"A large part of my job is training adults and delivering presentations, and although I’m a confident teacher and presenter I felt there was still more I could do to improve. I decided to start with my voice as I could often hear it become grating when I was tense or tired. Specifically, I was seeking to improve my tone and range and to use my voice safely, so that I could sustain it over several days of teaching. I looked at a number of voice coach’s websites, but was drawn to Gillian’s because she appeared to have a very strong technical background for voice work and I liked her philosophy of getting her clients to sound like themselves, only better.
I expected to get good advice, exercises and feedback – all of which Gillian provides brilliantly, but what I didn’t expect was just how much I would enjoy the sessions. Gillian is so lovely and we seem to spend a large part of every session laughing, yet still getting lots of work done. Gillian is also very good at pitching her advice for your abilities, recognising when you can speed through something and when you need to spend more time and concentrate. The thing that has most impressed me though is the amount of preparation and care Gillian takes: each session feels completely focussed on what you need to do next and it is clear she puts a great deal of thought and consideration into her planning.
As a result of seeing Gillian, my voice is stronger and smoother; I’m more confident and I’m inspired to improve further!"
Diana Veitch
Trade Union Education Officer
September 2009
“Gillian has and is providing me with voice coaching, I am finding her sessions very valuable indeed. Gillian thoroughly prepares for our sessions beforehand and provides excellent insight for me to improve as a business consultant. Gillian has custom designed a development programme unique to my personal needs and is delivering each consultation always with the end result in mind - I certainly have no hesitation in recommending Gillian to anyone who aspires to improve their presentation skills, public speaking skills or modulation of voice.”
Kieran Hegarty
Consultant at Celerant Consulting
September 2009
“After a few situations at work where I felt completely unable to project my voice despite people saying ‘speak up’ I knew something had to be done. I speak to large meetings of government officials and senior medical experts, and if there were 30 people in the room and no microphone I would panic. I googled "voice coach London" and Gillian was one of the first "hits". I contacted several people who sent me back standard emails saying what their rates were, which didn't impress me much as it was so impersonal. Gillian on the other hand called me back straight away and we spoke on the phone for a while about what I wanted to achieve and this impressed me.
The fact Gillian films sessions has been important to me as it helps me and her to play it back to identify areas I want to develop. Although my main reason for going to Gillian was wanting to speak louder, she helped me realise there were other areas such as speed, resonance and breathing that I needed to modify to communicate effectively. Gillian helped me produce sound in a completely different way, which also stopped me getting a dry sore throat during presentations. After a while I started to feel the theory really working in practice both in the sessions and gradually in daily life.
I went to a voice coach expecting someone to tell me how to say words, but it has instead been a process that has taught me so much about the voice, how our bodies work to produce sound, accent, phonetics and breathing and this in itself has been an interesting experience. But above all I now have the confidence to speak knowing that I can communicate clearly, people can hear my message and I will be judged for what I want to say not how I have said it. For this I will always be grateful to Gillian and her encouragement to try new vocal techniques which have made the process of speaking pleasurable for me for the first time.”
Civil Servant, Dept of Health
April 2009
"As part of my job, I have to speak regularly at large conferences and make presentations at business meetings. One of the problems I identified with my voice was a lack of 'openness' and resonance - resulting in it sounding choked and restricted at times - especially when I am tired. Also, as a non-native speaker of English, I had trouble with stress patterns in the English language and had a marked accent.
After trying another voice coach and finding it unsuitable, I had the fortune to come across Gillian. Over the last two months, I have worked with her to improve my voice quality and change the stress patterns of my speech. My accent has started to slowly and subtly shift to contemporary RP, without making it sound contrived. My voice has opened up and I speak more clearly and compellingly than I did before.
There are several characteristics that Gillian possesses which make her an excellent voice and dialect coach. She makes a real effort to understand her client's needs thoroughly. She spent nearly 35 minutes with me on the phone before the first appointment - freely giving her time even before I became her client. She then goes on to design the right sessions for the client drawing on her store of well-constructed material. At my first meeting, she handed me some very valuable study material which I found useful, and which she has kept adding to. Finally, the sessions are very educative, thorough and very well-conducted. I have made more progress than I imagined I would, in a very short time.
Her dedication and commitment are exemplary as is her expertise in her area. I will recommend her wholeheartedly to any business person seeking the services of a voice and/or dialect coach.”
Vice President at IT company
June 2009
“Gillian has been coaching me and a number of my colleagues on a regular basis for several months now. I have a strong overseas accent and was having problems making myself understood by clients over the phone and in meetings. My colleagues needed help and guidance in areas such as telephone technique, vocal tiredness and sore throats from using our voices for long periods of time and – in some cases – nerves and lack of confidence when speaking to an audience. The workshops and 1-2-1 classes we have received from Gillian so far have been of an extremely high standard and her friendly, supportive and professional approach has been very warmly received by the whole team. We have learnt a great deal from her and really enjoy her informative and fun sessions, which we intend to continue with on a regular basis. Gillian not only puts a lot of hard work into our sessions and workshops but also seems to do a great deal of detailed individual preparation for each of us, something I have been extremely impressed with from the beginning of her time working with us and I would actively recommend her to anyone seeking this kind of help for their sales team.”
Simon David Managing Director, Groove RealEstate
November 2008
"Gillian has worked with me in delivering an Impact and Voice Coach programme. Gillian uses improvisation and related techniques to build skills and confidence in public speaking in formal, informal and spontaneous public speaking situations. Gillian also provides voice coaching and preparation for delivering speeches and works with clients to improve impact by using poise and the voice to create interest and develop gravitas as well as diction and accent work for clearer enunciation. Gillian's style is warm, relaxed and encouraging which enables clients to settle comfortably into one to one coaching. Homework and repetition is used to embed lessons and accelerate learning. I have seen a noticeable behaviour and style change in the clients Gillian works with."
Rosemary Protheroe
Director Human Resources & Governance - Humana Europe
October 2009
"I found the coaching sessions with Gillian extremely useful while preparing for my professional examination of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Gillian understood the limited time frame available and worked with specific aspects of my voice that needed improving. Within 4 sessions, I was able to notice a significant difference in my pitch and variety. I found it very helpful to review the video recording of the sessions. The voice exercises were very practical and enjoyable. I owe a significant part of my success in the exam to my voice coaching with Gillian."
Trainee Psychiatrist
May 2009
"I was delighted to have the opportunity to work with Gillian last year in voice coaching and accent elimination. She really commands strong inter-personal skills combined with an impressive expertise in the topic and a very nice intellectual curiosity about other cultures. All the sessions with her are immensely enjoyable to the point where you don't want the coaching sessions to finish. In addition, I've had the opportunity to see the results in a very impressive way, evolving from having a timid approach when speaking in English to my current role as a Doctoral Student at Cranfield University where I am extremely confident when speaking. All thanks to Gillian. I miss her coaching but I am confident that in the future I might have the opportunity to continue learning from her as there is always room for personal improvement. Thanks Gillian!"
Jose Mendoza
Area Manager at The Absolut Company - Pernod Ricard
Greater New York City, US
October 2009
“Having always been conscious of my South London accent and my inability to stop the shakes in my voice when delivering presentations; I one day took the decision to do something about it. Gillian’s website appeared to tick all the boxes by way of raising my confidence in public speaking and moving towards a more universal accent.
On my initial discussion with Gillian over the phone, I found her to be very professional and open. She asked specific questions so as to gather a full understanding of what I wanted to accomplish. At first I was surprised with how easily I was able to open up and share my weak points. I always looked forward to our sessions not to mention the cup of tea that was always on offer at the start of each session!
I found each and every session immensely rewarding and having gone it alone for about a year now, I’m still referring back to little tips and strategies Gillian offered along the way. Not only did I benefit from the sessions, but I also noticed that my son’s pronunciation began to improve and when speaking in a group setting, I often observe that people really enjoy listening to what I have to say, I believe this due to my new found confidence in oral communication achieved via the help of Gillian.
I will always recommend Gillian to my friends, family and work colleagues, mainly because she offers immense professional range in the field of voice coaching, which for me equals exceptional value for money.”
Author / Academic
April 2009
“I can't recommend Gillian highly enough for her approach to RP accent work - she always provides exceptional attention to detail and consistently finds innovative ways to reinforce vocal techniques in her sessions. In addition, her sessions are always enjoyable and I'm very happy with the results I've obtained through working with Gillian.”
Medical Practitioner / Researcher
April 2009
“Gillian, thanks for all the work you’ve given me to improve the tone and pitch of my voice over the previous months. Your relaxed and gentle manner has helped me understand the science behind projecting my voice and your attention to detail and your professional manner has given the session structure and results. I’ve had to prepare for an interview recently, and the work you’ve provided that was above and beyond my expectations has been invaluable. I highly recommend anyone who’s feeling they need to improve their voice for an interview or presentation to use Gillian, the work and knowledge she provides is so worth it, ....... you won’t regret it.”
Supply Chain Manager
May 2009
“For years I've felt that my voice has let me down. I feel my throat closing in on itself when I have to give a presentation. Or when I'm in the office, and I'm talking to someone who exudes confidence to the point whereby their questions can sometimes come across as slightly hostile, again I find my voice falters at the one time that I need it to be strong. Through the work that I have done with Gillian, I'm now able to recognise the tell-tale signs and start to take action before my voice starts off on a shaky note. It's all about the breathing, and now I'm much more conscious of how I need to take in more air into my diaphragm which helps me to regain some control over my shaky voice.
Gillian is an excellent teacher. I have suggested her to some of my friends who want to strengthen their vocal abilities. She is very calm, exceptionally patient, and unwavering in her praise.
I would highly recommend her to anyone who is looking for a voice coach.”
Publishing Editor, London
May 2009
“I attended two 90 minute sessions with Gillian in order to prepare my Clinical Psychology Doctorate interview in which I was successful. Gillian was invaluable in helping me to improve the delivery of my presentation and answer questions in a clear and concise manner. The feedback she gave was useful and delivered in a constructive manner. She also improved my confidence due to her ability to also note your strengths. The video recording of the sessions was also a useful addition to the feedback she gave.
In just two sessions I noticed how I would deviate and go off topic frequently and also how I would not end my answers
Gillian was extremely professional and thorough. She prepared well before our session by looking at the type of thing the interviewer would be looking for and the type of questions they would ask. She was extremely conscientious and sacrificed a Sunday she had intended to take off to help me get in one last session and then asked her friend to come home early to help put my session onto DVD!
Her energy and enthusiasm also made the sessions extremely enjoyable. I have fond memories of those two sessions and would strongly recommend Gillian.”
Isabelle Hung
Mental Health Practitioner July 2008
"Gillian is the best! She is very good at what she does. Speaking to Gillian on the phone, before my first voice coaching session with her, was enough for her to instantly diagnose the problems I was having and provide a tailored solution. That really impressed me. She did not provide some generic and time wasting solution. Gillian also provides mock interviews. Recently, I had a mock interview session with Gillian. During the session, she covered all the necessary areas and gave honest, constructive feedback. After that I got a contract role with one of the largest banks in the world. If you are serious about improving your skills, give Gillian a call. Be warned, she has a great personality! Thanks, thanks, thanks Gillian. See you soon."
Michael Shadipe
Software Professional
October 2009
“I am a business executive and have to do a lot of public speaking. Gillian McAuley was recommended to me as a voice coach and she agreed to work with me to improve my accent (to make it more "RP") and also to make my voice more impact-full. I am truly amazed how quickly she managed to help me improve my accent to what I wanted. At the same time, Gillian worked out the areas in my speaking that helped me gain greater impact and authority. I find that people are actually listening to me!! Above all, it was a real pleasure to work with Gillian and each session has been great fun.”
Managing Director at Multinational Company March 2009
“Gillian studied at Rada and trained as an opera singer, both of which give her a unique insight into the mechanisms of voice and speech.
Her approach as a voice coach is impeccably professional, she is extremely talented and experienced as a teacher, she is very supportive of one's efforts at all times and her outgoing personality makes working with her most enjoyable.
I have learned a vast amount through her coaching, her range of teaching material is enormously varied and I warmly recommend her to future students.”
Lecturer in European Literature March 2009
“English is my second language and although I have had many years’ happy experience in front of the camera I had recently developed some problematic confidence issues relating to my accent so I contacted Gillian for some help with this. Until I started work with Gillian I had no idea how much difference a voice coach could make to my vocal development in general. Gillian helped me to completely transform my understanding of English pronunciation and to feel completely secure in this area for maybe the first time ever. Having mastered this, Gillian then went on to help me work on my overall vocal skills in my native tongue. This has been truly illuminating work. The quality and generosity of Gillian’s teaching have completely opened my eyes to what I can do with my voice and my confidence when working and socialising have soared as a result. I did not imagine I could achieve as much as I have achieved with her expert guidance and I cannot thank her enough for all her help and for the support she continues to give me to this day.”
Marco B. Broadcaster / TV Presenter
December 2008
“Dear Gillian. I hope you are still basking in the euphoria of your success on 22nd December – you certainly should be! I have received many congratulatory letters which properly should be yours. Obviously I already knew you as a highly talented performer. It was a bonus that I had no idea what a consummate public speaker and trainer you had become. Your well chosen material displayed your own skills to perfection and your clear eyed delivery kept everyone in the palm of your hand. Your demonstrations exhibited a wealth of experience; in short you enchanted your audience! I was very pleased indeed that you insisted on a workshop format for the second half of the day. You were quite right that “doing” is as equally helpful as “showing”. I particularly enjoyed and appreciated your clever and innovative use of the “theatre-sports” games which not only turned some of the shyer delegates into enthusiastic end excitable participants but also produced very immediate results in people’s speeches and presentations. I know that everyone feels they went away with something that they could really “show off” and put into practice straight away. I am sure you will have a splendid career ahead of you in this venture. Please do keep in touch with how it all progresses as I would love to lend whatever support I can in the future, including giving many strong recommendations of your work to all of my associates “across the pond!””
Georgi Meister Head Production Manager, Team-Building
Pinto Productions (US)
“Gillian is absolutely fantastic! Initially looking for additional presentation skill training at work, I was luckily recommended Gillian as a voice coach by a colleague. She has been working with me for more than two years and I have enjoyed every minute of it. She is patient, insightful, and a great professional. She makes sure she understands what you want to achieve and helps you achieve it with encouragement and enthusiasm. Always well prepared and fun to work with. My only regret is that I didn't find Gillian earlier in my career. Thank you Gillian and I look forward to working with you again soon.”
Financial Professional, City of London
April 2009
“Gillian, I just wanted to thank you for everything we have achieved over the past few weeks: for all the detailed and wonderful things you have taught me, for your expert guidance, your kindness and for the dedication you showed in helping me to reach my goals (which as you know had for so long seemed unattainable.) I came to you for confidence coaching but it has evolved into so much more!
The presentation to the Board went really well at the end of March and my team have been asked to continue the projects and present more findings to the Board again in June. I continue to get excellent feedback which I must say still comes as a bit of a shock. I had a really good comment by one of the Directors on Wednesday of '”Well done there - another good presentation!” So the work we did together has really paid off; thank you so much. I’m actually looking forward to the next presentation now. It seems so bizarre to be able to say that and I feel I have you to thank. Who’d have thought I would develop so much confidence?
(Another interesting side effect is that my singing has greatly improved too, as you said it would. I went to a friend’s wedding at the weekend and had a great time singing all the hymns – I even managed the high bits! I employed all the things you’d taught me and ensured I breathed correctly and it worked! Now I sing around the house all the time, confident in the knowledge I won’t be upsetting the neighbours!)”
Margaret Handerfield
IT Sales and Development Executive
“Hi Gillian. I just wanted to say a massive “thank you” – one of many to come from me I’m sure – for your kind, detailed, generous help today. I’ve just arrived home from working with you and have to admit I’m feeling rather elated. The session has really put a smile on my face and I feel relaxed, newly-confident and am buzzing about the fact that I’ve already learnt so much enlightening stuff about my own voice! Thank you so much for today. I already have a feeling of being somewhat "liberated", after just one session. (Who knew you can learn how to deepen your voice!) Thank you too for your patience in helping me to figure out exactly what I want / need to achieve. Let’s definitely continue on with this now because I’m really excited to see what I can achieve after waiting so long to address my problems. Please feel free to put this message up on your website if you can as I’d like to wholeheartedly recommend you to some of my colleagues.”
Paul Jarvis
HR Manager
October 2008
"Gillian, what can I say about her? I have been looking for her, well a talented person like her, all my life. --- she is the croc of gold at the end of a rainbow - her talents are the ones I need to get over a stammer and a weak voice. While my stammer is largely cured the problem of a weak voice is still there - other teachers up to now have tended, after a few sessions, to drift to presentation skills (which Gillian also does expertly) while now my core problem is being dealt with by her and progress is definitely being made. The fact that I travel from Dublin for our sessions indicates my confidence in her methods and ability.”
Lecturer (Dublin) April 2009
“Gillian, I found out two days ago that I was successful! I will now be starting the job in July. I wanted to let you know as soon as I could and to thank you for all your help. Gillian, thank you so much for your kind help. You really went out of your way to ensure my success. It was so kind of you to appreciate the interview’s significance to me and offer me so much support. I really feel that without your knowledge and advice I could not have got this far. You also gave me a new found confidence in my ability. I really thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your help and kindness. I’ll probably return soon for some help with speaking to a large audience! Thanks a million and best wishes. Please feel free to use this by way of recommendation.”
Nadzieja Peterssen
Law Student
April 2008
"Learning from Gillian is a hugely rewarding and valuable experience. Not only have the lessons been entertaining, they have given me the confidence to speak English to my colleagues more at work."
Japanese female, City (Finance & Banking)
"Gillian has really helped me to grow in confidence through the work we did together.
This work was wide and varied in content but mostly focused on presentations I was required to give so the work was put to extremely good use. I was always encouraged to bring a wide range of items I wanted to work on.
I really liked the style used which was supportive, affirming and encouraging. The areas which needed work were pointed out in a very helpful manner with demonstrations of how one could improve.
I really enjoyed my times working with Gillian and we also had some good laughs together. Gillian was always ready to listen to my confidence issues in general and keen to find a solution to any difficultly.”
Diana Pinchin
Lay Preacher / Theology Scholar
January 2009
"Dear Gillian, could I thank you for the very professional voice-over and coaching job which you carried out for us in November and for the end result which gives a very clear impression to our target audience of the building and its facilities Your vision on meeting the team was impressive and you made multi-media stars of all of us! I particularly liked the creative way in which you used the available voices and I know that Alistair, who produced the overall package of DVD and CD-Rom, enjoyed working with you very much and greatly appreciated your professional approach to this project. Many thanks and we will most definitely use your expertise and experience again in the future.”
T. Reed
Specialist Projects Manager,
Properties Division, Multinational Energy Company
“I contacted Gillian last year for some “emergency” voice coaching because I had been asked to make an extremely important speech at a large family wedding. I have always suffered a great deal with fear and anxiety at the thought of speaking to an audience and my job had never required me to do any public speaking so I also had little experience in this area. This, coupled with the fact that I had to do this in front of most of my family and close friends, had been making me extremely nervous and I was seriously considering finding a way of not giving the speech. On top of all this I had no idea how to write a speech and my increasing sense of panic made it hard for me to think of anything to say.
When I first went to see Gillian I went armed with a speech that I had had “specifically written” for me by a rather expensive online service. Unfortunately, when the speech had arrived it was clear that it had been written without their taking into account what kind of wedding it was and was therefore rather inappropriate from a cultural perspective and completely unsuitable for the occasion. When I read the speech to Gillian she recognised this fact instantly without me having to point it out and she immediately set about helping me to create from scratch a speech that was entirely appropriate, moving, entertaining and also extremely funny! Gillian’s cultural awareness, knowledge and sensitivity in this matter impressed me enormously and meant that I could then go on to learn how to deliver this new speech with complete confidence and peace of mind. I didn’t have to worry about giving the “wrong kind of speech” because now I had my very own!
The service Gillian provided was much more than how to improve and project my voice (although her knowledge and teaching in that area was remarkable.) In only a few lessons, she taught me about performance, physical presence, comedic timing & delivery, how to reach and engage with an audience and how to have the confidence to think on my feet. Above all, she helped me to banish any fear and negativity by identifying my strengths and showing me how to play to them. Her encouragement, support and sheer breadth of knowledge transformed what had promised to be a terrifying experience into an enjoyable and gratifying one. When the wedding arrived and I started my speech the response of the guests meant that, once I had finished, I would have happily leapt up and done it all over again! Several months on, I now find myself volunteering to speak whenever the opportunity presents itself!
I would strongly recommend Gillian as a voice coach for anyone who feels that their lack of confidence and worries about their speaking skills are holding them back, either professionally or socially.”
Hakam
Research Scientist (Mathematics) October 2008
“Since I started taking voice lessons with Gillian, my accent and voice have improved remarkably. It used to be very frustrating when people asked me to repeat myself. But Gillian has shown me techniques to improve my clarity. Since I'm planning on going into public speaking, I've also been working on presentation skills with Gillian. She has taught me so much, and now I even feel very confident of being able to give a speech.”
Jason Simon
Trainee Preacher
July 2009
“I write articles for a careers magazine for new graduates. I happened to notice a reference on the internet to the possible value to graduates of voice coaching with regard to job interviews and contacted Gillian with a request for advice and information on the theory and the practice of helping young job seekers along with her experiences of how useful it has been to her clients. Gillian’s detailed and enlightening contribution to what was a successful and extremely popular article along with her excellent and enjoyable demonstration sessions with one of our staff members was gratefully received. I'm sure it will be of great help to our readers in highlighting the profile of voice coaching in the world of careers and to see that there is help out there should they need it.”
Dermot
Editor, Prospects Magazine
“I have always loved using my voice especially when I had the opportunity to sing and, being Italian, of course I am referring to Opera. r professional reasons eventually I had to give up my aspirations due to lack of time and space to rehearse. Last October I started thinking about giving another chance to my diaphragm that had been left embarrassingly asleep for five years.
I decided then to google some vocal coaches in order to use in a slightly different way my voice as a theatrical actor rather than an operatic singer. It was then when, for the first time, I bumped into Gillian’s name.
I must admit I have been very lucky meeting Gillian as she has immediately realised for me how to make very interesting what could have been a pure technical exercise but in fact is an exciting experience.
By starting working with Gillian on a few of Shakespeare’s First Folio soliloquies I have not only been able to learn some of the necessary aspects of how to search and produce different typologies of sound, but also how to reduce my foreign accent as well as (astonishingly!) how to read and interpret the psychology of some of the most famous of Shakespeare’s characters.
I strongly recommend Gillian’s coaching for her technical but most of all her human skills which make each lesson more and more interesting”.
Financial Executive / Opera Singer & Actor
February 2009
“I am a good singer but lacked some confidence in my vocal and performance ability. A musician friend of mine recommended I contact Gillian to help me progress. Thankfully Gillian agreed to work with me and she quickly understood the areas that needed working on. She has is extremely perceptive, has phenomenal experience and surprised me with the sheer speed of improving my voice. This made me a lot more confident in my performance as well. The sessions are great fun and I played just a few days ago and judging by their response, the audience loved it!”
Lead Singer with successful Functions Band
April 2009
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