Never Stop Learning: Getting coached at the SPEAKERY Masterclass

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You might think that public speaking training is only for people who haven’t done it much and want to get over their fear of it. I have been speaking in public for 15 years. But when I attended Marcus John Henry Brown’s first SPEAKERY Masterclass in Berlin in October 2023, I learned so much in just two hours.

How a SPEAKERY Masterclass works

The format is fantastic. He invites five people to each give a five-minute talk. Then he works with each of them live on stage to improve their performance. It’s very intense. And not just for the speakers, but in a weird way for the audience as well. Not only do you learn a lot from watching him coach. You also root for the speakers and get emotional watching them improve instantly. Since then, I have Marcus’ voice in my head when I prepare a talk, and they are all better because of him. So when he asked me to speak at the latest Speakery Masterclass, I was in.

What I’ve learned

Three things I want to highlight from the experience last night:

1. Being coached live on stage is terrifying. The only reason it works is because Marcus is the most gentle, caring and supportive coach you can imagine. He’s obsessed with creating a safe space for his speakers.
2. Public speaking is not a binary thing that you’re either good at or bad at. It’s also not about improving, it’s about growing. Even with tons of experience, I know I have a lot of notes on how to level up and then level up again and then …
3. The surprising element of the evening was experiencing the audience and what I mentioned above from the stage. Whenever Marcus gave me a note and I tried it out, people in the audience would beam at me and nod enthusiastically. It’s an incredible feeling.
4. Don’t forget to eat before you do something like this. I somehow forgot and felt the adrenaline hit me that much harder.

So if you ever get the chance to attend a SPEAKERY Masterclass, do it. You won’t regret it. And if Marcus asks you to speak at one, especially if the idea scares you to death, jump at it. There’s no better way to learn so much in such a short amount of time. And if it doesn’t work out for you, we know whose fault it is, right? Marcus’ 😉

Want to read the talk I gave? How to talk about the future

One more insight: It’s funny how you instantly bond with your fellow speakers of the night. Those conversations before and after the event, were a real highlight for me. Thank you for bringing stories from your hearts to the stage.