1/3
Since September 2026
Instructor since September 2026
Public Speaking for Beginners: Confidence,
From 75 C$ /h
Public speaking doesn’t have to mean standing behind a podium giving a formal speech. It can be introducing yourself to a group, speaking up in a meeting, telling a story, giving a presentation, answering a question in class, interviewing for a job, or simply learning to feel more comfortable when other people are listening.
This beginner-friendly class is designed for anyone who wants to become a more confident, natural, and engaging speaker. No previous public-speaking experience is necessary, and you definitely do not need to arrive feeling confident—that’s what we’ll work on together.
We’ll focus on practical skills you can use immediately, including:
* Managing nervousness and becoming more comfortable speaking in front of others
* Organizing your thoughts before you speak
* Speaking clearly without sounding rehearsed
* Using your voice, pace, pauses, and body language effectively
* Making eye contact and connecting with an audience
* Developing confidence and physical presence
* Learning how to tell a good story
* Opening and closing a presentation effectively
* Speaking from notes without simply reading them
* Thinking and responding more comfortably in the moment
* Recovering when you lose your place or make a mistake
* Practicing presentations, interviews, introductions, and everyday speaking situations
My approach is relaxed, practical, and supportive. Public speaking improves through practice, but that practice should feel constructive rather than intimidating. We’ll work at your pace, identify the situations that make you uncomfortable, and gradually build the skills and experience that make speaking feel more natural.
I bring an unusual combination of experience to this class. I spent many years as a professional actor before moving into a career as a university lecturer, researcher, author, trainer, and public speaker. I’ve spoken in classrooms, professional trainings, interviews, public events, meetings, and presentations, and I’ve learned that effective speaking is much less about “performing” than it is about being present, knowing what you want to communicate, and connecting with the people in front of you.
You’re welcome to bring a real situation you’re preparing for—a presentation, interview, meeting, speech, class assignment, toast, or difficult conversation—or we can simply start with exercises and build from there.
The goal isn’t to turn you into a different person when you stand up to speak. It’s to help you become more comfortable, confident, and effective as yourself.
This beginner-friendly class is designed for anyone who wants to become a more confident, natural, and engaging speaker. No previous public-speaking experience is necessary, and you definitely do not need to arrive feeling confident—that’s what we’ll work on together.
We’ll focus on practical skills you can use immediately, including:
* Managing nervousness and becoming more comfortable speaking in front of others
* Organizing your thoughts before you speak
* Speaking clearly without sounding rehearsed
* Using your voice, pace, pauses, and body language effectively
* Making eye contact and connecting with an audience
* Developing confidence and physical presence
* Learning how to tell a good story
* Opening and closing a presentation effectively
* Speaking from notes without simply reading them
* Thinking and responding more comfortably in the moment
* Recovering when you lose your place or make a mistake
* Practicing presentations, interviews, introductions, and everyday speaking situations
My approach is relaxed, practical, and supportive. Public speaking improves through practice, but that practice should feel constructive rather than intimidating. We’ll work at your pace, identify the situations that make you uncomfortable, and gradually build the skills and experience that make speaking feel more natural.
I bring an unusual combination of experience to this class. I spent many years as a professional actor before moving into a career as a university lecturer, researcher, author, trainer, and public speaker. I’ve spoken in classrooms, professional trainings, interviews, public events, meetings, and presentations, and I’ve learned that effective speaking is much less about “performing” than it is about being present, knowing what you want to communicate, and connecting with the people in front of you.
You’re welcome to bring a real situation you’re preparing for—a presentation, interview, meeting, speech, class assignment, toast, or difficult conversation—or we can simply start with exercises and build from there.
The goal isn’t to turn you into a different person when you stand up to speak. It’s to help you become more comfortable, confident, and effective as yourself.
Location
Online from Portugal
About Me
Hi, I’m Brad. I’m an American university lecturer, writer, researcher, and longtime teacher now based in Portugal.
I’ve spent much of my career helping people take complicated ideas and make them clearer—whether they’re writing an essay, preparing a presentation, conducting research, learning to speak more confidently, or simply trying to figure out exactly what they want to say.
I’ve taught hundreds of university students in the United States, primarily at UCLA, in subjects including writing, public policy, research, criminal justice, and drug policy. Outside the classroom, I’ve worked as an author and policy researcher, trained professionals and government officials, produced documentary projects, and earlier in my career worked as a professional actor. That slightly unusual combination has taught me a lot about writing, storytelling, speaking, listening, and communicating with different kinds of audiences.
My teaching style is relaxed, curious, practical, and encouraging. I don’t believe people learn particularly well when they’re worried about getting everything “right.” I prefer to start with where you are, understand what you want to accomplish, and work through it together.
You’re always welcome to bring something real to our sessions—a paper, presentation, interview, application, research question, professional document, or even an idea that you haven’t quite figured out yet. I’m equally happy to work through exercises and fundamentals with someone starting from scratch.
I especially enjoy working with people who want to become stronger writers and communicators, improve their professional English, develop research and critical-thinking skills, understand American politics and public policy, or use AI tools more effectively and thoughtfully.
Most importantly, I want our sessions to be useful. You should leave with something clearer than when you arrived—and, ideally, with a little more confidence in your ability to do it yourself the next time.
I’ve spent much of my career helping people take complicated ideas and make them clearer—whether they’re writing an essay, preparing a presentation, conducting research, learning to speak more confidently, or simply trying to figure out exactly what they want to say.
I’ve taught hundreds of university students in the United States, primarily at UCLA, in subjects including writing, public policy, research, criminal justice, and drug policy. Outside the classroom, I’ve worked as an author and policy researcher, trained professionals and government officials, produced documentary projects, and earlier in my career worked as a professional actor. That slightly unusual combination has taught me a lot about writing, storytelling, speaking, listening, and communicating with different kinds of audiences.
My teaching style is relaxed, curious, practical, and encouraging. I don’t believe people learn particularly well when they’re worried about getting everything “right.” I prefer to start with where you are, understand what you want to accomplish, and work through it together.
You’re always welcome to bring something real to our sessions—a paper, presentation, interview, application, research question, professional document, or even an idea that you haven’t quite figured out yet. I’m equally happy to work through exercises and fundamentals with someone starting from scratch.
I especially enjoy working with people who want to become stronger writers and communicators, improve their professional English, develop research and critical-thinking skills, understand American politics and public policy, or use AI tools more effectively and thoughtfully.
Most importantly, I want our sessions to be useful. You should leave with something clearer than when you arrived—and, ideally, with a little more confidence in your ability to do it yourself the next time.
Education
Master of Public Policy (MPP) from UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs; BA in Economics from the University of Wisconsin. Studied History and Literature at SAIIE (Spanish-American Institute of International Education), Seville, Spain. Studied acting with Larry Moss, Aaron Speiser, Kate McGregor Stewart, Jeffrey Tambor, Brian Reese, and Nancy Banks.
Experience / Qualifications
University lecturer, author, researcher, and professional communicator with 10+ years of teaching experience. I taught for seven years at UCLA and two years at Pepperdine, working with hundreds of students in writing, research, public policy, criminal justice, and related subjects. I hold a Master of Public Policy from UCLA and a BA in Economics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. My professional experience also includes published research and authorship, government and professional training, documentary production, public speaking, and an earlier career as a professional actor. I bring this combination of academic, professional, and communication experience to practical, supportive one-on-one teaching.
Age
Children (7-12 years old)
Teenagers (13-17 years old)
Adults (18-64 years old)
Seniors (65+ years old)
Student level
Beginner
Intermediate
Duration
45 minutes
60 minutes
90 minutes
The class is taught in
English
Availability of a typical week
(GMT -05:00)
New York
Online via webcam
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
00-04
04-08
08-12
12-16
16-20
20-24
Writing doesn’t have to be complicated. Often, the hardest part is simply figuring out what you want to say, organizing your thoughts, and getting started.
In this class, I’ll help you turn your ideas into clear, organized, confident writing. We’ll work on practical skills such as creating a strong structure, developing paragraphs, making your argument easy to follow, choosing the right words, editing unnecessary language, and writing with a natural voice.
This is a supportive, one-on-one class designed around your goals and your level. You don’t need to consider yourself a “good writer” to begin. You can bring something you’re already working on—an essay, report, application, article, professional document, or personal project—or we can work through exercises together.
Depending on your needs, we can focus on:
* Organizing ideas before you start writing
* Creating a clear beginning, middle, and end
* Writing stronger sentences and paragraphs
* Explaining complicated ideas simply
* Building and supporting an argument
* Improving clarity, tone, and flow
* Editing your own work
* Overcoming the feeling of being stuck or not knowing where to begin
* Using AI tools thoughtfully without losing your own ideas and voice
My approach is practical rather than overly focused on grammar rules. Good writing begins with clear thinking. Once we know what you want your reader to understand, we can build the writing around that goal.
I have taught writing, research, and public policy at the university level and have worked professionally as a researcher, author, and communicator. I especially enjoy helping people find the structure inside an idea and develop a writing process they can use on their own.
The goal isn’t just to improve the piece of writing in front of us. It’s to help you become a clearer, more confident writer.
In this class, I’ll help you turn your ideas into clear, organized, confident writing. We’ll work on practical skills such as creating a strong structure, developing paragraphs, making your argument easy to follow, choosing the right words, editing unnecessary language, and writing with a natural voice.
This is a supportive, one-on-one class designed around your goals and your level. You don’t need to consider yourself a “good writer” to begin. You can bring something you’re already working on—an essay, report, application, article, professional document, or personal project—or we can work through exercises together.
Depending on your needs, we can focus on:
* Organizing ideas before you start writing
* Creating a clear beginning, middle, and end
* Writing stronger sentences and paragraphs
* Explaining complicated ideas simply
* Building and supporting an argument
* Improving clarity, tone, and flow
* Editing your own work
* Overcoming the feeling of being stuck or not knowing where to begin
* Using AI tools thoughtfully without losing your own ideas and voice
My approach is practical rather than overly focused on grammar rules. Good writing begins with clear thinking. Once we know what you want your reader to understand, we can build the writing around that goal.
I have taught writing, research, and public policy at the university level and have worked professionally as a researcher, author, and communicator. I especially enjoy helping people find the structure inside an idea and develop a writing process they can use on their own.
The goal isn’t just to improve the piece of writing in front of us. It’s to help you become a clearer, more confident writer.
Good professional writing is about more than correct grammar. It means knowing what you want to communicate, understanding your audience, organizing information effectively, and making it easy for the reader to understand—and act on—your ideas.
This intermediate-level class is designed for students and professionals who already have basic writing skills but want to become clearer, more persuasive, and more confident writers.
We can work with reports, essays, professional memos, research papers, proposals, applications, presentations, executive summaries, or other writing you encounter in school or at work. You are encouraged to bring a real project to class so that we can apply the lessons directly to something that matters to you.
Depending on your goals, we can work on:
* Structuring longer and more complex documents
* Developing a clear argument or central message
* Writing strong introductions and conclusions
* Organizing evidence and supporting your claims
* Writing persuasive recommendations
* Adjusting your writing for different audiences
* Making complicated information easier to understand
* Improving transitions, flow, tone, and readability
* Editing for clarity and concision
* Writing effective reports, memos, and executive summaries
* Strengthening essays and academic writing
* Using research and sources effectively
* Using AI as a writing and research tool while maintaining your own judgment and voice
One of the most important professional writing skills is learning to think from the reader’s perspective. What does this person need to know? What matters most? What evidence will they find convincing? And what do you want them to understand, believe, decide, or do after reading?
My approach is practical and collaborative. Rather than simply correcting a finished document, I want to help you understand why certain approaches work and develop a writing process you can use independently.
I have taught writing, research, and public policy at the university level and have worked professionally as an author, researcher, policy analyst, and communicator. Much of my career has involved translating complex research and ideas into writing that decision-makers and general audiences can actually use.
Whether you’re working on an important university essay, a professional report, a persuasive memo, or simply want to communicate your ideas more effectively at work, we’ll build the class around what you want to accomplish.
This intermediate-level class is designed for students and professionals who already have basic writing skills but want to become clearer, more persuasive, and more confident writers.
We can work with reports, essays, professional memos, research papers, proposals, applications, presentations, executive summaries, or other writing you encounter in school or at work. You are encouraged to bring a real project to class so that we can apply the lessons directly to something that matters to you.
Depending on your goals, we can work on:
* Structuring longer and more complex documents
* Developing a clear argument or central message
* Writing strong introductions and conclusions
* Organizing evidence and supporting your claims
* Writing persuasive recommendations
* Adjusting your writing for different audiences
* Making complicated information easier to understand
* Improving transitions, flow, tone, and readability
* Editing for clarity and concision
* Writing effective reports, memos, and executive summaries
* Strengthening essays and academic writing
* Using research and sources effectively
* Using AI as a writing and research tool while maintaining your own judgment and voice
One of the most important professional writing skills is learning to think from the reader’s perspective. What does this person need to know? What matters most? What evidence will they find convincing? And what do you want them to understand, believe, decide, or do after reading?
My approach is practical and collaborative. Rather than simply correcting a finished document, I want to help you understand why certain approaches work and develop a writing process you can use independently.
I have taught writing, research, and public policy at the university level and have worked professionally as an author, researcher, policy analyst, and communicator. Much of my career has involved translating complex research and ideas into writing that decision-makers and general audiences can actually use.
Whether you’re working on an important university essay, a professional report, a persuasive memo, or simply want to communicate your ideas more effectively at work, we’ll build the class around what you want to accomplish.
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