About Us
Get to know our team, and why we're passionate about presentation skills training
Our Story
At Effective Speaking, we take a different approach to presentation skills.
We believe a great presentation starts before you ever stand up to speak. That’s why we created the SpeakerMap™ — a simple, practical planning tool that helps you cut through the clutter and structure your content clearly, logically, and with your audience in mind.
Once you’ve mapped your message, we show you how to design slides that support your ideas (rather than distract from them). And then we focus on delivery — making sure the way you speak actually reinforces your message instead of undermining it.
We believe that if you can have a natural conversation with one person, you already have the ability to present in a natural and authentic way. Our job is to help you reconnect with those everyday techniques you already use — so you can engage and influence a room, not just a single person.
This approach creates real, lasting change. It removes the barriers that make presenting feel scary or fake, and it leaves you with the confidence to present in a way that feels comfortable, credible, and effective.
Your Trainer
Jane Sheffield
NZ Lead Trainer & Business Owner
Jane has spent over 10 years helping leaders across government, business, and professional services communicate with clarity, confidence, and impact.
She learned presenting the hard way — in boardrooms and conferences across Europe and the Middle East — and brings that real-world insight into every workshop. ‘Jane’s trained thousands of professionals in New Zealand to become more effective communicators.
