BJØRN STILLION SOUTHARD, Ph.D.

COACH & FACILITATOR

Young Man Wearing A Suit Smiling In Front Of The Camera. Professional Coaching and Workshops For Public Speaking Online And In Person.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

• Presentation design and delivery

• Workshop facilitation skills

• Argumentation and debate

• Keynote addresses, pitches, and high-stakes presentations

• Clear and concise communication from technical experts

“Confidence comes from preparation, practice, performance, and reflection. My goal is to partner with speakers to do the work to gain that confidence.”

Bjørn is inspired by helping clients realize that they have something compelling to share with an audience.

Bjørn is the co-author (with Spoken with Authority’s founder Christine Clapp) of Presenting Now: A Guide to Public Speaking and Leadership Communication Online, in Person, and Beyond (2022), Presenting Virtually: A Guide to Public Speaking in Online Contexts (2020) as well as Presenting at Work: A Guide to Public Speaking in Professional Contexts (2014), and a collaborator on Let ‘Em Speak, a podcast launched in 2020 that explores the intersection of presentation skills and inclusion.

  • Bjørn has two decades of experience delivering public speaking instruction and seminars across the country. He has developed numerous presentation skills development programs, for both individuals and small groups, and for short and long-term engagements. Bjørn has a doctorate and master’s degree in communication from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a bachelor’s degree in rhetoric and media studies from Willamette University.

    Bjørn is also author of the award-winning academic book Peculiar Rhetoric: Slavery, Freedom, and the African Colonization Movement, and numerous articles about the history of public address in the United States. He is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Georgia.

A man in a suit and tie standing next to a whiteboard with a green marker, speaking to a group of people in a conference room. There are glasses of beverages, a laptop, and a notebook on the table in the foreground.

  • “I'm very satisfied with my coaching engagement with Bjørn and found it very useful. Bjørn changed my mindset on presenting in a way that clicked and worked out very well. I learned I'm not stuck with my initial outline and learned a process for reworking and reorganizing a presentation. I have recommended Bjørn to colleagues and would work with him again.”

    Anonymous, Shareholder at Am Law 200 Firm

  • “Working with Bjørn is an experience, and I'm honored to have had the opportunity to learn from him. Bjørn has an uncanny ability - a talent - to be a surrogate brain and understand my work. He taps in, asks questions without presuming anything, then helps massage and iterate the message to improve my presentations. During coaching sessions, Bjørn was always fully present and focused on our work together.”

    Bernie Gallagher, Senior Policy Analyst at Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

  • “Dr. Bjørn was excellent and really helped our very analytical team see the importance of communicating clearly and succinctly in order to have more effective public presentations. He responded to questions that came up in ways that were on the mark, and overall his content was a great fit for what we needed. I would definitely work with him again!”

    Jon Whiten, Deputy Director at Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy

  • “Thanks to Dr. Bjørn's group training and 1-1 coaching, I learned how to efficiently structure my presentations, how to be more engaging, lessen the use of filler words, and keep my pace steady during presentations!”

    Anonymous, Research Associate at Nonprofit

  • “Dr. Bjørn Stillion Southard’s session was highly interactive, filled with practical tips, and participants were engaged and asked thoughtful questions. We’re very pleased with the feedback we received about how much everyone enjoyed Dr. Bjørn’s training.”

    Betsy Wason, Senior Vice President of Development at Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine