From Careful Speaker to Confident Storyteller
When Ava first came to see me for LAMDA tuition, she was bright, thoughtful and academically strong.
She had a sharp mind and a natural ability to structure ideas clearly. What she hadn’t yet explored was how to step out of her head and into her body when she spoke.
We didn’t begin with an exam in mind. After her first few lessons, it became clear that LAMDA Grade 1 Speaking in Public would offer the right framework for exam preparation and building lasting public speaking confidence.
Finding Her Story
Ava chose to speak about passing the 11+ and gaining a place at her dream school — a milestone that truly mattered to her.
At first, her focus was academic. She wanted to explain the exam and offer guidance.
But as the work deepened, the speech began to shift.
It moved away from describing a process and towards revealing an experience — the pressure of mock exams, the resilience required to keep going, the pride she felt when it was over, and the friendships that carried her through.
Instead of striving for flawless delivery, she began prioritising connection.
She allowed pauses.
Trusted her eye contact.
Resisted the urge to rewind when something wasn’t perfect.
The speech stopped sounding prepared — and started sounding lived.
Moving Beyond the “Correct” Answer
Like many high-achieving students preparing for competitive school entry, Ava was used to getting things right.
Public speaking demands something different. It demands presence.
In her journal she reflected:
“Focus and concentration are something we give ourselves — we have to give ourselves time to get into the present moment before we can speak within the present moment.”
That awareness marked a turning point.
Through structured LAMDA Speaking in Public exam preparation, we worked on grounding, breath, embodied storytelling and audience awareness. She experimented with humour, hyperbole and silence. She learned to eliminate waffle and trust clarity. Gradually, she began to feel when to start — rather than launching into her words.
At one stage she worried she sounded like she was “just reciting a list.”
In reality, her communication was becoming sharper. Cleaner. More powerful.
Speaking From the Whole Body
As the months progressed, the transformation became physical.
She stopped scanning for approval.
Her hands relaxed.
Her breath grounded her voice.
In one lesson she wrote:
“Stamping each foot and saying ‘I AM HERE’ — engages your body and we need to speak from our whole body.”
And that is exactly what she began to do.
Her speech about the 11+ was no longer an explanation of an exam.
It became a story of pride, resilience and ownership.
The Result
Ava took her LAMDA Grade 1 Speaking in Public exam with calm focus and embodied presence and achieved a Distinction.
More importantly, she trusted herself.
She learned that connection carries more weight than perfection.
That pauses hold power.
That she does not need to rush to prove herself.
These are skills that extend far beyond a LAMDA exam — into school interviews, presentations and leadership moments. The confidence developed through LAMDA often supports children preparing for 11+ interviews and other high-pressure academic environments.
Continuing the Journey
Ava is now working towards Grade 2 Speaking Verse and Prose, bringing with her the stagecraft, grounding and audience awareness she developed through Speaking in Public.
The technical foundation is secure.
Now the work is about deepening artistry.
If you are looking for an online LAMDA tutor who works with thoughtful, academically strong children — helping them move from careful performance to embodied, confident communication — I would love to hear from you.
