Why Most Public Speaking Coach Methods Don't Work

As a public speaking coach, I've seen the pattern countless times. People complete coaching programs, feel confident for a few weeks, then revert to old habits the moment real pressure hits. It's not because they didn't learn the techniques. It's because they learned the wrong approach.

Traditional coaching treats public speaking like a performance to perfect. Stand here. Gesture there. Memorize openings. Practice power poses. Make eye contact. Project confidence.

The problem? You're learning to perform confidence, not develop it. And performance requires constant mental energy to maintain. When stakes rise—an unexpected question, a skeptical audience, technical difficulties—the performance cracks. You revert to your actual confidence level, which hasn't changed.

This realization changed how I work as a public speaking coach. Instead of teaching people to act confident, I developed a methodology that builds genuine capability from the inside out.

My Journey as a Public Speaking Coach

I didn't start as a public speaking coach with all the answers. In 2016, when I began coaching at The African Centre of Public Speaking, I taught the same techniques everyone else did. And I saw the same temporary results.

By 2018, working with hundreds of speakers, I started noticing patterns. The people who improved most weren't the ones who followed techniques most precisely. They were the ones who found ways to stay authentically themselves while incorporating structure.

In 2021, at The Personal and Corporate Development Company, I began formally developing what would become The Sprout Model. I tested it with executives, professionals, and youth programs. The results were dramatically different from traditional coaching outcomes.

By 2023, when I founded Sprout Life Skills, I'd refined the methodology through work with over 2,000 speakers across Kenya. The Sprout Model was no longer experimental—it was proven.

The Sprout Model: My Coaching Methodology

As a public speaking coach, I built The Sprout Model on a simple premise: public speaking isn't something external you acquire. It's internal capability you develop.

This isn't wordplay. It's a complete reframe of what coaching should accomplish. You already speak confidently with friends, explain concepts you care about, advocate for ideas in low-pressure settings. That speaker? Already confident. Already articulate. Already persuasive.

My job as your public speaking coach isn't to replace that natural speaker with a "professional" version. It's to help that authentic speaker show up in higher-stakes situations with the structure and refinement that makes messages land powerfully.

The Sprout Model has three core pillars that create this transformation:

Why I Use Video Assessment in My Public Speaking Coaching

Here's what research shows: 99% of speakers are completely wrong about what they need to fix. They obsess over things audiences barely notice while remaining blind to issues that actually matter.

This is why, as a public speaking coach, I integrate professional video assessment into every session—not as an add-on, but as the core feedback mechanism.

How My Video-Based Coaching Process Works

Traditional public speaking coach approach:
You present → Coach gives verbal feedback → You try to implement → You hope you're doing it right

It's like learning to swim through verbal instructions without ever seeing yourself in water.

My Sprout Model process:
You present → Professional recording → You watch with my guided analysis → You see exactly what's working and what's not → You develop the ability to coach yourself

When you can actually see that your face lights up naturally when discussing certain examples (Naturalness working), your voice drops compellingly when making important points (Voice working), or you lose eye contact during transitions because you're thinking about what comes next (Words structure needs work)—the feedback isn't abstract. It's concrete, visual, undeniable.

You're not relying on my opinion or your unreliable self-perception. You're seeing reality. And once you see it, you can't unsee it. That awareness accelerates improvement exponentially.

What Makes My Coaching Different from Other Public Speaking Coaches

As a public speaking coach in Nairobi for 9 years, I've seen what other coaches teach. Here's how my approach differs:

The Science Behind Why My Method Works

When you're performing confidence using borrowed techniques, your brain does multiple things simultaneously: processing content, monitoring audience, remembering techniques, suppressing natural responses. This cognitive load is manageable in practice. But introduce real stakes, and capacity becomes limited.

When you develop natural capability through my coaching methodology, you're not adding cognitive load—you're removing it. You're not performing a character; you're being a refined version of yourself. Your brain processes content and responds naturally because you've developed the capability to speak well, not just the techniques to appear confident.

This is why my clients consistently report their presentations get better under pressure, not worse. The capability is internalized, not performed.

Who I Work With as a Public Speaking Coach

As a public speaking coach in Nairobi, I work with three distinct groups through Sprout Life Skills. Each experiences The Sprout Model differently, but all build the same foundation: natural capability instead of performed confidence.

Youth (Ages 7-17): Values & Voice Intensive

I developed this program because traditional public speaking coaching for kids often makes them self-conscious. They learn to "present properly" instead of speaking naturally.

My Values & Voice Intensive is different. Five intensive days where young people discover their personal values before developing speaking capability. Because authentic confidence starts with self-knowledge, not borrowed techniques.

The program integrates character development with The Sprout Model pillars, using video assessment throughout. They stop trying to sound like "good presenters" and start presenting like themselves with structure.

Available: In-person (Kilimani center, Nairobi) or Online
Group size: Maximum 15 students

Learn About Youth Programs

Professionals: Group Classes

As a public speaking coach for professionals, I've learned that busy people need frameworks that work under pressure, not techniques requiring perfect conditions.

My 7-week structured program teaches Naturalness, Voice, and Words with weekly video assessment. Small groups (maximum 12 people) ensure substantial practice time and individual feedback from me as your coach.

You learn to speak powerfully in the exact environment where you'll use these skills—whether boardrooms or Zoom rooms. You stop "giving presentations" and start actually communicating.

Format options:
• In-person classes (Kilimani center, Nairobi)
• Online classes (accessible across Kenya)

Join In-Person Classes Start Online Classes

Executives: Private Coaching

Working as a public speaking coach for executives taught me that generic advice doesn't work at high stakes. Board presentations, investor pitches, conference keynotes, media appearances—these require intensive, personalized coaching.

I work one-on-one to apply The Sprout Model to your specific message for your specific audience. We use comprehensive video assessment, personalized application of all three pillars, strategic messaging consultation, and iterative practice and refinement.

You stop trying to project authority and start actually possessing it. Your natural communication style aligns with polished strategy.

Explore Executive Coaching

Common Questions About My Public Speaking Coaching

How is your coaching different from other public speaking coaches?

Most coaches teach you to perform confidence using techniques. As a public speaking coach, I develop your natural speaking capability. The difference: performed confidence cracks under pressure. Developed capability holds up and actually improves when stakes rise.

How long does it take to see results from your coaching?

You'll notice improvement after your first video-assessed session with me—usually in how you perceive your own speaking, which immediately reduces anxiety. Visible transformation typically happens within 3-4 weeks. The capability becomes permanent when you've internalized the framework.

What if I've tried other public speaking coaches before?

That's exactly who my coaching serves best. If you learned techniques that worked temporarily then faded, you experienced the performance approach. My Sprout Model develops capability, not performance. Once developed, it doesn't fade because it's actually you speaking.

Do I need to be confident already to benefit from your coaching?

No. As a public speaking coach, I've learned that most "lack of confidence" is actually "lack of skill" combined with negative past experiences. As you develop genuine capability and see concrete proof via video, confidence emerges naturally. It's not confidence you're performing; it's confidence you've earned.

Why do you use video assessment in your coaching?

Because verbal feedback is abstract. Video feedback is concrete. When you see what I'm describing—your natural strengths, fixable issues, progress over time—learning accelerates exponentially. You develop the ability to coach yourself, which extends transformation beyond our sessions.

Can I work with you if I'm outside Nairobi?

Yes! As a public speaking coach, I offer online programs accessible anywhere in Kenya (or internationally). The methodology works identically online—you still get video assessment, The Sprout Model framework, and my direct coaching. Many professionals prefer online because they're practicing in the environment where they'll actually speak (Zoom, Teams, virtual meetings).

The Future: Nena AI

As a public speaking coach, I'm building something I'm genuinely excited about: Nena AI, launching Q4 2026.

The biggest limitation in coaching isn't access to quality instruction—it's access to constant feedback. You can work with me weekly, but what about the other six days? What happens when you want to practice at midnight or need quick feedback before tomorrow's meeting?

Nena AI is a personalized speech and confidence coaching platform using video analysis based on The Sprout Model. You record yourself practicing. The AI analyzes your Naturalness, Voice, and Words. You get targeted guidance specific to your speaking patterns and goals.

Think of it as having a public speaking coach by your side 24/7—not replacing human coaching, but amplifying it. The AI handles routine practice and feedback. I focus our sessions on deeper strategy, mindset shifts, and high-stakes preparation.

I'm building this because I believe everyone deserves access to quality feedback, not just people who can afford intensive one-on-one coaching with a public speaking coach.

Final Thoughts from Your Public Speaking Coach

After 9 years as a public speaking coach and working with over 2,000 speakers across Kenya, here's what I know for certain: public speaking isn't a performance skill. It's a development skill.

The difference matters profoundly. Performance is something you do to an audience. Development is something that happens within you that naturally affects how you communicate.

Most public speaking coaches teach performance because it's faster to demonstrate and easier to sell. I teach development because it's what actually lasts.

The Sprout Model—Naturalness, Voice, Words—combined with video assessment isn't just another coaching methodology. It's recognition that you already have a speaking voice. You use it every day with people you trust. My job as your public speaking coach isn't to give you a new one. My job is to help you bring that authentic voice to higher-stakes situations with structure and refinement that makes your message land powerfully.

That's why I built a different kind of public speaking coaching method. Not because the old ways don't produce any results. But because they produce the wrong kind of results—temporary performance instead of lasting capability.

And in my experience as a public speaking coach, lasting capability is the only kind worth building.