“I’d really really recommend this course! I was apprehensive about spending the money at first, but if you commit to the course, it is absolutely worth it. I felt that the focus on vulnerability/authenticity was really important in getting to the root of what causes my public speaking anxieties. Rather than teaching us to put on a mask and pretend to be someone else/hide our fear, Adam taught us to embrace them - and reframing my perspective like this I've found really useful. This course feels it really gets to the core of what makes us tick/anxious about public speaking, rather than just giving us techniques to fake it. I would whole heartedly recommend!”

"Mike and Adam are both really good teachers and I took a lot away from it. Each week you do something different and it’s not like normal public speaking courses. The focus is on vulnerability, authenticity and emotions. All of which make for powerful speeches. Would definitely recommend 10/10 🙂 Note: My course turned into an online course due to coronavirus. While probably not the same experience as doing it in person, it was still amazing, and Mike/Adam adapted very well to using Zoom. I did the in-person course a couple years later and it was absolutely incredible. What you learn and practice at School of Connection is so different from normal public speaking courses. Vulnerability and authenticity is the way to be exactly who you are when you're speaking. Definitely the best course I've done on public speaking (I've done at least 4). I'd highly recommend it to anyone that's nervous and looking to stop with all the exhausting tips of pretending to be confident or acting like somebody else up there.”

“I signed up for the course because I was absolutely terrified of an upcoming speech I had to make. The course has taught me so much about how to get comfortable with those fears and not see them as signposts that I will fail. I am now able to breathe into those feelings and get up and speak...and I am actually starting to really enjoy public speaking too! With a background in meditation, psychoanalysis and his own journey to working with his own fear of public speaking, Mike has amazing knowledge, experience and wisdom to share. He is a wonderful teacher. The course has helped me SO much and if anyone is on the fence, I would say go for it. You won't regret it.”

An excellent course - I would recommend to everyone!

I was originally looking for a technical training course to refine my public speaking skills. I felt I needed to be sharper, more presentable and make better use of language to win over my audience. I am a barrister, so public speaking is what I do all day (whether to clients or in court). I attended the taster session and I was blown right out of my comfort zone when asked to take the hot seat and be "vulnerable". To be honest, I have always avoided vulnerability; not least in a public setting. When everyone in the class was doing the same thing, I quickly realised the barriers I have put up limiting my progress and, crucially, preventing my audience from seeing and understanding my true self. I was so intrigued; it was a no-brainer to attend the seven-week course.

Each week, whatever the activity, the underlying focus was vulnerability. Some weeks I tried to be clever in my speech drafting (being deliberately funny etc), but I realised that being clever had less impact on the audience than speaking the truth from deep within. It is no easy task digging deep - but it is the only way to truly connect with someone and everyone.

After seven weeks, I could not only see and feel the drastic change in my approach to public speaking (and its impact on the audience), but I observed my fellow learners and how they overcame their own challenges and persevered. I realised it is more about how I see myself as opposed to how my audience sees me. This course is a unique experience which one will only appreciate when doing it with an open mind and an honest spirit. Should you choose to, I wish you well on this great journey of discovery.

My deepest gratitude to Adam Hanim and the team at School of Connection.

“I completed the public speaking course and it was amazing. Michael's approach to confidence through vulnerability really resonated with me and transformed the way I'm able to communicate with others. Highly recommend, for anyone. thank you! 🙏”

“I met Michael in a taster session years ago and that day something changed inside me…

I followed his courses but for different reasons couldn’t join them until I saw the opportunity of this Public Speaking course on Saturdays. I must confess, that have been 5 tough days of intense mixed feelings. Every day in class you are exposed, vulnerable, and terrified but surprisingly, a moment after you feel absolutely exultant, confident, and calm as you know you can do it, and you know you can do it better every day. Mike led us smoothly through the process of knowing our fears, our inner thoughts and feelings, building our confidence day by day to ultimately let us be ourselves in front of the audience, and it is only that authenticity what will make you a good speaker. Don’t miss this course!! Mike, THANK YOU!”

“A proper in-depth look at the root cause of fear of public speaking. Mike deals with the fundamentals rather than learning tricks to disguise the fear. That's not to say he doesn't give you tips to help you through but once you have a better and deeper understanding of the issue, the quick win tips are less necessary. And then it was just a lot of FUN which I have never before said about public speaking. Thanks Mike”

“I attended Mike's taster session and in the first 5 minutes of listening to him, I was SOLD! His life philosophy and public speaking techniques are so authentic and playful, you just totally lose yourself in them. Having just finished the course, I can honestly assure that it was the best thing I did for myself this year. Worth every penny and more!  We were vulnerable, passionate, authoritative, spontaneous and with each session, I found myself dropping my mask, becoming less self-conscious and most importantly – actually connecting with the audience (which has been difficult before). Mike's course is more than just a public speaking course, it's a form of therapy - it helps you to find yourself, own yourself and become more honest and present with all your communications – be it with friends, acquittances or colleagues”

“This school is amazing. I've never experienced anything like this when it comes to speaking and being your authentic self. I can finally say that I truly don't care about trying to be perfect. Being me is enough. Thank you!”

“I decided to take the Public Speaking course because I feel shy in front of people and wanted to challenge myself to gain confidence. And I truly loved it. It is a practical course, you will be talking in front of the other participants practicing what you learned about emotion, intention, voice projection, hands and body, the posture etc etc. What’s more you will also get constructive feedback from them and the instructor to improve yourself more.

I highly recommend it to find out that “you are enough”!”

“I left this review because when I find something this good, I want to share it with others as an amazing experience.

In my case, I was struggling when talking in public as English is not my first language and I’m conscious about that.

I’ve done other courses in the past that were not effective to help me with this matter, so I was hesitant. You don’t want to spend money if it’s not going to work, but I read the reviews and going to a taster class, I thought this was different, and it was!

Matt has a great attitude and approach. He’s a very good teacher. He transmitted calm from the beginning and that really helped. Everyone had time to practice and improve. I’m happy I did this course as It is an investment in personal development. It was worth it!”

“I'm so glad I did this course. I was looking for something different to the usual corporate focused public speaking course. I wanted something more human that also included the psychology of public speaking and School of Connection provided exactly that. Adam, our trainer, was amazing week on week. He was incredibly supportive and genuine and gave each of us the confidence to step out of our comfort zone.

The course was also incredibly fun! We laughed a lot as a group and towards the end we were all quite comfortable with another. I now much better equipped and confident to stand in front of a crowd and give a compelling speech. Thank you Adam and School of Connection!”

“I’ve just completed the four week course with Adam and I would really recommend it. Whether you’re an expert, a beginner, want to boost your career or just do it for yourself, absolutely everyone will get something from it.

I wanted to do the course to help my professional development. Although I’ve done public speaking before, including TV and radio slots for work, I wanted to feel less awkward, more confident and be at ease. I definitely grew in confidence during the course but what I didn’t expect was the impact it would also have on my own personal development.

Adam was a fantastic teacher and he created a supportive, fun environment where we could stretch ourselves out of our comfort zone.

The course structure is really well thought through and I particularly enjoyed the fact it pulls in ideas from different areas. It includes improvisation exercises, body language, speech content, emotion and mindfulness. For me the focus on vulnerability and openness was really beneficial and will have a lasting impact. The combination of these elements makes it a really unique course different to any media training or ‘performance’ focused courses.

It was inspiring, fun, thought provoking, practical and we had many laughs. School of Connection has truly created something magical. Give it a go, it has the potential to be life changing if you let it.”

“My colleagues recommended this course and it lived up to the hype. It really forces you to go out of your comfort zone and approach your conversations with other people from a place of vulnerability.

The course gave me a lot more confidence as well as the tools to deal with the anxiety associated with public speaking.

Rupal made sure to challenge each one of us in the areas where we needed improvement and she's done a fantastic job at guiding us throughout our journey.

I personally really enjoyed the online format as it enabled us to connect with other participants from all over the world and it saved me a lot of time and energy.

I would highly recommend this course to anyone who wants to be more confident in their public speaking.”