“Our average major account sale is around the £5m to £10m mark so gaining trust and remaining effective is essential. Mel designed a series of bespoke programmes for leaders and teams in our London, Hong Kong and French offices focusing on developing a clear elevator pitch, enhancing personal impact and improving communication overall. The elevator pitch work has allowed us to adapt the websites and content to adopt sharper messaging and better market positioning. The teams now have a template to guide them in being more professional and able to communicate more clearly online and in person. The training has been very positive in developing our sales effectiveness, sharpening our approach and improving our teams’ online/VC presence – be that colleague to customer or to our peers. An effective, good value and impressive experience that motivated our people to learn while having fun too. ”
— Gordon Cooper, Non Executive Director, TCC Global
“I recently attended Mel Sherwood’s presentation masterclass and was thoroughly impressed. The session was hugely informative and the way Mel facilitated the learning was excellent, working effectively for people at all stages of their presentation journey. The small group format is a real strength, allowing for detailed individual attention, presentation practice, and constructive feedback. I’ve also observed Mel working 1 to 1 with a colleague and was struck by her clear guidance and explanations, ensuring you understand the reasoning behind her recommendations. I highly recommend Mel Sherwood for anyone looking to enhance their presentation skills, whether through a masterclass or individual coaching. I’m already looking forward to the next opportunity to learn from her – there’s always something she can help you grow with! #PresentationSkills #PublicSpeaking #Communication #ProfessionalDevelopment ”
— Lynda Webb, Consultant
“Mel, thank you for your exceptional training and support. You’ve not only helped me build the confidence to speak with impact but also inspired our entire team to embrace public speaking with a newfound sense of capability. ”
— Gayle McGuinn, Head of Association Sales, EICC
“Mel is a fantastic coach! The workshop was just full of tips and tricks I never would have come up with by myself. It’s the only workshop I’ve attended that I would 100% recommend, every word she said was a golden nugget of wisdom.”
— Doirann Gordon, PhD Student, University of Edinburgh
“We hired Mel because we had a need to improve the way in which we delivered presentations, anything from pitching for new work to presenting ideas to current clients. Mel gave us a clear structure and methodology. She was able to build up the confidence of the attendees by giving them a toolkit of things they could do to improve their ability to speak. They are now able to present confident that they have the right content, the right structure and the right skills to deliver a great presentation that gets results. ”
— Stewart Cruickshank; Business Director, Storm ID
“Mel came highly recommended and delivered a workshop for us on pitch and presentation skills aimed at arts fundraisers. She worked with us to tailor the content appropriately for the audience and the feedback from participants was fantastic with lots of comments about what an engaging presenter Mel is. It was an absolute pleasure to work with Mel on this initiative and I would happily do so again should the opportunity arise.”
— Anna Scott; Stakeholder Engagement Manager; Arts & Business Scotland
“I attended 2 workshops with Mel both for help with pitching. They made me face a fear and so using her techniques, positive coaching, advice and supplementing that knowledge with her blog posts & social media. I managed a full 15 min presentation with no script - an achievement I was so proud of. Thank you Mel for changing my mindset. ”
— Karen Somerville; Director, Angels’ Share Glass
“Mel has been our speaker coach for TEDx Portobello for the past three years providing 1:1 support and facilitating our masterclass. Mel’s confidence and experience means that the masterclass is supportive, open and encouraging. In 2017 Mel was also a compere for our TEDx event providing the perfect welcome and guiding the live audience through the day. We would recommend Mel for all things speaking and also for her compere skills.”
— Danielle Trudeau; Founder Tribe Porty and TEDx coordinator
“We were delighted to engage Mel Sherwood as our compere at the Scottish EDGE Round 10 Final. This isn’t an easy gig as the compere has to fill a five minute gap between each of the 20 pitches. Mel came up with interesting, informative and humorous ways to do this ensuring strong engagement with the audience throughout the day and then finished the day with a specially penned song! Mel’s warm and friendly personality also made her a real pleasure to work with.”
— Evelyn McDonald; CEO, Scottish EDGE
“The art of delivering the perfect pitch is fundamental to business success. Having the ability to articulate a clear and concise message about your business and the potential solution you present will help you unlock the full potential of your business. Mel’s book is a fantastic guide that will help you produce and deliver that “perfect pitch” at every key stage of your business growth journey.”
— Gordon Merrylees; Head of Entrepreneurship, Royal Bank of Scotland, NatWest & Ulster Bank
“Mel provided very personable and honest feedback - she used her wealth of experience to give not just mental tips but actual adjustments to the pitch which were essential and allowed me to confidently and successfully pitch. You’ll not find a stronger resource for pitching and achieving your goals.”
— Gregor Hannah; Director, Hannah Whisky Merchants LTD
“I attended a one-to-one coaching session with Mel to polish my 3-minute EDGE Award pitch. Mel not only offers guidance with delivery, but also crafting the content. Full spectrum high-quality presentation coaching.”
— Jason Morenikeji; Founder and Creative Director, Urban Farming Design Company
“Mel was our speaker coach for TEDx Portobello providing 1-2-1 support for 8 speakers and 2 comperes, in addition to running a masterclass to an audience of 30 people. I was blown away by her professionalism, experience, and real care for helping people tell their story in the best possible way. I wouldn’t hesitate to work with her again and fully recommend her to others.”
— Johanna Holton; TEDx Portobello Curator
“Presentations have always been a major fear factor and something I have avoided. I attended Mel’s Presentation Skills Training and found her to be an excellent trainer, extremely personable and so encouraging. A few weeks after the training I was asked to speak at an event at my work to 80+ people. On the day, whilst nervous, it didn’t come across and got excellent feedback. I couldn’t have achieved this without Mel’s training and the belief that she installed in myself to be a more confident and credible public speaker. Highly recommended.”
— Lesley Pickles; Business Advisor, Business Gateway
“Mel presented a great session on ‘Credibility killers and how to avoid them’ at the Professional Speaking Association Spring convention. She has a delightful and compelling style that also evidences her own credibility as a presentations skills expert. She shared numerous valuable and insightful tips, insights and examples during the session and the whole crowd loved it.”
— Mark Lee; Speaker and Author, Mark Lee Standout Success Strategies
“I had the privilege of attending Mel’s session in South Africa and I was amazed at how strongly she connects with her audience! Mel is charismatic, engaging, knowledgeable, and riveting. A true professional. I would highly recommend her expertise to any organisation who wants to develop their teams’ presentation skills to create powerful pitches and outstanding results.”
— Nabil Doss; Expert in Influential Communication, 2016-2017 President of the Global Speakers Federation
“Loved Mel’s presentation at last year’s Professional Speaking Association convention. Her content was compelling and her delivery magnificent. A woman after my own heart. Not afraid to add drama!”
— Patricia Fripp CSP CPAE; Presentation Expert and Past President, National Speakers Association, USA
“Mel is an absolute professional. If you’re looking for the right person to help you to get your team to be erudite and authentic about putting their message across, go no further than speaking to Mel.”
— Paul du Toit; International Speaker & Author, Presentation skills coach and trainer, CSP Global
““ Need everyone to sit up and listen at your seminar? Mel’s style is a breath of fresh air...inspirational, fun and interactive as she gets everyone laughing their way through essential business networking skills. Excellent tips on presenting yourself well, overcoming public speaking jitters not to mention lifting the bonnet on techniques in pacing delivery. Good to work alongside you, Mel”
— Polly Middlehurst; Events Host and former Sky News Presenter
“Before meeting with Mel, I struggled to articulate what my businesses did within a few sentences. After our session, my one minute pitch was much more clear and focused. I cannot wait to go out and start using it at networking events!”