"I no longer sound like I'm reading; I sound like I mean it."
Sound like you. Whatever the words.
I help executives reconnect to their script in live presentations and video so that their delivery lands with clarity, ease and a sense of themselves.
If you are an exec giving a presentation to a teleprompter, a founder recording a keynote at 11pm, a scientist explaining their work to the board, I can help you reconnect with your script so it sounds like your own thinking, not a recital.
Listen — a short welcome from Marcus
Why this matters
When the words stop sounding like you.
Delivering a talk can feel exposing – particularly if it is full of technical words, and you're standing in front of an unforgiving camera.
Many people just try to get through it. Speeding up. Sticking to the script. Worrying they might lose the audience.
For the audience, this shows up in two ways: the message feels unclear, and it's hard to stay engaged because the speaker doesn't seem fully connected to what they're saying.
This isn't merely about performance techniques, it is about staying connected to your meaning, moment by moment, so the audience is with you.
When that connection is there, your thinking and speaking stay aligned. The message becomes clearer and people listen.
The Coach
From the theatre to the lens.
I'm Marcus Goodwin, I was born in England and have lived in Seattle for many years.
As a director and producer, I have worked for more than 25 years with people from all walks of life: I have directed actors in the theatre on all sorts of stages, across every genre.
In documentary TV, over 10 years' experience as a field producer on shoots all around the country has allowed me to help real people find their true voice in the most vulnerable moments of their lives.
More recently, I have direct experience in this field of working with execs and teleprompters as a freelance producer in Amazon's studios, helping executives to deliver presentations to teleprompter for online conferences.
Add to that, I was a scriptwriter for BBC TV drama for seventeen years, so the choice of words on the page matters to me.
It boils down to a career spent exploring one question: how does someone stop performing and start meaning what they say – with or without a script, under lights, on a stage, in a studio or in their own living room?
That's the work. Not polish, not technique – meaning.
The Approach
Less polish.
More presence.
I like to work under the surface so your delivery stops sounding rehearsed and starts sounding grounded, meaningful and compelling. I call this process The Reset.
Reconnect to meaning
We explore the blocks or challenges that hamper your delivery. What is the little voice in your mind that is holding you back? What is the source of the disconnection with the words? We begin by examining why this talk, presentation or message is important to you, and we start reconnecting with the meaning. This lays the foundation.
Holding the connection
Audience connection is key to a great talk or presentation, this comes from the alignment of your thinking and your speaking moment to moment, creating clarity and capturing and holding the audience's attention.
Speak as yourself
Even with a script, even a highly technical one, even when it is high stakes, you feel grounded, clear, confident, and the voice that lands is the one that sounds like you.
How The Reset is delivered
Different ways to work.
Same Reset.
I believe the Reset is best delivered as a 3 session arc, but you can also book 1 session for a quick brush up on a speech or presentation.
If you're within travel distance of Seattle and serious about the work, in-person is the version I most recommend, as the sessions are longer with the kind of attention that you only get from working together in a shared space.
If you're not close to Seattle, remote is fully sufficient, as what we're building is in you, not in the equipment.
In person
1 x 80 session or the Full Reset 3 x 80 minute sessions in person with a teleprompter and a camera.
Every session I record the rehearsals to teleprompter. You get your copy straight after each session to review. I hold on to mine only for as long as we're working together, so I can watch it properly between sessions and bring you sharper notes than any room allows in the moment. Once the Reset ends, so does my copy.
You don't just leave the Reset changed. You leave with the footage that proves it.
Remote
1 x 40 minute session or the Full Reset 6 x 40 min sessions over video, from wherever you are. Convenient, flexible, accessible from anywhere in the world. What you'll learn is internal — a relationship to your own meaning — and it travels with you into any room, any camera, any stage.
Staying Sharp
Beyond the Reset.
Returning clients can book individual brush-up sessions before key moments — a way to stay connected to the practice ahead of any important recording or live moment, a focused tune-up to bring you back to your best.
WHO IS IT FOR?
For leaders who must speak on the record.
You're a tech executive, CFO, scientist, who has to be on camera — perhaps to record a scripted online presentation to teleprompter for a conference, or to give a live presentation to your board, your team, your investors, your market. The script is dense and technical. The stakes are high and your voice has started to feel like someone else's. This is when you need to "Speak True".
We work in private 1:1 sessions. By the end you'll have a repeatable practice — not a performance — for any high-stakes recording or live moment.
- 1:1
- Private coaching
I’ve had the distinct pleasure of working with Marcus in both live theatre and voice over. Marcus has immense respect for performers and the creative process. He also relishes language and the power of thoughtfully-crafted speech. Marcus will immediately put you at ease with his kindness, insight and humor. If you’re someone in the administrative or executive world, you can trust that Marcus is the ideal coach to help you release your true voice and personality.
Chris Ensweiler
former Equity Actor
Start the Reset
Your next presentation can sound like you.
The easiest first step is a 20 minute discovery call - no obligation, just a conversation. If you'd prefer to write me a message, that works too. Either way I'll reply within one business day. I look forward to hearing from you, Marcus
Listen — a personal note from Marcus
Correspondence