Effective help and guidance for people who speak for a living
Testimonials
A more extensive selection of reviews and testimonials from clients, including those at Capital.com, Toyota, and actors working in the theatre, on screen and at top UK and US Drama Schools/Conservatoires.
Public Speaking & Communication
"Thanks for yesterday, just watched the videos again and continue to be blown away by the difference."
Director of Distribution - TESCO/Booker
"Thanks so much for coming out here, it really helped me a lot. Anyone looking for a coach, give James Westphal a shout!”
Tarik Chebib, MENA CEO, Capital.com
"The sessions were exceptionally well structured and thoughtfully guided, and I was already seeing clear value from the very first session. Through iterative practice on actual presentations specific to my field, James went through simple yet profound techniques to land my message clearly. In general I’ve found these coaching sessions super effective and would be happy to recommend it to anyone."
Raghav Dave, Senior Data Scientist, TOYOTA
"I noticed a tremendous improvement in my public speaking skills after just eight sessions with James, so much so that I decided to continue working with him for a further four sessions. James thoughtfully prepared and tailored every session to my individual needs and requests (e.g. storytelling, holding conversations etc.). He brought immense energy to each lesson and was consistently encouraging and supportive, making every session enjoyable. He also provided detailed resource packs after every session, which have been incredibly helpful. In particular, beyond developing my practical speaking skills, James helped me reframe the fear and anxiety I previously associated with speaking, empowering me to approach it with far greater confidence. I now no longer fear speaking! James was also highly responsive and helpful over email throughout. It has been an absolute joy working with James, and I would highly recommend him to anyone looking to become a more confident and effective speaker."
"James gave me the confidence that Public Speaking can be learnt with the right practice. He opened my eyes to tools for creating a feeling of confidence, calm and conviction, and took an amazingly personalised approach. He always kept the classes light hearted and I honestly feel so much more confident, capable and focused."
Prudence Foster, Managing Consultant, Strategic Innovation Magnetic
"James has been instrumental in helping me shift my mindset when pitching. He’s really engaged, patient, and draws on an expansive range of techniques to deliver a bespoke tool kit. It’s been a joy working with him."
Susan Simnett, Producer at Over The Fence Films
"James' talent and dedication to his craft is as evident when teaching and coaching as when performing. A truthful, powerful actor with great sensitivity for the spoken work and a rare depth of insight. A superb mentor for anyone exploring the art of performance."
Steve Potts, Ex-Executive Director, Bill Kenwright Ltd.
Lawyer, London
"James substantially improved my approach to public speaking through his blend of mindset coaching and practical techniques. The sessions were both productive and loads of fun.”
"Working with James has been transformational. Just four weeks ago, I was genuinely terrified of speaking to a room of 200+ people. Now, just 4 weeks later, I’m excited about walking on to stage. It’s a night and day difference, and I cannot thank James enough for what he has done for me. I’m excited to step on stage. His warm-ups, exercises and detailed feedback gave me the tools and confidence I didn’t know I was missing. His attention to detail, his professionalism, his friendly and supportive nature, his feedback; everything about his coaching is second to none. If you're looking for someone to work with to help with public speaking, I can’t encourage you enough to get in touch with James. He’s made a life-changing difference to my public speaking game.”
"James completely transformed my understanding and perception of presenting and speaking in front of groups/audiences. Coming from a corporate background, I was skeptical at first that someone from a creative background could help me within a corporate setting, but I was so wrong. His combined approach of using his knowledge from the creative and arts industry, coupled with his psychological understanding has enhanced my ability to not only understand the physical ways of presenting, but more importantly has helped me have a deeper understanding of myself and the way I think. I am more rational, calm, and fluent when presenting and speaking in front of people. James has taught me that communication skills are 100% learnable, which can be infinitely improved. Lastly, James is calm, understanding, and gives his absolute best to try and help you improve."​
Max Wilson, Solutions Consultant, Hilti
Nancy Linford, PHD, MWC, Linford Biomedical
Acting/Audition Coaching
"Words cannot express how inspiring your passion and dedication to work is. The techniques I’ve learnt from you lead me to a breakthrough, which brought back the deep, deep joy that being on stage used to give me. From now on, whenever I work on a piece of text, at the back of my mind I’ll always hear: ’Okay…but what are you DOING? Don’t just say lines with energy!'"
“Audition training with James has been a complete game changer for me. He is encouraging, kind, patient, enthusiastic, and everything you could want from a coach. He has empowered me to have confidence in my abilities and I’ve learnt valuable skills that will aid my future in acting. I’ve enjoyed every session and would recommend James in a heartbeat.”
Virag, Actor
"One of the most remarkable people I have had the privilege of meeting. He is an exceptionally kind, caring, and dedicated person who consistently gives his very best in every session. He has always created an environment in which I feel comfortable learning, making mistakes, and growing, without ever making me feel embarrassed. What I particularly admire about him is the genuine respect and equality he brings to his relationships with his students. His encouragement has had a significant impact on my confidence, both as a performer and as a person. He was also one of the people who supported me through some of the most difficult moments of my artistic journey, particularly when I was dealing with rejections from drama schools. His reassurance, guidance, and belief in me helped me move forward when I was struggling to believe in myself. He is not only an exceptional teacher, but also an incredibly inspiring and admirable person, and I am truly grateful for everything he has done for me."
Ioana, Actor
"James's energy and commitment to his teaching and to the PTF Acting Course as a whole at ArtsEd was exemplary. I still utilise many of his lessons after I progressed into the Rose Bruford BA Acting Course - not many days go by on the course when I don't think about 'endgaming', or our heightened emotion lesson. I'd highly recommend him for anyone wanting a fresh and energetic perspective on acting training and for someone who genuinely cares about his students."
Lily, Actor
"When I decided to audition for drama schools in the US, I knew I needed a coach who could provide not only technical guidance but also a supportive and personalised approach. James was my top choice, and he exceeded all my expectations. He has a natural ability to identify and amplify a student’s strengths while creating a tailored process to address areas for improvement. What truly impressed me was his respect for everyone’s physical and mental well-being. He consistently checked in during sessions, ensuring we approached challenging material from a place of relaxation. When I began preparing my monologues for auditions, James’s coaching was invaluable. James had an uncanny ability to recognise when I needed to let go or push further, offering the right advice or gentle nudge at the perfect moment. With his extensive experience as a tutor at Identity, ArtsEd, and as a working actor, he guided me toward plays with active, dynamic characters and language that I truly wanted to fight for. James’s approach to classical acting was equally effective. His practical philosophy allowed me to tackle challenging language efficiently, even within a tight timeframe. By the end of our sessions, I felt confident, prepared, and excited about the direction I had taken. I cannot recommend James enough. His combination of expertise, empathy, and practical guidance is unparalleled. Whether you’re preparing for auditions or looking to deepen your craft, James is the ideal coach to help you unlock your potential and work in a way that brings out your best."
Odysseas, Actor & current student at USCS School of Dramatic Arts
Jack, Actor & Recent graduate of Rose Bruford Acting School
James has been an invaluable help to my drama school auditions and my progress as an overall actor, performer, and human. His personal dedication to our sessions and means of catering to my needs through various approaches and tools has completely changed the way I approach monologue and audition preparation. Our weekly sessions have become the highlight of my week thanks to James’ unquestionable passion for his work, and he has always been just an email away to help in any way he can. It has been an absolute delight working with James and I could not recommend his services more, I now feel confident and equipped enough to take the next step into drama school next year.
Sophia, Actor & Student at NYU Tisch
"This again though comes down to you guys getting it spot on with the key areas we hit for the sessions, and the amount and content for this, as well as the quality of teaching. Your acting lessons were a personal highlight James, such a good teacher! I'm excited now to see what September brings and another shift in this, given the 9am-6pm days, 5 days a week, and how much more I can learn and develop."
Ned, Actor & Recent graduate of Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.
"I've worked with James both in his capacity as a teacher/coach and as a dramaturg. As a coach, he completely renewed my confidence and love for performance. His generosity with his time is unmatched and his ability to help you navigate whatever's in front of you as an actor and as a person is everything you could hope for in an acting coach. He approaches his work as a dramaturg from the perspective of an actor, and so he's able to reach a shorthand with the actors he's working with to collaborate towards actionable goals. I struggle to think of anyone that connects with those under his tutelage or direction on a personal level that really produces the best out of them, better than James does."
Connor, Director, Writer and Actor
Audition Coaching (Under 18's)
"My 10 year old son Kiefer has been working with James Westphal since this summer. Thanks to the excellent teaching program and all the tailor made audition preparation, I now know how important it is to have a perfect coach to guide you how to act and help dig out all your passion in drama. Me and my husband can totally feel this from seeing the big change in our son Kiefer. We are very pleased to see the significant improvement on Kiefer’s performing skill, James is very sincere in thinking of fun and intensive ways to let Kiefer know how succeed. After months of regular training, we are very proud to see him getting more confident in acting. Thank you James for giving him such wonderful lessons. James is putting in his sincere efforts and talking a keen interest in teaching . The online lesson have far exceeded our expectation . I love James' dedication and how he ensures Kiefer will understand all the meaning behind each of his lines in his monologues, especially as we are based in Hongkong at this moment and have never worked on Shakespeare before . Last but not least I really want to say thank you to James for his great efforts."
"James has recently been giving my 10 year old daughter one on one tutorials in preparation for her auditions. He is patient, kind, encouraging and inspiring in equal measure and has, in only a few sessions, given my daughter both the confidence and skills to enhance her own natural ability.I cannot recommend him highly enough!"
Daughter secured places at ArtsEd Day School
"James was very enthusiastic and engaging. His direction was very clear and we felt very relaxed in his company. James is a highly skilled tutor, and he worked meticulously with my daughter on her audition piece and from the very start understood my daughter as a student and highlighted her strengths and worked on areas that she needed work on. We were delighted with my daughters progress and I would highly recommend James to anyone."
Daughter secured places at ArtsEd Day School & Sylvia Young
"James helped my daughter with audition preparation for Performing Arts secondary schools. He was extremely knowledgeable and she really enjoyed her coaching and preparation. James put us both at ease from the beginning and her progress and confidence grew every week. Suffice to say that she was offered a place at both the schools she auditioned for! I would not hesitate to recommend James for his coaching skills."
Daughter secured places at ArtsEd Day School & Italia Conti
"James really helped my son through his auditioning process, by building confidence, teaching excellent skills and enhancing his knowledge on his performance skills. A brilliant teacher, a true professional."
Son secured a place at ArtsEd Day School
Son secured places at ArtsEd Day School and Sylvia Young