Jill Foster, Founder, LiveYourTalk
Hello there. I am a seasoned speaker coach teaching clients with 10+ years experience and a strong sense of affirmation. You’ll find zero attachments to perfectionism in my coaching approach…but will encounter a discerning, inspired champ for the connectivity of spoken words.
LiveYourTalk is my business: a public speech and oral storytelling consultancy specializing in signature talks e.g. the suite of keynotes for your life’s advocacy or best-selling books; the TED or TEDx story aching to be understood; or even the collection of sacred story-moments for sister to share at brother’s wedding reception.
Public speech involves our strengths & frailties as human communicators: how we express with physicality; how we can mistake valuing entertainment over the merit of our ideas; how we can engage audiences with sense of hospitality or rejection without even knowing it.
But what reconciles all of these elements are the words we ultimately convey. A well-chosen word evokes lasting encouragement. A well-chosen word gives way to clearer understanding that moves our good ideas and betterment forward. My business is helping you recognize and speak the well-chosen word.
Background: Longtime teacher of oral storytelling to community organizations, advocates, leaders, especially women entrepreneurs. I competed in public speaking many moons ago (Toastmasters!); I remain a student of speech history from Aristotle to works of modern times. Folks visit me for help digging inward to message strength; healthier self-regard as a public voice; and informed empathy for how audiences learn.
My vision for you whether we ever meet or not is that you always find solace from our marvelous language; that you garner restraint to not say the words that cause more fear or severance, but give the ones that propel wisdom, utility; reparation, mercy. I hope you can live your talk this way.
Cited by ForbesWoman as one of 30 women entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter, Jill is the founder and principal of the DC-based speaker coaching business LiveYourTalk.
At her speaker consultancy, she specializes in teaching women leaders to strengthen their voice into TED-stage and keynote-caliber presentations. She also has presented directly to a range of conference audiences as a storytelling coach, keynote speaker, and TEDx presenter.
Jill has worked with award-winning entrepreneurs, CEOs, and innovators to help them “live their talk” as public speakers on stages like TED and TEDx, Ignite, plus a variety of keynotes around the globe.
In 2008, Jill reported live from Denver, Colorado as a credentialed multimedia blogger at the Democratic National Convention. In 2009, she founded and served as the editor in chief of the blog community Women Grow Business – which became a top-ranked blog on social media and marketing. Later that year, Jill won the Apps for Democracy Social Citizen Award for a co-produced project on how technology could help Washington, DC neighborhoods. In 2010, she led TEDxPotomac’s speaker coaching team, supporting speakers like Alexandra Cousteau and Craig Newmark.
Her work has been cited in The Washington Post, Huffington Post, Guardian UK, Washingtonian Magazine, and a range of media outlets.
Personal snapshot: I live in and love Washington, DC with delicious husband and self-righteous cats. My heart-n-mind are lifelong students of oral storytelling and speech history; both keep me inspired & frustrated but in a good words-are-wonderfully-rigorous way. Former competitive public speaker (placed second in a district contest, lost to trial attorney, oh the wound…). Believer in hospitality, prayer, queso.
