High-Stakes Communication Coaching
Dominate the Room.
I help executives, founders, and rising leaders walk into the moment that matters and perform like it's already won: the board update, the investor pitch, the keynote, the interview for the next level.
Trusted by executives, founders, and senior leaders worldwide.
Live at Loudspeakers Toastmasters Club, Beirut
Watch his testimonial →"For every problem, Elio picked two or three solutions that were right on the spot and easy to implement."
You know everything you want to say. The challenge is how to deliver it.
You know your material. You've rehearsed the deck. And still, your voice tightens, your mind blanks two slides in, or you over-explain out of nerves and lose the room.
Most coaching fixes the script.
I fix what happens in your body and mind the moment the pressure hits. Then we build the message on top of that.
That combination is why clients don't just "get better at speaking." They stop dreading the moments that used to cost them the most.
Three things, working together.
Original steel sculpture, Elio Haddad
Emotional Stealth
I work directly with the fear and anxiety response that sabotages otherwise well-prepared people. This is the part most coaches skip, and it's usually the actual reason performance breaks down.
Technical Communication Skills
Message structure, interpersonal technique, and delivery: how you organize what you say, read the room in real time, hold a pause, and carry a physical presence that dominates a room the moment you walk in. This is the craft any serious communication coach should bring.
Content Crafting
The psychology of what makes a message land: how to craft words that reach an audience without ambiguity, and that influence people positively by design, not by accident.
My background as a sculptor also shapes how I coach: presence, physical form, and posture aren't an afterthought in this work, they're part of the method.
Result: fewer sessions, faster change, and performance that holds up under real pressure, not just in rehearsal.
Built for Your Most Important Leadership Moments
Presence and leadership communication run on the same skill, whether you're speaking to one person across a table or to a room of a thousand. Comfort at that level has to be built, not faked.
Built for
- Executives preparing for a board presentation, investor pitch, or high-visibility internal update — see executive communication coaching
- Founders raising capital or presenting to a board for the first time — see investor pitch coaching
- Senior leaders stepping into a bigger role: promotion interviews, first keynote, first major media appearance — see public speaking anxiety coaching
- Teams preparing for a specific high-stakes event (conference, funding round, product launch)
Three steps. Built around your actual event.
Free Intro Call
A free video call that includes an initial evaluation. We identify what's breaking down (message, delivery, or nervous system) and what to work on first before your deadline.
The Program
Ten weekly sessions over 10 weeks, structured around your actual event, not a generic curriculum. A closing evaluation shows what changed. Both evaluations are included.
The Moment
You walk in prepared in a way rehearsal alone never gets you to. Sessions can continue post-event for the next high-stakes moment on your calendar.
Real Results.
Live at Loudspeakers Toastmasters Club, Beirut
Latest Client Testimonial
Rodolph Abu Nassar, Chief Technical Officer, Idarat Group (Saudi Arabia)
Case Study
"His approach was pragmatic, kind of engineering. For every problem, Elio picked two or three solutions that were right on the spot and easy to implement. He didn't overwhelm me with ideas, and he didn't just hand me a generic course."
Rodolph Abu Nassar, CTO of Idarat Group in Saudi Arabia, screened several coaches after searching for help with communication and strategic messaging, and picked Elio specifically for how the first conversation went: instead of pitching a program, Elio started asking questions that surfaced gaps in Rodolph's messaging he hadn't identified himself, in areas he'd already considered strong. Each gap came with two or three concrete fixes he could apply immediately, plus exercises to keep using after the session ended, the same pragmatic, problem-by-problem approach Idarat uses with its own customers. That fit is why the engagement continues past the first block of sessions.
Rodolph Abu Nassar, CTO, Idarat Group
Read the full case studies → · Coaching for leaders across the Gulf & Middle East →
Read the Full Transcript
Hello, my name is Rodolph Abu Nassar. I'm the Chief Technical Officer at Idarat Group, a leading technology company in Saudi Arabia. And this is my feedback for the coaching experience I had with Elio Haddad.
I started with Elio a few weeks ago and had a few sessions. I never heard of him before. I was consulting ChatGPT to see who could provide such a course to help with communication, public speaking, and strategic communication, and I found a few names, had a few interviews, but I selected Elio.
I selected him basically because he jumped right into it, trying to find the issues and the gaps. From his questioning, he had a smart approach to identify where the problems are, where some hidden gaps were, that even I wasn't aware of. And it was this smart questioning that made me choose to work with him. And eventually I was right, because he kept on finding these issues, and his approach was pragmatic. It's kind of engineering. And for us as an engineering company, this is our culture, so it resembles us. This is what we do with our own customers: we try to find where the issues are on the technology side, and we try to understand the customer's pain and how we can help them, basically treating them as human, not just as numbers.
And the smart part also is where he provided solutions, and the solutions were actually easy to implement, and were pragmatic. He did not overwhelm me with a lot of ideas. We live in an era now where information is a bit too much, and we hear the term "death by data." There's lots of information out there. Elio was picking, for every problem, two or three solutions that were right on the spot and easy to implement.
And he did not just throw a course at me. I mean, lots of courses are good today, but they're not tailored to every person. He did not stop at any limits or boundaries. He just made things up as we moved on, identifying additional gaps and then finding more solutions. And he also gave me a few exercises to help in the long run, when he's not around.
So that's my feedback for Elio. And thanks again, Elio, for the great job. We'll be working together again soon. Thank you.
What clients notice first
~20% → ~90%
Self-rated speaking effectiveness
A Toastmasters mentee with severe filler-word habits and stage fright, who later became president of a Toastmasters club in Lebanon.
Anonymized client result
Panic attacks → an impromptu speech to ~15 people
After a few sessions
A client who experienced panic attacks in group settings gave a fluent, unplanned speech to a room of about 15 people.
Anonymized client result
Bringing this to your leadership team or a specific event?
I work with organizations preparing executives, portfolio-company founders, or full teams for a defined high-stakes moment: funding rounds, conferences, leadership transitions.
Get in Touch for a Tailored Program →Elio Haddad
Since 2012, I've worked as a public speaking expert for CEOs and executives, helping people who already know their material perform when the pressure is real. My approach draws on certified NLP and hypnotherapy training (5-Path & 7-Path), a Kundalini yoga teaching certification, and Toastmasters International's Competent Communicator and Competent Leader distinctions, earned for completing ten public speaking projects and mentoring other speakers. That range (psychology, breath, body, and message) is why the work goes past the script and into what actually changes performance under pressure.
- 14+ Years Coaching Executives
- NLP & Hypnotherapy (5-Path / 7-Path)
- Kundalini Yoga Teacher
- Toastmasters Competent Communicator & Leader
- Trilingual: English, Arabic & Brazilian Portuguese
I'm also a sculptor. See my work →
Common Questions
Do you coach executives on public speaking and communication?
Yes. I work with C-suite leaders, board members and senior executives on public speaking, executive presence and high-stakes communication, delivered remotely by video.
Who is this coaching for?
CEOs, CFOs, founders, board members and other senior leaders who need to present, pitch or lead with more clarity and less visible nervousness, including where English is a second or third working language.
How is high-stakes communication coaching different from traditional public speaking classes?
Most public speaking classes work on the script and delivery technique alone. I start with what breaks down under real pressure — the nervous system response that tightens your voice, blanks your mind, or makes you over-explain — through a method I call Emotional Stealth, then build message structure and content on top of that. My training in NLP, hypnotherapy and art therapy means sessions address the psychological and physical roots of anxiety, not just delivery technique.
What results can I expect from this coaching?
Clients report a self-assessed improvement of 80% on average across measures like speaking anxiety, filler-word use, body language and overall delivery clarity.
Can this help with public speaking anxiety specifically?
Yes. My training in hypnotherapy, NLP and art therapy is applied directly to the anxiety driving the nerves, not just the delivery habits it produces.
How do you help with physical nervousness, like voice tightening or going blank, before an investor pitch?
I work directly with the nervous system response rather than just the mindset around it, drawing on NLP and hypnotherapy training to change the physical reaction before it happens, then layer message structure and delivery technique on top so it holds under real pressure.
Can this help reduce filler words and tighten unclear delivery?
Yes. This is one of the most common starting points for clients, and one of the areas the 80% average improvement figure draws on.
Is this useful for investor pitches or board presentations?
Yes. Sessions can focus specifically on structuring a pitch narrative, tightening delivery under pressure, and building composure for tough questions from investors or board members.
What happens on the free intro call?
It's a free video call where we get to know the issue and evaluate where you are: what's breaking down — the message, the delivery, or the nervous system regulation — and what to work on first. You leave with a clear picture, whether or not we work together. If you only need help with one specific pitch or presentation, single strategy sessions are also available.
What does the 10-session coaching program involve?
Ten weekly sessions over 10 weeks, built around your actual upcoming event — a board update, pitch, keynote, or interview — rather than a generic curriculum. It starts with the evaluation from your free intro call and ends with a closing evaluation, both included.
Are sessions online?
Yes. Sessions are held online, by video, scheduled to work across time zones. I work with Gulf, European and other international clients without either side needing to travel.
Do you work with organizations and teams, not just individuals?
Yes. I work with organizations preparing executives, portfolio-company founders, or full teams for a defined high-stakes moment such as a funding round, conference, or leadership transition. I also organize tailored events for group sessions and group training, including at your company's headquarters.
Can this help with anxiety in social or group settings, not just formal stage speaking?
Yes. One client who experienced panic attacks in group gatherings went, after just a few sessions, from avoiding those settings to giving an impromptu speech to a room of 15 people with no visible nerves and fluid delivery.
Your next high-stakes moment is coming. Get ready for it properly.
Tell me a bit about what you're preparing for and I'll get back to you, or skip straight to booking a call if you'd rather talk it through.
Phone +961 71 288 175