Orla chats to Bonnie Williams, a dialogue and performance coach for actors, public speakers and other professionals. Bonnie describes herself as a “Amsterdam-based American European”. She’s also an actor and a TEDx speaker coach, and was featured in Marie Claire magazine.
Bonnie has worked for many years helping business people apply the skills of acting to the corporate world. She tells us how engaging with intercultural differences is so important for people doing business outside their own country. However, she shies away from using terms “training” and “coaching”. What she focuses on with clients, she reveals, is “connecting speakers to their message”. Her overarching goal, she says, and the thing she loves doing most, is “helping people be the best they can be”.
Bonnie also delves into the subject of networking. She advises aspiring public speakers not to underestimate the power of “who you know”. A lot of her clients, she tells us, struggle with exposure; getting out there and meeting people is key at events like festivals, conferences, or just standing at the bar somewhere! She has a nice alternative take on the traditional “elevator pitch”; she calls it “cocktail pitching”, which is much more about a conversation. Bonnie gives us valuable insights into how speakers can make casual connections.
