Executive presence and communication coaching

How You Communicate Defines How You Are Perceived. Full Stop.

The world knows us almost exclusively by what we say and how we say it. The words we choose. The arguments we make. The way we hold a room. Our presence, our stories, our ability to land a message when it matters most. Our intelligence, our experience, our judgment. All of it only reaches other people through communication. Communication is one of those rare skills you can spend a lifetime improving and never fully master. The leaders who understand this and invest in it consistently separate themselves from everyone else in the room.
Ready to chat? Just email me at joe@stratechi.com
What I do
Most coaches work on how you say it. I start with what you are saying and why.
I work with senior leaders on the full communication stack. What you need people to believe. What you need to say to get them there. And how to say it in a way that lands. Most communication coaches work on delivery. I work on thinking, message, and delivery. The difference is everything.
Who this is for
Leaders who want to inspire action, create alignment, and connect every time they communicate.
Senior leaders preparing for a high stakes moment. A town hall where the organization needs to believe the strategy. A presentation where credibility is on the line. A speech that needs to move a room. Or simply a leader who knows they are not yet operating at their communication ceiling and wants to get there.
What makes this different
Video review. Strategic coaching. Fast, visible results.
Most communication coaching works on how you look and sound. I work on what you are actually saying and why. The process starts with video review. We watch how you communicate in real situations and I give you direct, specific feedback on what is working and what is not. But the deeper work is strategic. What is the message? What do you need people to believe when you are done? What is the narrative arc that gets them there? What is the emotional tone the moment requires?
I recently worked with the full executive committee of a major Fortune 500 company preparing for their national town halls. We reviewed video, rebuilt the messaging, sharpened the narrative, and coached each leader individually on presence and Q&A performance. The improvements were dramatic and immediate. That is what this work produces when it is done right.
What we work on
The full communication stack.
Every engagement is different but the work falls into consistent territory. Message strategy and narrative. What you need people to believe and the through line that gets them there. Speeches, town halls, and presentations. The structure, the stories, the moments that make a room remember. High stakes Q&A. How to think on your feet, handle difficult questions, and stay on message under pressure. Presence and body language. The specific behaviors that signal authority, build trust, and command attention. Emotional intelligence and empathy. Reading the room, connecting authentically, and adjusting in real time. And written communication. The emails, the memos, the updates that shape how people think about you between the moments they see you in person.
The breadth of the work
There are so many communication skills to improve on.
1. Vocal Mastery
Tone and Intonation
Pace and Rhythm
Volume and Projection
Articulation and Clarity
2. Verbal Communication
Word Choice and Vocabulary
Message Structure
Clarity and Conciseness
Language Adaptation
3. Body Language
Posture and Body Position
Eye Contact and Facial Expression
Hand Gestures and Movement
Spatial Awareness
4. Audience Analysis
Audience Profiling
Reading the Room
Audience Goals and Context
Real-Time Adaptation
5. Framing and Messaging
Strategic Framing
Message Architecture
Anchoring and Positioning
Narrative Control
6. Listening and Nonverbal
Active Listening
Reflective Responses
Empathetic Engagement
Reading Body Language
Interpreting Vocal Cues
7. Questioning Techniques
Strategic and Probing Questions
Open vs Closed Questions
Leading and Influential Questions
Empathetic and Reflective Questions
Clarifying Questions
8. Emotional and Interpersonal
Self-Awareness
Social Awareness
Relationship Management
Conflict Resolution
Feedback Delivery and Receiving
Influence and Persuasion
9. Leadership Communication
Inspirational Vision Casting
Synthesizing Complex Information
Executive Presence and Authority
Strategic Messaging
Change and Transformation
Crisis Communication
10. In-Person and Virtual
One-on-One Conversations
Group Communication and Facilitation
Public Speaking and Presentations
Virtual Meetings and Video Calls
Difficult Conversations
Storytelling and Narrative
11. Written Communication
Executive Emails and Correspondence
Reports and Strategic Documents
Presentations
External Communications
Internal Announcements
Digital Platforms and Social Media
“The improvements are fast and the impact is immediate. Fortune 500 executives consistently describe it as one of the highest leverage investments they have made.”
About Joe
Joe Newsum
I have spent 15 years as an executive coach and consultant at McKinsey and Oliver Wyman, and another 15 years leading companies as CEO, COO, CFO, and CMO. I have coached the executive committees of Fortune 500 companies on communication, presence, and high stakes moments. The work is direct, practical, and immediately applicable.
McKinsey & Company
and Oliver Wyman consulting background
Stanford
BS Science, Technology & Society with CS
Tuck MBA
High Distinction, top 3% of class
30+
Years in strategy, coaching and operations
Fortune 500
Executive committees coached on communication
3M+
Stratechi.com users worldwide
25X
Profitable revenue growth as an operator
9th Fastest
Growing company in the US as COO (Inc. 5000)
20M Members
Loyalty program built from scratch
Ready to work on your communication?
Most engagements start with a direct conversation. No forms, no funnels. Just email me.

joe@stratechi.com

Frequently asked questions
Who do you work with?
Senior leaders preparing for high stakes communication moments. CEOs and C-suite executives working on town halls, all-hands meetings, and major presentations. Leaders who know their communication is not yet at the level their role demands. And aspiring leaders who want to build the communication skills that will define their trajectory.
What does a typical engagement look like?
It depends on what you need. Some clients come for a specific moment — a town hall, a board presentation, a keynote — and we work intensively in the weeks before. Others engage on an ongoing basis to continuously elevate how they communicate across every situation. Either way the process starts with understanding your specific challenge and what success looks like.
How does the video review process work?
You share recordings of yourself presenting, speaking in meetings, or any other communication context. I watch carefully and give you direct, specific feedback on what is working and what is not. Delivery, message, narrative, presence, Q&A. Most people find this the fastest and most impactful part of the work.
Do you work on written communication too?
Yes. Emails, memos, strategic documents, internal announcements. Written communication shapes how people think about you between the moments they see you in person. It is a critical and often overlooked part of executive communication.
How quickly will I see results?
Fast. Most leaders see meaningful improvement within the first few sessions. The work is practical and immediately applicable. Fortune 500 executives consistently describe it as one of the highest leverage investments they have made.
What do you charge?
I price engagements based on scope. Email me and we will figure out what makes sense for your situation.
Is it confidential?
Always.
How do I get started?
Email me at joe@stratechi.com. We will have a direct conversation about what you are working on and design the right engagement from there.