See what people say about us
Adults
“Just that one session and I already really felt the benefit, thank you.”
— Amanda, Brighton
“Though I have never been particularly afraid of public speaking, my thoughts – and consequently my delivery – often became chaotic when I was speaking in front of lots of people. However, Jude has brought ballast to the madness, helping me with everything from nerve management to posture. Speaking Works works.”
— Gavin Haines, London Journalist
“Thank you for a great workshop! It was fun, interesting, engaging, a great atmosphere and it reassured all of us and gave individual skills and points to work on! ”
— Ingrid Caceres, Manager, ILS Department at The Walt Disney Company
“Having lived in England for 11 years my English is good, yet I had had the feeling people struggle to understand me sometimes. Put simply, I had not been articulating clearly. I had contacted Jude and we set on a journey to get my English into shape. Now I feel way more confident, and crucially, people understand me much better. ”
— Vladimir Jirasek, Hertfordshire
“Jude was a very warm and informative coach. I feel more confident and armed with the tools I need to improve - thank you.”
— Attendee from Presence & Impact Course
“Thank you Jude for a great course this morning. I really enjoyed meeting you and the others on the course. I feel I learnt a lot of useful tips and feel much more confident about speaking at a meeting I have coming up. I would definitely recommend this course to friends and colleagues. Thanks again.”
— Jackie, Harpenden
“It’s been a wonderful journey to work with Jude and tackle some of my inner thoughts and outward sounds! This work can be (and I found it) deeply personal and rooted in our self-beliefs. Taking on the tasks and practising together, has really helped me to chip away at the barriers holding me back. I have loved my time with Jude, especially her sincerity and openness. I was really touched how she shared things and it was so useful to discuss deeper challenges and thought patterns. At each session she gave such useful pointers, tips and advice. And of course always expertly modelled the way! I am so grateful for this opportunity and support. I feel that I’ve been given a wonderful gift and secret insight into how to speak up to achieve more. I will keep up my practice and awareness, and look forward to utilising this new advantage that I’ve gained. Thank you so much.”
— Marie
“Public speaking is something I often get nervous about, so I was excited and somewhat relieved to nab a ticket for Jude’s training. It didn’t disappoint! I really enjoyed learning about how great posture and voice techniques can help you speak with clarity and confidence.
Jude also helped me get my elevator pitch down, which is something that I hadn’t quite nailed until now.
I’m looking forward to putting what I learnt into practice and can’t wait to come along to another workshop!”
— Mel Berry Lelkesova, Digital Firefly
“Jude’s workshop opened my eyes to a whole world of communications techniques that it would never have crossed my mind to consider using beforehand. She showed us simple and effective strategies for improving the clarity of our voices, and helped us to individually identify our weaknesses and find ways to address them. A massively valuable workshop for anyone who wants to be heard and understood better in any area of their work.” ”
— Chloe Upton, Logo and Brand identity designer
“It was absolutely brilliant and Jude was engaging and wonderful. It was challenging (in a good way!) life-changing and fun!”
— Client from Imperial College on a group session
“My sessions with Jude were excellent from start to finish. Jude was very good at explaining each part of the process with great clarity. I felt that I was able to fully understand what we wanted to achieve by the end of each session, which helped me put into practice the ‘lessons learned’ when at work. I feel far more confident in my communication skills now! Thanks Jude!”
— Nicholas Atkinson, Oxford
“The workshop was really engaging and useful. You have a really friendly and calming presence, which made what I thought would be quite a challenging session (being actually quite a nervous public speaker!) a fun and encouraging one! Somehow you managed to pack a tremendous amount of information, activities, and feedback into just an hour - we all took away something useful. Since your visit, we’ve shared our learnings with each other, and lots of us are really keen to come to more of your workshops, we can’t wait to learn more.”
— Lizzie Boyd, Brilliant Noise
Children
“Dearest Jude - Thank you for the online classes you have provided. Niyam can sometimes be uncomfortable communicating his thoughts, but I saw him grow in confidence so much over the weeks.
As today’s call ended he said, “that was so good”.”
— Chetna, Hertfordshire
“Both my daughters were intrigued about Speaking works and wanted to give it a go. They have both loved it, not only from a confidence perspective but also just by simply having fun. Jude makes the lessons enjoyable and creatively informative. My youngest daughter has even taken her Grade 2 LAMDA exam, which she never thought she would before. Speaking works has given them the confidence and ability to stand up in front of others without fear, something that they can take on to the next stage of education…and life.”
— Sarah, mother of Amber (yr 5) and Saskia (yr 6)
“Working with Jude from Speaking Works has been pleasure. She concentrates on areas where the student needs work and teaches you different techniques and exercises to help you improve. I’ve worked with Jude to improve my diction, pronunciation and improving my acting skills and have seen great improvements and results. I recommend Jude to everyone as she is truly a wonderful teacher.”
— Camilla, 17
“My daughter really enjoys the Speaking Works classes. Her confidence in speaking in front of an audience has already improved and I’m pleased that she’s keen to do the LAMDA exams. Thanks for all you’ve done with the children this year. ”
— Claire L, St Albans
“I really enjoy speaking works because it’s a blend of two things, it’s enjoyable but it’s also a challenging test of your skills. For about half the session we play games and do various drama themed activities that are not only fun but clever and help engage your brain in the class. Then we do work on our exam pieces, when I first heard this I was a little apprehensive because I’m someone who stresses and panics over things like exams and performances to a great extent but I shouldn’t have worried...there’s absolutely no stress, only enjoyment and excitement!”
— Lewis, Year 9
“Jude was originally employed as a maternity cover for Speech and Drama at Berkhamsted School, but was ‘snapped up’ as a permanent member of the Drama team at the first opportunity. This is because Jude proved from the start to be a most enthusiastic, committed and talented teacher with that rare gift of connecting with all her pupils regardless of whether they are aged 3½ or 18+ years! She consistently delivered a very wide range of meticulously planned lessons with energy and flair that not only helped to develop communication skills and encourage creative processes, but were stimulating and highly enjoyable. She prepared her pupils to take examinations validated both by the London Academy of Music and Drama (LAMDA) and the English Speaking Board with great success, whether they be the introductory range of exams for the Early Years or one of the advanced examinations such as Grade8/Gold Medals in Public Speaking, Devising Drama or Acting. She is a first class teacher whom I have no hesitation in recommending to others.”
— Steph Gunary, Director of Performing Arts at Berkhamsted School
“Jude was a pleasure to work with and to see work. Her natural ability to motivate and induce confidence shines through and the results she secures are testament to the thought provoking, engaging and thoroughly effective activities she produces.”
— Drew Wilson, Senior Teacher - Head of English & Drama, Kiangsu-Chekiang College International Section, Hong Kong
“Judith is a kind and caring person who strives to keep her lessons exciting with a passion and dedication to providing a fun and friendly learning environment to students of all ages.”
— Peter Lau, Owner of Starlit Learning Centre
“My daughter attends Speaking Works with Lauren (in Hertfordshire). She really enjoys it and it’s made a massive difference to her confidence. She used to be very shy in school assemblies and now she puts herself forward for parts! Passing 2 of the LAMDA exams has also boosted her confidence. Lauren is super encouraging and the small group size works well.”