About Me
Hello and Welcome. My name is Lynda Russell-Whitaker. As brainbank presents’ founder, I specialise in coaching and advising business leaders and executives for whom English is a second language, to refine and communicate their messages clearly and deliver this powerfully to their audience members.
With over 25 years’ experience in the area of communications, training and coaching, I will partner with you to create presentations that inspire and engage your audience and make you feel proud.
Using my simple methodology, The Four Dimensions of a Powerful Presentation (The4Ds), we will define the objective of your talk; distill clear and pertinent messages, and develop a compelling and persuasive argument.
We can then work on all the aspects of delivery that come into play to present this powerfully to your audience, so that your purpose and call to action are clearly and confidently communicated. Once you’ve learnt this simple-to-follow process, you will be able to apply this to all aspects of your public speaking.
Here are some of the outcomes you will achieve by working with me:-
- Specific techniques to conquer your fear of speaking in public
- The tools needed to create and communicate your mission, vision or objective with clarity
- The competence and confidence to present your ideas powerfully to others
In brief, the elements of The 4Ds are:-
Define – your mission, values, passion and objectives
Distill – your message into a maximum of 3 key points
Develop – your structure and content; the argumentation and call to action
Deliver – your voice, gestures, eye contact, facial expressions, congruence all play a part
By devoting the time and following this simple 4-step programme, your clients and colleagues will see a remarkable transformation in your presentation style and content in as little as eight weeks. You will be communicating your messages with clarity, simplicity and passion!
To learn more about how The 4Ds can elevate your public speaking, and for a chance to work with me one-to-one, or to request a bespoke training course for your team, why not get in touch now to book a no-obligation telephone consultation?
My Background
The advisory and training aspect of my work began at the end of the 90s as an online consultant to clients such as Waitrose.com and Orange Telecom. In 2000, I was one of two industry experts on the Validation Panel for the University of Westminster’s revised MA in Hypermedia Studies. A visiting lecturer at the Royal College of Art (RCA) I was also a member of the original expert working group for the first pan-European MA in Interactive Media from the early to the mid ’90s.
Some of the clients I’ve worked with over the past twenty years include Channel 4 Automotive, Chase Manhattan Bank, The Coca-Cola Company, DisfrutaHavana, Eleco plc, EMAP, Forma Digital, Finish Creative, GSK, KPMG, Message Digital, Orange Telecom, Polygram, Waitrose, Wired Sussex and VisionMix.
Based in London, I’ve been a licensed Business Practitioner of NLP™ since 2008 and am a certified facilitator of Tracom’s ‘Social Styles’; an excellent, simple tool for building awareness and understanding among team members. With a highly collaborative, coaching style, part of my job will be to work with you to overcome any nerves you might have about public speaking, building your competence and confidence in front of an audience.
I hold a certificate in ‘Professional Coaching Skills’, gained with Coaching Development, and am a member of the ICF (International Coach Federation) working towards my ACC accreditation.
A Fellow of charitable foundation the Royal Society of Arts and Manufacture (RSA) since 2004, I sat on the southeast division committee in 2008 and was one of the RSA’s early Digital Champions. I am part of the recently-formed RSA Coaching Network.
In the past five years I have volunteered for two children’s charities, demonstrating to young people the skills of how to structure and deliver a compelling pitch. In 2016 and 2017 I facilitated classroom training and e-learning for two IT systems at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
A British national and proud Londoner, I learnt to speak, read and write Greek to a proficient level whilst living in Greece from 2002 to 2005, and continued my studies at The Hellenic Centre, London. My Spanish is intermediate level and I have a good working knowledge of French.
My major passion is music. I had classical singing training for over ten years and last year started teaching myself jazz piano (I learnt to play classically as a child); it has been a source of great joy and satisfaction. As well as singing classical and jazz music, listening to jazz is one of my great pleasures. Jazz FM is my preferred radio station and I’m a longstanding member of Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London.