Chris Witt, an executive speech coach based in San Diego, works one-on-one with leaders and up-and-coming leaders who want to speak in a way that influences and inspires audiences.

His clients have specific, revenue-producing goals: to win a contract or promotion, to secure funding, to get the green light on a project, to gain public support, to secure board approval, or to win an organization’s buy-in.

“My first big speech as CEO was at our 20th anniversary celebration — with over 500 people in attendance. There’s no way I could have gotten through it without Chris Witt’s coaching. He helped me give a speech I’m proud of.”

-Norma Diaz, CEO, Community Health Group

Do you want to project an executive presence? Does your personal reputation ride on your speeches? Do you speak in order to advance your organization’s mission? Do you want to set yourself apart as someone worth listening to? Do you want to establish your credibility and authority each time you speak?

If so, you may benefit from working with Chris Witt, a Board Certified Coach and a Certified Management Consultant.

A Different Type of Executive Speech Coach

Most self-styled executive speech coaches are really delivery coaches. They focus on how you look and sound in front of an audience. (“Stand this way. Don’t use that gesture. Use more vocal variety.”)

Chris Witt is based in San Diego but works with clients around the world. He takes a different approach. He helps you give speeches and presentations that 1) are consistent with who you are, and 2) achieve your goals.

Here are examples of the clients and projects Chris Witt works with:

  • An executive being groomed to succeed the retiring CEO has been told he needs to speak less like a technical expert and more like a leader.
  • The CEO and CFO of a start-up are preparing a presentation to take on the road for their company’s latest round of venture capital funding.
  • The newly installed president of a professional association wants to shine during his address at the international conference.
  • The director of a national advocacy group needs to create a speech she can give in public forums again and again.
  • The president of an engineering company will be introducing his team and making introductory remarks to a selection board that will award a multi-million dollar contract.

Chris Witt’s clients don’t need to be told how to look and sound. They want to develop a winning strategy and a compelling message for their speeches.

A Short-Term, Results-Oriented Approach to Executive Speech Coaching

Chris Witt begins with two assumptions.

Assumption #1:
You are the message. Your experience, character, reputation, values, and personality all shape the message that your audience hears. So everything you say has to resonate with who you are. And you — not your PowerPoint slides — have to take center stage.

Assumption #2:
Your time and resources are limited. In today’s business environment, you need to use your time well. It would be nice to think that you could spend months developing the skills and strategies you need to be a more powerful speaker. But the truth is, you need to get in, get results, and get on with life. So you need a coach who will make every minute count.

Chris Witt uses a proprietary process he has developed over the past two decades to help you:

  • Make the most of your natural speaking style
  • Think and speak — even off the cuff — with greater clarity and impact.
  • Engage audiences in a way that increases their trust and your confidence.
  • Craft a hard-hitting message that gets the results you want.
  • Use your voice, gestures, eye contact, and unique personal qualities to become more influential and charismatic.

“I thought I was a pretty good speaker until I hired Chris to help me refine my company-wide annual address to our employees. Little did I know how fundamentally his advice would change my approach to speaking — my motivation, my message, my willingness to step out from behind the podium and take center stage. More importantly, the impact was felt by all who listened — our employees were motivated by my message like never before.”

-Gerry Salontai, President and CEO. Kleinfelder

Chris Witt will help you be the best speaker you can be. He won’t try to make you look or sound like anyone else. He won’t ask you to do anything that you aren’t capable of doing. Instead he will show you how to use the strengths and skills you already possess as a leader to be a commanding speaker.

Depending on your goals and schedule, you can work with Dr. Witt by phone or in person, for one intensive day or for an hour a week over two to three months.

However you work with him, you — and others — will notice a dramatic improvement almost immediately.

The first conversation is always free. You can ask your questions. He’ll ask you plenty of his own. Then you’ll decide together if there’s a fit: If he can help you achieve what you want and if your styles are compatible.

“Because of the advice and coaching Chris Witt gave me, I was able to give my speech with confidence and not anxiety. Many people came up to me afterward to say how much they enjoyed it and were inspired by it. I even got an invitation to give it to another audience.”

-Auguste Fortin, M.D., Yale University School of Medicine

For more information about how you might benefit from working with an executive speech coach, contact us.