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Psst… looking for the “magic template” of speaking?
You know the one.
That supposedly life-changing, possibly 1-page sheet that will instantly transform your idea into:
a remarkable keynote to turn your industry around
a conference speech for the ages
or a 6, 12 or 18-minute talk based on the so-called “TED-style” format that in the past 15 years have become a staple of the professional speaking event space, from PechaKucha through Creative Mornings to Google?
Hi, I’m Soness Stevens, and I’m here to tell you what most speaker coaches won’t.
Any speaking template is like that contract from The Little Mermaid.
The promise? Getting you closer to the prince the stage of your dreams. Maybe.
The price? Signing away your voice. Definitely.
But why would you give up all that makes you you?
Your voice is unique.
Your ideas are noteworthy.
You are incomparable.
You are you. No one else is. No one else will ever be.
So stop looking for fill-in-the-blank templates.
And block out that alluring sea witch song about how creating speeches and presenting them is a paint-by-numbers game.
It’s not.
Finding your talk’s message is a guided dive for treasures deep within your soul.
Crafting your speech is a work of delicate craftsmanship.
And stage delivery is a challenging, but fun game where voice, style, movement and rhythm come together for maximum impact and a real human connection.
That’s how real talks are made.
Not pre-made cardboard boxes you can hide in.
So I invite you to come on a journey with me.
Let’s find your sunken treasures, your heart's mission that drives your work, your ideas — everything that you do. And let’s grow your original idea into a talk worthy of the world’s biggest professional events, anywhere in the world.
This is how you will be able to step any stage with the competence and the confidence that will captivate your audience for decades to come.
Your speaking journey is waiting for you
You’re not alone. Take a look at the showcase of just a short selection of the over 140 speakers I've trained over the past 20 years, each of them going down their own path of the speaker’s journey.
They come from all walks of life, but together, we've broken through the silos of industries, from tech to psychology to social consciousness. Each of my speakers is different, but their ideas make a global difference every day.
““I got accepted for TEDxKyoto but I was lost with my talk. Soness brought me back to the Why of my speaking, got to the core of my essence and purpose. I felt calm even during technical malfunction.
Now I’ve spoken at TEDxKyoto and TEDxKL events, have had paid speaking tours of Europe & North America, and a year-long documentary.
But it was finding my truths through the talk that gave me the push to go back and finish my PhD in robotics. Speaking is a journey, and you need Soness as your guide.”
HOW DO YOU FIND A SPEAKING COACH who will help you deliver your message?
Education and career expert Dr. Karan Gupta teaches from the best schools to slums to the streets. He talks about how to keep kids in school and how education is the key to stop child exploitation in India by replacing the punishment approach with a combination of education with self-defense classes. If you are empowered, you will not be compelled to show your power.
““I talked with several speaker coaches before deciding to work with Soness. Others were just trying to land me as a client. Soness was the only one who was honest enough to say:
“I wouldn’t put you on my stage.”
Kind, but firm. It’s like she knew I had something deeper in my soul. And she did. She asked me probing questions that felt like therapy. We laughed a lot, then BAM! She heard the real me.
Within a week, she got me to take action, pushing me faster than I imagined. She even helped me create a workshop to expand the movement.
My talk at TEDxLLIM got a standing ovation, and at the end, people lined up to join the movement.
And the Youtube video? It now has over 1 million views!”
Kelly Charles-Collins was in law-school when her friend made her keep a secret. When she complied, she became an example of the social psychological phenomenon called The Bystander Effect: when everyone’s waiting for someone else to do something, no one takes action.
After years of research, this lawyer understands you don’t have to die for causes you believe in. The TEDx talk we created for TEDxOcala has become the go-to guide on how to stand up, speak up and act up.
How do I apply & get booked to speak at EVENTS THAT MATTER?
““As a lawyer, trainer and author, I’m comfortable speaking, but I knew if I wanted to give the TEDx talk of my life, I needed the right person to train me. I knew other speaker coaches, but when I met Soness, I just had a feeling she was the one who could bring the best out of me. She supported me to craft the perfect audition piece, which got me invited to speak at TEDxOcala.
Throughout the writing process, she made me work hard, and didn’t just send me away with work, but crafted it with me so I had ownership of the material and every line had an impact. If you want to deliver the talk of your life, you’ve gotta work with Soness!”
How to gET ON THAT STAGE WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START?
Monica Rivera tragically lost her family at a young age. But putting herself through high school and college wasn’t her biggest adversity — it was the overwhelming grief and loneliness. She found her way through the darkness by finding the flipside of loneliness. Now she lives this message through her podcast “You Wanna Do What?”, inspiring 15,000 weekly listeners to connect with themselves.
Monica could have gone down the classic “sob story” route, but accepted the invitation to go deeper and find the message that would deeply resonate with her audience.
“I’m a podcaster. I feel good about creating and writing. What I didn’t know what how to write to get booked for a TEDx talk and how much would go into creating this talk. When Soness and I started working together, I thought I was going to talk about grief. But through the process, Soness heard deeper into what I was saying—it wasn’t just the grief, but it was the way I live to flip the tale of loneliness when society expects us to go out and be social, masking it rather than embracing it and who we really are because all of those momentary relationships at a meetup can fade, our relationship with ourselves creates more wonderment in life.
We worked through both sets of ideas (my original and the deeper level) and I felt moved to create a new message around the Flipside of Loneliness. She worked with me hand in hand as I wrote my audition piece and application wording—it was so much more support than I had expected and it paid off! I only applied to New York TEDx events, one of the most difficult states to get a TEDx talk in, thinking, “I don’t know if I’ll get a TEDx talk.” It turns out, the time and effort put in the audition and application paid off - just a few weeks later I was booked to speak at TEDxFlatbush!
The event asked for the first draft within a week and assigned me a coach, who understandably was very busy so did not have the time to give me the feedback I knew I needed. So I continued working with Soness throughout the writing process as I arrived at the final 18-minute talk.
She worked with me on going deeper, crafting the stories, making sure the narrative flowed and rehearsed with me over and over again. My goal: to be so comfortable with this talk, I could give it while changing a tire.
After stepping off the stage, people ran up telling me how they could relate, how they, too, wanted to embrace who they are, how my stories moved them to shift their way of being.
If you want a coach who will be with you from idea to stage, and never give up on you, work with Soness. ”
Surrender to Create Flow
“Art speaks for itself,” she said.
But sometimes we have to speak for our art. Mireya Samper is invited to exhibit around the world, so when an opportunity came up at TEDxWasedaU, there was resistance to speak up. And yet, she pushed through to weave a story of motherhood, passion for art, and overcoming creative blocks as she lives her what she talks “Surrender To Create Flow.”
Why do you need a speaking coach?
“I’d never before in my life given a speech. I didn’t know Soness so she came across very “American”, very energetic. And first I thought, “Oh my God this will never work” and I thought “Why are we talking about this now? Why is my background important? Why are you asking me these questions?”
And then I found out it was not just pedagogy. Speaking is so much more than what I think I was. My perception of Soness changed completely as I saw that she is highly professional which led to complete trust. And I surrendered what I was and thought I should do beforehand.
I understand now why she was doing it. Her aim is you. Her aim is one. One goal. That you do your best. That you succeed and you come out as you are for what you want to give and do.
Trust her 100%, give her your all and you will get 1,000 times back. The way she’s leading you, where she’s taking you with what she’s doing. A Japanese friend of mine, a highly intellectual man who I’ve known for 18 years, came to hear my talk at TEDxWasedaU. And afterwards, he said to me, “Mireya, today in your talk, I feel love.”
And you know, Japanese people don’t casually throw the word “love” around. But you know what intention I made for my talk? “Love.” And it is. Thank you, Soness!”
Justine Froelker
The permission of the "And"
Justine Brooks Froelker is the author of Ever Upward, a book that dives into the mental hurdles that surround the journey of a woman whose life hasn't turned out how she hoped, dreamed, and planned after a failed infertility journey. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator practicing in St. Louis, Missouri. Her talk – ‘The Permission of the And ’ – touches upon a deeply personal story of struggle and loss.
The Donut Effect: Owning our Stories
Therapist and author Justine Froelker speaks on rising upward out of shame in this funny and educational talk. Froelker shares her own hysterical and embarrassing story to help us grow into the freedom to be ourselves and the responsibility to know ourselves. It is in this space that we can own our stories.
Claire Ashman, Cult Survivor
Cult Survivor to Free Thinking Driver
Ever wondered what it might be like inside a cult? Claire Ashman will take you on her insightful and inspirational journey of what it is like to be in a cult - and what it's like to 'escape' and live life to the fullest.
Lessons From A Cult Survivor
Claire Ashman was born, raised, and birthed 9 children in a cult. She shares how the prevalence of cults and cult-like thinking affects everyday people. In Australia there are over 3000 cults, with some 600,000 members, meaning we all know, or have had contact with at least one person who is a member of a cult.
How Asking Too Many Questions Saved Me
"How often do we follow rules blindly? When is it right to question authority? Living by giving into other people’s thoughts, ideas and actions can kill you.
Rick Clemons
Make Your Quirk Work
“After 36 years of hiding his truth, he came out of the closet as a gay man. Now he’s a TEDx speaker, podcaster, and author. That guy is me."
Rick Clemons is here to share his late bloomed story of confidence in hope to inspire others to comfortably walk in their own shoes.
Yayoi Oguma, Interpreter
Yayoi Oguma is an author and a sought-after language interpreter in Japan for various IT institutions and medical and retail companies. She regularly interprets on Fuji television and on the radio.
Ai Futaki, Free Diver,
2-time Guinness World Record Holder
In 2011, Ai Futaki became the first human to earn two Guinness World Records for the longest distance dive in a cave with one single breath [with fins and without fins].
See the difference before working with Soness. Ai embraced her challenge to become a world-class speaker after her first TEDx talk. She was good, yet she knew just like having a free diving coach, hiring Soness as a speaker coach could take her to new depths.
“They asked me to be an emergency TEDx speaker with six days’ notice — and I was ready”
Megan Bayliss, Activist, Emergency TEDx speaker
“Keep talking garbage... weave it into every conversation you have”
Megan explores a social, environmental, and personal phenomenon where women's purposes are changed from garbage creator to garbage weaver. Talking garbage has never been more powerful and exciting.
Megan dreamt of speaking at TEDx. But unfortunately, when she applied, she wasn’t selected. I recommended that she widen her scope – there are so many speaking events out there now! I recommended that Megan apply for a PechaKucha talk, but putting in the same work and effort and delivering a TED-style talk. The TEDx organizer saw her speak at the event, and promised to find a way for Megan to speak. Less than a week before TEDxIpswich event, Megan became their star emergency speaker. Because we already worked her talk for TEDx, she was ready to step on the red dot with just 6 days' notice.
Kai Fujii, Symphony Producer, Violist, Inclusion-ist
Making Concert Halls Inclusive Kai Fujii, a producer at Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall talks about how important it is to change the society around us in making it more inclusive for everyone, one music hall at a time.
Kai was a reluctant speaker. She came to me because she represented Japan as a producer researching how US concert halls keep the patrons active. Kai had to present a report to the heads of the Japanese symphony halls.
She’d never spoken before on stage — in English or Japanese. We broke away from stiff Japanese presentation standards to create a TED-style talk. She got heaps of advice from well-meaning friends, “Ladies keep their legs together!” and “Gesturing is crude!” But she pressed on, and she got great reviews and asked to give that same talk again!
She didn't stop there. Kai, wanting to continue the transformation into a confident speaker, decided to join Soness’ long-term speaker training membership programme, just to keep learning for fun. She doubted anyone outside of the concert halls would be curious about her Inclusive Concert Halls theme. We set a light aim for PechaKucha, developed it like a 6'40" TED-style talk. Her colleagues were blown away by her confidence. Then hands shot up in the air for Q&A time. She was the top speaker of the night. In a turn of events, the TEDx event had a speaker drop out 5 days before the event. Kai was ready to step on the red dot!