Core Values
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Speaking is a courageous, full-body activity that requires discipline, artistry, and craft.
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Anyone can increase their natural charisma and presence by embodying a message, fully inhabiting a space, and truthfully connecting with the audience.
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By freeing people's voices and teaching equanimous communication, we can strive to make the world a more inclusive, fair, and prosperous place.
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Credentials & Experience
Some performance skills coaches bring significant acting, improvisation, or public speaking experience to the table, but may not have walked the walk as a senior corporate leader, high-stakes dealmaker, or trial lawyer. Others offer impressive corporate or legal credentials, but haven't studied and practiced the foundational theories required to properly diagnose and address performance issues. Vox Vera is unique in that it combines time-tested and sound performance skills knowledge with real-world experience across the highest levels of business, law, academia, and the performing arts, including the following Founder & CEO credentials:
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Patsy Rodenburg Associate. A prestigious teacher training certification involving extensive full-time voice, presence, and Shakespeare text study and practice with the world's foremost voice and presence coach.
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Vocal Performance. A Bachelor of Music in Voice & Opera from Northwestern University, combined with 10 seasons performing with the world's leading conductors and musicians at LA Opera, San Francisco Symphony, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
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Law Firm Litigation & Consulting. A JD from Berkeley and 5 years of Biglaw litigation experience at two top law firms. Member of the American Society of Trial Consultants (ASTC) and the PD Providers Network.
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Hollywood Dealmaking. 15+ years of high-level talent negotiation, advising, and leadership experience at the world's leading media and tech companies, including Warner Bros., Amazon, and NBCUniversal.
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Improvisation & Stage Experience. Over a decade of improvisation training at the best improvisation schools in Los Angeles, including The Groundlings, Upright Citizens Brigade, and Impro Theatre, intensive summer drama training at Juilliard, and multiple vocal jazz and regional theatre performance credits.
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Law School Teaching. Over a decade of top-10 law school teaching experience at Berkeley, the University of Chicago, and Stanford, including popular courses on "Entertainment Law: TV and Film", "Presence: Performance Skills for Lawyers", "Public Speaking for Lawyers", and "Communication Skills for Business Lawyers".
In addition, Vox Vera works with highly-qualified experts around the globe who share our ethos, training, and high standards of excellence. We are able to partner with teachers trained and certified in Patsy Rodenburg Technique, Alexander Technique, and voice, and have worked with some of the world's top improvisation, athletics, Shakespeare, and trial advocacy experts. We also cast, train, and supervise actors to assist with mock trials, deposition transcript recordings, and live testimony readings at trial.
The Modern Approach to Performance Training
Founded in 2023 by law school lecturer, entertainment lawyer, and accomplished stage performer Paul Marchegiani, Vox Vera is a performance skills coaching firm that teaches leaders, advocates, and artists how to deliver a message, courageously connect with others, and inhabit any space with presence. Through our interactive workshops, coaching sessions, and performance assessments, we shift the traditional public speaking paradigm away from rote checklists of dos and don'ts to something more fundamental in the Age of AI: how to powerfully embody a message, meaningfully connect with others, and consistently deliver outstanding results for you and your team.
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Our clients come to us to take their performance skills to the next level:
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The gifted litigator who writes a compelling brief, but needs gravitas to captivate the jury during trial.
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The dedicated politician hoping to open hearts and minds during their stump speech.
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The dedicated CEO looking to boost their executive presence for an important shareholder meeting.
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The brilliant physics professor looking to spark students' imaginations in a large lecture hall.
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The accomplished actor seeking more immediacy and connection when interpreting Shakespeare or Sondheim.
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The hardworking sales executive hoping to build a lasting partnership when pitching a new product.
No matter your goal, Vox Vera teaches the time-tested physical delivery skills necessary for you to achieve greatness, rise to any occasion with courage and confidence, and unlock your full potential as a powerful and polished communicator. If you and your team are ready to develop world-class performance skills and make a lasting impact, reach out to schedule an introductory session.
Approach​
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Vox Vera's innovative cross-training approach combines deep practical experience with time-tested performance techniques studied by Founder & CEO Paul Marchegiani and taught in his popular public speaking and communications skills courses at Berkeley, The University of Chicago, and Stanford Law School, including:​
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Patsy Rodenburg Technique. Great speakers – like great actors – can be heard clearly, breathe freely from a low and supported place, and stay present with an audience, even through the most heightened text. Patsy Rodenburg's foundational voice, breath, presence, and language work is used by the world's leading actors and public speakers, and is taught at the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, and top training programs around the world.
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Performance Theory & Movement. Great speakers – like great athletes – perform with graceful ease and grounded centeredness. They move and speak with purpose and can fill any space. They cross-train, drawing on established principles in acting, dance, neuroscience, athletics, Alexander Technique, martial arts, sports psychology, and other time-tested, science-backed approaches.
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Voice Work. Great speakers – like great singers – know how their voice works and resonates in various spaces. They understand how to warm up and keep their voice healthy, and viscerally understand the musicality and rhythm of speech.
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Improvisation. Great speakers – like great improvisors – confront their fears, actively listen, get out of their heads and into the space, handle mistakes gracefully, convey information economically, and build consensus through "yes, and".
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Exclusive Assessment Tools. Great speakers – like great leaders – know themselves and their message, have the courage to bring humanity to their work, are curious about their professional development, and strive for greatness. We use proprietary performance skills frameworks and assessment tools like The Performance Ladder™ to help clients understand and contextualize the various components of a successful performance, allowing us to target our training efforts to the areas that will help our clients transform quickly.
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Real World Experience. Great speakers – like great athletes, scientists, and craftspeople – test their skills in increasingly challenging contexts. We've walked the walk at the highest levels of business, law, the arts, and academia for over 20 years, including senior executive leadership positions at Fortune 50 companies, professional performance experience in 3,000-person concert halls, prestigious law school teaching engagements, and Biglaw litigation practice in state and federal court. We've counseled CEOs, Boards of Directors, politicians, Hollywood producers, and world-famous celebrities, and have been battle-tested time and time again. We know what our clients are up against on a visceral level, share their high standards, and speak their language.
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Services
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Workshops, Training Sessions, and Project Engagements
We lead workshops, training sessions, and performance skills assessment programs for law firms, businesses, and performing artists. Whether it's helping trial lawyers and witnesses connect with a jury at trial or working with university professors to present their research at conferences, we teach brilliant leaders, advocates, and artists how to achieve profound success by listening, speaking, and connecting with their natural, powerful voice and full presence. Contact us for a proposal tailored to your needs.
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Law Firms
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Performance and Communication Skills Workshops & CLEs
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Negotiation Skills Training
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Courtroom Presence Coaching
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Trial, Appellate Advocacy, and Witness Preparation
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International/English Language Learner Communication Skills
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Oral Communication Skills Assessments & Development Programs
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Casting and Preparing Actors for Mock Trials & Transcript Readings
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Business & Industry
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Executive Presence Training
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Keynote, Presentation, and Q&A Skills
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Sales & Networking Training
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International/English Language Learner Communication Skills
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Team Building & Communications Culture Training
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Oral Communication Skills Assessments & Development Programs
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Politicians, High Profile Figures, Media, and Advocacy Groups
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Public Speaking Training
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Debate Preparation​
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Authentic Voice for Leaders
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Voice, ​Breath, and Presence Training
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On-Camera Training
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Extemporaneous Speaking & Improvisation Skills
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Performing Artists, Ensembles, and Directors​
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Patsy Rodenburg Technique (Presence, Body, Breath, and Voice Training)
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Physical & Vocal Warm-Ups
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Director, Conductor, and Performer Presence Training
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Embodied Text Work
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Ensemble & Team Building for Musicians, Performers, Cast & Crew, and Songwriters
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​Academia
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Classroom Presence Training & Assessments
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Commencement Speaker Preparation
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Research Presentation & Keynote Training
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English Language Learner Public Speaking Training
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Communication Skills Program Development & Consulting
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Private Coaching
We maintain a highly selective and confidential roster of one-on-one coaching clients, including world-class performers, politicians, global law firm leaders, and senior executives at major corporations. Some clients might engage us for just a few hours or days to prepare for a specific keynote, debate, trial, acting role, musical performance, or presentation, while others may work with us for a series of focused and customized 1-hour sessions to learn the fundamentals of body, breath, and presence, or bring their performance skills and presence to the next level. Regardless of the goal, most clients only need a handful of remote or in-person sessions to begin to embody our approach and see tangible results. If you're looking for the highest level of performance training and are interested in our practical, embodied approach, contact us to inquire about joining our roster of private clients.
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Performance Assessments
We offer written, in-person, and virtual performance skills assessments to help you and your employees achieve get meaningful feedback quickly. Our online submission tool allows you to submit a video or audio file for review. We'll provide a bespoke assessment using our proprietary Performance Ladder™ framework within 10 days (which can be expedited to 24 hours), with actionable steps to improve your delivery.
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Pro Bono & Non-Profit Work
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Our private sector work allows us to help pro bono clients in underserved and marginalized communities, a key part of our mission to help people find and amplify their voices and gain confidence as speakers. If you or your non-profit team need help with performance skills coaching, and cannot afford our corporate workshop or private coaching rates, please reach out to us to see if we're able to assist. Similarly, if you're a corporation and wish to co-sponsor a pro bono workshop with us for a great cause, let's discuss how to work together to do some good.​
Making Good Speakers Great