Vanita Patel My TEDx talk:

Happy with the comments from some guests there and the team that my talk was delivered well and was quite high on their 'favourites' list. Thanks to Francesca. I am continuing with her empowering audios I downloaded from amazon and consider myself extremely lucky to get her help in every aspect of the talk.... from help with editing it, it's content to pronunciation has had her unconditional attention. Not forgetting her patience and instructions on technical issues too. Will always continue to apply her teachings into everything I do for the charity. 

Kristine Kirby reviewed Positive Voice – 5 star  ·  

Francesca is an excellent teacher, she tailors her teaching to each student's way of learning, and is so patient and lovely, I couldn't recommend her more if you want to improve your accent, or your public speaking voice or all the other things this very talented lady does. And she has a lovely sense of humour!

"Thank you for great sessions over skype. I liked your professionalism and you are a great enthusiast.

I have noticed significant improvements in my speech clarity, pausing between speeches and stressing words. The exercises you taught are highly beneficial and did help in a great way in betterment of my voice." 

 

"I had been asked last minute to speak before a group of extremely inspiring people, and was slightly overwhelmed and excited for the opportunity. As destiny had it, I met Fran, a speech expert 2 days before, and booked in ASAP to get her advice, tips and knowledge. Not only did she help me with the practical side of conveying a message, but the relaxing atmosphere plus the other techniques she used such as hypnotherapy and coaching meant me leaving the session a different person! The presentation went very well, and Fran had a lot to do with it's success! Thank you"

 

"I just wanted to write and thank you for your wonderful YouTube videos. I discovered your daily elecution practice video, and have been using it every morning for the past 3 months or so.  I am a high school teacher and have always struggled with vocal projection and modulation.  I really notice a difference this year in the “power” of my voice, and am exploring the uses of what feels like a new instrument for me. Thank you so much for your work.  It has really improved my life."

  Gareth Halls   

“From a personal point of view, I have to say that you are possibly one of the most inspiring people I have ever been around.  You give off this positive vibe that cannot be coached or taught, you are just born with it.  It is a unique gift, a talent.

 

I know you told me you trained to be an actress… Personally, I feel you would be wasted acting, not because you wouldn’t be good at it, but more because so many of your talents would be wasted.  You have this ability to make people feel good about themselves & come away feeling like they have learnt something or added something.

 

I have always been fine in social situations (at least most of the time!) & quite enjoy them.  When it came to speaking aloud & presenting myself, I always found it challenging in the few times I ever had to.  When I was asked to be best man, I was delighted initially because it’s an honour, but then I started to worry because of the whole stigma attached to it.  I always felt I could write a fairly nice speech but trying to present it would be my obstacle.  With your help, support & guidance I feel like I have come a very long way.

 

For anyone who has any fear of public speaking & wants help in overcoming that fear I can’t recommend Positive Voice enough.  The thought of being best man actually made me feel sick when I first started, but Francesca gives you help & support in a very unique way – it’s very personal, she allows you to make mistakes & feel good about them so that you learn from them.  She gives you hints & tips, little tricks to help you overcome any hurdles, you can work as slowly or as quickly as you like.  The sessions are planned out so you know what you’re working towards.

 

I always felt that if I could write, deliver & perform a best man speech then I would be able to do ANY speech…and I mean ANY speech. Working with PV has given me the tools I need to have a much better understanding of public speaking, how to handle my emotions & how to present myself.  I know that in the years to come I will use PV to brush up on my skills, but feel that by making the call to PV in the summer of 2011 I have given myself a head start.

 

Had I not got in touch with PV I would have hated the whole day, it would have been very unpleasant.  As it was, I was actually EXCITED getting up to address the 70 people at my best friend’s wedding.

 

From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much… I will actually miss our sessions.

 

I feel that I should wish you luck here but if I’m honest, you don’t need it.  You will go on to achieve great things & I know you will pop up in the next few years on TV & in Newspapers & I will tell everyone that this was the person who helped me overcome my fear!

Fran, keep in touch & keep doing the amazing things you do. “

"My job has recently been transferred from the UK to an Asian country. With the move from my established position to a new challenging role in a new environment, I suddenly found myself lacking my usual level of confidence. I was often put in situations where I needed to present, often at a very short or no notice. The fear inside me gradually grew greater and greater. I knew I had to do something about it before it paralysed me completely! Then one day I happened to receive a newsletter from Positive Voice, offering confidence boosting courses. I had known (and had a very good experience with) Francesca as I had taken elocution lessons with her. Francesca was able to accommodate a session at short notice and we used Skype to overcome the geographical distance. During the session, Francesca asked me good questions about the things that scared me and why it was so; and somehow helped me make them work towards my advantage. Thanks to Francesca, I now even see the boss I used to be afraid of as my greatest teacher! Francesca and I discussed running a follow-up session if that was needed but I am pleased to say Francesca managed to disperse my fears during our first lesson. On top of that she provided some very useful presentation tips, which have helped me feel much more confident about the presentations I prepare and conduct. Overall, I would recommend Positive Voice to anyone who feels their confidence could do with a boost!"  

 

"We organised a session with Positive Voice because we wanted to empower female students with the confidence to achieve what they want to do and the session most definitely fulfilled that! Fran's variety of techniques offered support for everyone who attended and feedback after the event has been really positive, with all the women who participated having benefited in some way. It's most definitely a session we will look to run again in future years."  

"I have been meaning to thank you properly for all the help and support you gave me in the run up to Katie's wedding, and to let you know how positively I felt about how it went. I found the whole process very insightful. Interesting and stimulating. One of the interesting things that came out of giving the speech is that my family just assumed I could give a speech, although they have never heard me give one, and assumed I do so all the time at work! My parents did come up to say they enjoyed it at the first opportunity, although in my visualisation I couldn't see them doing so! I hope your courses are going well and if you ever need any help or support, I would be a willing helper for you!"  

"I spent 5 sessions with Fran to help me overcome my fear of public speaking and my forthcoming best man's speech. By helping me break down the negative thought patterns I had developed over the years combined with actual speaking exercises I was able to tackle the problem from both ends. Fran is very passionate about what she does. It's nice to know that someone has a genuine interest in the behaviour of the human mind and it was interesting to unravel some of my insecurities that were holding me back in my everyday life. I now have a much healthier and realistic attitude towards towards the prospect of public speaking and thanks to Fran my best man's speech was a success."