNOTE READY
“The keynote was well beyond what I expected. With the speech and slides, Richard shaped the direction, tone and structure so clearly that I felt ready to move straight into rehearsal. The keynote went really well thanks to him"
Andreas M · Financial Director, Microsoft
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Founded by Richard Ford
Executive Coach and Consultant
Public Speaking TEDx Advisor
Award-Winning Speech Writer
TRUSTED BY LEADERS FROM
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You have the substance.
Does the room ever get it?
my approach
Make sure it does.
Every leader I work with is about to be watched. A keynote. A board meeting. An investor pitch. A camera.
What happens in that short space of time can shape years of opportunity.
My job is to make sure those moments hold. Whether you’re winning clients, shaping a story that needs selling, delivering a keynote, or briefing a board.
I help you sharpen the words, the deck and the delivery.
Three disciplines. Serving one goal. Win the room.
my approach
Every leader I work with is about to be watched. A keynote. A board meeting. An investor pitch. A camera.
What happens in that short space of time can shape years of opportunity.
My job is to make sure those moments hold. Whether you’re winning clients, shaping a story that needs selling, delivering a keynote, or briefing a board.
I help you sharpen the words, the deck and the delivery.
Three disciplines. Serving one goal. Win the room.
◆
how and why it works
Stage Intelligence Coaching.
Most coaching isolates one thing: your words, your delivery or your deck. But your audience experiences all three at once.
Stage Intelligence Coaching develops them as one system.
01
Your words & story
Craft it.
Words that survive scrutiny
-
Clear narrative
-
Strong argument
-
Built for tough questions
02
Your voice & Presence
Deliver it.
Presence that holds the room
-
Voice, pace, body
-
Physical presence
-
Assert your authority
03
Your deck & the room
Land it.
A message lasts after you leave
-
Clear visual hierarchy
-
Slides that serve the story
-
Designed for the room
01
Your words & story
Craft it.
Words that survive scrutiny
What we do. We find the narrative inside your expertise and write the argument so it holds under a hard question - not a generic script, not an AI draft that dies in sixty seconds.
Why it works. People remember structured stories far better than loose facts. If the narrative is weak, no amount of coaching saves it.
22×
Stories are up to 22× more memorable than facts alone in classic recall studies - which is why we build the arc before we polish the performance.
03
Your deck & the room
Land it.
Message that sticks after they leave
What we do. Slides that support the argument not carry it. Composure to read the room in real time so you win it - not a polite nod and a forgotten pitch.
Why it works. A deck that argues for you outlasts the room. If the slide can't stand alone, the message doesn't survive past the meeting.
£28.5bn
Poor communication costs businesses an estimated £28.5 billion a year. The failure is rarely “more content.”
* Illustrative research framing (narrative recall; UK communication cost studies). Every engagement is built on your material.
◆
Founder & entrepreneur - Richard turns strategy into a story.
My experience with Richard was amazing. He heard me, he had me catching my breath as I read my own thoughts. I highly recommend Richard for your writing and presentation project. I’ll be using him again and again and again."
Altreisha F · Author and Founder, Cake Therapy Foundation
◆
who it works for
Which room are
you walking into?
Stage Intelligence Coaching is built around the room you need to win.
Choose the room that matches what’s at stake.
For Founders & entrepreneurs
The Launch Room
Build the story investors, clients and your team remember. We shape one clear narrative across your pitch, website, LinkedIn, slides and the conversations that matter.
✓ Shape a story that stands up under scrutiny
✓ Align every channel around one narrative
✓ Rehearse until your answers feel natural
✓ Leave with messaging you use everywhere
For keynote speakers
The Performance Room
Make the message and the delivery work as one. Whether it’s a keynote, presentation or critical meeting, we shape what you say, how you say it and how the room experiences it.
✓ Build or refine a speech for a clear narrative
✓ Coach voice, pace, presence and body
✓ Create slides that strengthen the message
✓ Rehearse the room, not just the script
For Execs, LEADERS and the c-Suite
The Command Room
Close the gap between your expertise and how you’re heard. The higher you lead, the more every meeting matters - and the more your presence and authority shape reputation.
✓ Get an honest read on how you’re received
✓ Strengthen stakeholder communication
✓ Build calm authority under pressure
✓ Work on meetings & moments that matter
◆
Stage Intelligence Coaching.
Most coaching focuses on one thing: the speech, the presentation, or the presence. Your audience doesn’t process separately.
Stage Intelligence Coaching develops all three as one system.
01
Your words & story
Craft it.
Words that survive scrutiny
-
Clear narrative
-
Strong argument
-
Built for tough questions
02
your voice & presence
Deliver it.
Presence that holds the room
-
Voice, pace, body language
-
Physical presence
-
Assert your authority
03
YOUR DECK & THE ROOM
Land it.
Words that survive scrutiny
-
Slides that support
-
Read the room
-
Composure in real time
how and why it works
◆
Which room
are you?
Stage Intelligence Coaching is built around the room you need to win. Choose your room that matches what’s at stake and open the door.
For Founders & entrepreneurs
The Launch Room
Build the story investors, clients and your team remember. We shape one clear narrative across your pitch, website, LinkedIn, slides and the conversations that matter.
✓ Shape a story that stands up
under scrutiny
✓ Align the various streams with
one narrative
✓ Rehearse so answers are
effortless
✓ Leave with messaging you
use everywhere
For Execs, LEADERS and c-Suite
The Command Room
Close the gap between your expertise and how you’re heard. The higher you lead, the more every meeting matters - and the more your presence and authority shapes reputation.
✓ Get an honest read on how
you’re received
✓ Strengthen your stakeholder
communication
✓ Build calm authority
under pressure
✓ Work on meetings &
moments that matter
For high-stake keynote speeches
The Performance Room
Make the message and the delivery work as one. Whether it’s a keynote, presentation or critical meeting, we shape what you say, how you say it and how the room experiences it.
✓ Build or refine a speech for a
clear narrative
✓ Coach voice, pace, presence
and body
✓ Create slides that strengthen
your message
✓ Rehearse the room, not just
the script
who it works for
◆
Four steps.
One ready outcome.
We start with what a room needs to believe, then build the story, delivery & supporting material to make it land.
01
discovery
We map the moment
We start with the room you’re walking into: who will be there, what’s at stake, and what success needs to look like.
Outcome: clarity on the room, audience and objective.
how we work
02
development
We shape the story
We build the message until every point earns its place - clear, persuasive and resilient under pressure.
Outcome: story, speech & supporting material that holds.
03
delivery
We rehearse the room
Voice, pace, presence, questions and composure. We rehearse when the room stops following the script.
Outcome: calm, credible delivery under pressure.
04
destination
You land the result
You walk in with a clear story, confident delivery and supporting material that works with you, not against.
Outcome: the room hears the authority you already have.
◆
From Tension to TEDx Stage.
Lucy had helped rebuild a failing £50m division, shaped the strategy, held the team together and landed contracts nobody thought possible.
But in front of the board, they didn’t see that. They saw a nervous executive reading slides - not the leader who had done the work.
01
The Discovery
Lucy didn’t have an ability problem. She had a story problem. She didn't sound convincing that she drove the developments and change.
The turnaround was real - but she wasn’t telling it as one clear leadership narrative. In the boardroom, people saw slides and nerves rather than the leader who had already delivered the results.
The issue wasn’t substance. It was how the room was receiving it.
02
The Transformation
We worked through Stage Intelligence Coaching in sequence. First, we found the narrative inside her results and shaped the board story around it.
Then we worked on body language, authority and presence - rehearsing the way performers rehearse.
Finally, we pressure-tested difficult questions, changes of plan and how to read the room in real time.
03
The Results
Eighteen months later, Lucy received the promotion she had already earned. The change was that the room finally saw it too.
She went on to present her story on a TEDx stage.
"Richard helped me shape the story behind my results - and gave me the confidence to own it in the room. I still use the tools and techniques every day."
the case study
about richard
Twenty years in the room.
Both sides of it.
I’ve spent my career inside the rooms I now coach people to walk into. From operations and investment to communications and leadership, I’ve worked across Autotrader, Vodafone, Syngenta and JD Sports before founding Life is a Speech - a coaching practice built on what those rooms taught me.
I didn’t start out able to hold a room. I was over-rehearsed, anxious and convinced I’d be found out. So I learned the things nobody teaches executives: how performers actually command attention.
Drama. Stand-up. Scriptwriting. Improv. Rooms with no slide deck to hide behind - where if you lose attention, you know immediately. That’s where I learned the difference between being technically right and genuinely commanding a room.
That's Stage Intelligence Coaching.
And it’s what every engagement is built on.
CORPORATE - BUILT IN BOARDROOMS
◆ Head of Supplier & Comms
JD Sports Fashion plc
◆ Senior Global Strategist
Syngenta Group
◆ Director of Communications
Positive Start Ltd
◆ Global Supplier Manager
Vodafone
Creative - Shaped on Stage
◆ BA Degree in Communication
Lancaster University
◆ BA Degree in Drama
Lancaster University
◆ Award-winning writer
BCG Pro, Screen to Seen
◆ Stand-up comedy & Improv
Performed Edinburgh Fringe
CORPORATE - BUILT IN BOARDROOMS
◆ ILM Level 7 Coaching
Institute of Leadership
◆ CPD Accredited Coach
CPD
◆ Founder
Life is a Speech Ltd
◆ Training & Development Coach
Unity Leadership Solutions
◆
MY testImOnIals
Trusted by people who can't afford to be forgettable.
1720+
cLIENTS & companies Coached
680+
testimonials &
reviews earned
40+
countries globally reached
“I'm so glad I hired Richard for my Executive Coaching.”
Dr. Sandra H-Z
CEO and Founder at Aspirant
My Berlin keynote on menopause was built on years of clinical practice, research and lived experience. Richard helped me find the sharpest, most human way to say what I already knew.
He understood, then helped me strip away everything that stood me and the audience. The keynote landed.
If you want to actually move people, work with Richard.
◆
Your next high-stakes moment deserves more than your usual words.
Every engagement starts with a consultation. No pitch, no pressure. Just a clear conversation about how you get results. Confidential. NDA's available.
Any questions? Reach out to me directly.
“Promoted and recognised in a few months after working with Richard."
Andreas M
Director at Microsoft
Richard gave me an honest read of how I was being received, sharpened my board updates and prepared me for the hard questions.
I stopped deferring and defending, and people started hearing the leader they already had.
It gave me confidence to go for a role I feltl I couldn't do. In reality, I was more than qualified. Richard showed me how.
"His impact is always nothing short of incredible."
Sharon U
Presenter and Entrepreneur
Not just great, fantastic! Richard was absolutely amazing in crafting our stories. He really got an understanding of what our vibe was.
His delivery helped the nerves and the speech was insightful a great balance of serious, fun, love and engaging.
He really delivered in our location for our special occasion. And honestly, we can not recommend Richard enough.
WHY THIS WORK IS DIFFERENT
Built in the boardroom. Shaped on stage.
Proven in practice.
I’ve spent my career inside the rooms I now coach people to walk into. From operations and investment to communications and leadership, I’ve worked across Autotrader, Vodafone, Syngenta and JD Sports before founding Life is a Speech - a coaching practice built on what those rooms taught me.
I didn’t start out able to hold a room. I was over-rehearsed, anxious and convinced I’d be found out. So I learned the things nobody teaches executives: how performers actually command attention.
Drama. Stand-up. Scriptwriting. Improv. Rooms with no slide deck to hide behind - where if you lose attention, you know immediately. That’s where I learned the difference between being technically right and genuinely commanding a room.
That became Stage Intelligence Coaching.
And it’s what every engagement is built on.
◆
how we work
Four steps. One
ready outcome.
We start with what the room needs to believe, then build the story, delivery and supporting material to make it land.
01
discovery
We map the moment
We start with the room you’re walking into: who will be there, what’s at stake, and what success needs to look like.
Outcome: clarity on the room, audience and objective.
-
02
development
We shape the story
We build the message until every point earns its place - clear, persuasive and resilient under pressure.
Outcome: story, speech and supporting material that holds.
-
03
delivery
We rehearse the room
Voice, pace, presence, questions and composure. We rehearse when the room stops following
the script.
Outcome: calm, credible delivery under pressure.
-
04
destination
You land the result
You walk in with a clear story, confident delivery and supporting material that works with you, not against.
Outcome: the room hears the authority you already have.
◆
THE case study
From Tension to TEDx Stage.
Lucy had helped rebuild a failing £50m division, shaped the strategy, held the team together and landed contracts nobody thought possible.
But in front of the board, they didn’t see that. They saw a nervous executive reading slides - not the leader who had done the work.
The Discovery
Lucy didn’t have an ability problem. She had a story problem. She didn't sound convincing that she drove the developments and change.
The turnaround was real - but she wasn’t telling it as one clear leadership narrative. In the boardroom, people saw slides and nerves rather than the leader who had already delivered the results.
The issue wasn’t substance. It was how the room was receiving it.
The Transformation
We worked through Stage Intelligence Coaching in sequence. First, we found the narrative inside her results and shaped the board story around it.
Then we worked on body language, authority and presence - rehearsing the way performers rehearse.
Finally, we pressure-tested difficult questions, changes of plan and how to read the room in real time.
The Results
Eighteen months later, Lucy received the promotion she had already earned. The change was that the room finally saw it too.
She went on to present her story on a TEDx stage.
"Richard helped me shape the story behind my results - and gave me the confidence to own it in the room. I still use the tools and techniques every day."
about richard
Twenty years in the room.
Both sides of it.
I’ve spent my career inside the rooms I now coach people to walk into. From operations and investment to communications and leadership, I’ve worked across Auto Trader, Vodafone, Syngenta and JD Sports before founding Life is a Speech - a coaching practice built on what those rooms taught me.
I didn’t start out able to hold a room. I was over-rehearsed, anxious and convinced I’d be found out. So I learned the things nobody teaches executives: how performers actually command attention.
Drama. Stand-up. Scriptwriting. Improv. Rooms with no slide deck to hide behind - where if you lose attention, you know immediately. That’s where I learned the difference between being technically right and genuinely commanding a room.
That became Stage Intelligence Coaching. And it’s what every engagement is built on.
◆
WHY THIS WORK IS DIFFERENT
Experience from every side of the room.
Corporate-Built in boardrooms
◆ Head of Supplier & Comms
JD Sports Fashion plc
◆ Senior Global Strategist
Syngenta Group
◆ Director of Communications
Positive Start Ltd
◆ Global Supplier Manager
Vodafone
Creative-Shaped on Stage
◆ BA in Communication
Lancaster University
◆ BA in Drama
Lancaster University
◆ Award-winning writer
BCG Pro, Screen to Seen
◆ Stand-up comedy & Improv
Edinburgh Fringe performer
coaching-Proven in practice
◆ ILM Level 7 Coaching
Institute of Leadership
◆ CPD Accredited Coach
CPD
◆ Founder
Life is a Speech Ltd
◆ Training & Development Coach
Unity Leadership Solutions
for organisations
Equip your leadership team to communicate at the level the moment demands.
Bespoke workshops, keynotes and facilitation for organisations investing in the communication capability of their senior leaders.
Keynote Speaking Coaching
High-impact keynotes on executive communication, presence, and leading through high-stakes moments. Delivered for boards, conferences & leadership worldwide.
BEST FOR
◆ Annual leadership conferences
◆ Board retreats
◆ Industry summit feedback
Leadership Team Workshops
Half-day or full-day intensives for senior leadership teams.
Live practice, real materials, immediate application. Bespoke to your organisation's challenges.
BEST FOR
◆ C-suite teams
◆ Board directors
◆ Senior partner groups
Facilitation &
Advisory
Strategic facilitation for senior offsites, board meetings, town halls and transformation moments. I help your leaders communicate when the stakes are highest.
BEST FOR
◆ Town halls and AGMs
◆ M&A and change comms
◆ Crisis communications
Trusted by Microsoft, NHS, BBC, JDRF, Vodafone and more.
THe evidence
Two independent studies. One consistent finding.
-
Poor communication costs UK businesses £28.5 billion a year.
-
Almost none of it is a content problem.
Inefficient communication costs UK businesses an average of £7,675 per employee every year - more than a third of the average UK office worker's salary.
The failure is almost never the argument. It's the ninety seconds before anyone hears it.
Sources: Mitel/Vanson Bourne UK workplace productivity study; ACAS
◆
MY testImOnIals
Trusted by people who can't
afford to be forgettable.
1720+
cLIENTS & companies Coached
680+
testimonials &
reviews earned
40+
countries
reached GLobally
“I'm so glad I hired Richard for my Executive Coaching. The speech, the slides and the coaching was invaluable.”
Dr. Sandra H-Z
CEO and Founder at Aspirant
My Berlin keynote on menopause was built on years of clinical practice, research and lived experience. Richard helped me find the sharpest, most human way to say what I already knew.
He understood, then helped me strip away everything that stood me and the audience. The keynote landed.
If you want to actually move people, work with Richard.
“Promoted and recognised in a few months after working with Richard. He allowed me to be the leader I knew I could be."
Andreas M
Director at Microsoft
Richard gave me an honest read of how I was being received, sharpened my board updates and prepared me for the hard questions.
I stopped deferring and defending, and people started hearing the leader they already had.
It gave me confidence to go for a role I feltl I couldn't do. In reality, I was more than qualified. Richard showed me how.
"His impact is always nothing short of incredible. He's helped me in my presenting and my personal life"
Sharon U
Presenter and Entrepreneur
Not just great, fantastic! Richard was absolutely amazing in crafting our stories. He really got an understanding of what our vibe was.
His delivery helped the nerves and the speech was insightful a great balance of serious, fun, love and engaging.
He really delivered in our location for our special occasion. And honestly, we can not recommend Richard enough.
01
The boardroom feels different
Every word is scrutinised. Every pause is read. The communication skills that got you here aren't the ones that move the room now.
02
Your message gets diluted
You have the strategy. You have the data. But somehow it lands flat, your audience drifts, and the moment slips past.
03
The stakes keep rising
Investor pitches. Board updates. Town halls. Media interviews. The cost of getting it wrong has never been higher.
your first step
The Room Review.
A focused 40-minute working session built around the story you want to sell, the presence you want to project and the authority you want to assert.
✓ Identify what isn’t landing.
✓ Decide what needs to change.
✓ Leave with a clear plan.
£95 · $125 USD ◆ 40 minutes
ready to begin?
Your next high-stakes
moment deserves more than
the words you've used before.
Every engagement starts with a consultation. No pitch, no pressure. A clear conversation about how you'll get results. Confidential by default. NDA's available.