Empowering Women in Tech: Public Speaking Confidence with Nutanix EMEA

At the end of June, I had the pleasure of running one of my most rewarding workshops yet – this time with Nutanix, a Fortune 500 tech company headquartered in Silicon Valley. Their Women in EMEA community brought together team members from London to Dubai for a powerful, practical, online session called: “Step into the Spotlight.”

This was not your average public speaking course. It was a fast-paced, hands-on, high-impact experience designed to help women communicate with more clarity, authority and presence – no matter the audience, format or setting.

Why Nutanix Invested in Speaker Training for Women

Like many global organisations, Nutanix recognises that women – especially in tech – often face an invisible barrier when speaking up in meetings, presenting ideas, or asserting expertise. Mary Ann Sieghart, the journalist and author powerfully termed this as ‘The Authority Gap’.

In essence, it’s the systemic tendency to take women less seriously, question their competence more, and interrupt or overlook them – even when they’re saying exactly the same thing as a man.

I designed this session knowing that courage alone isn’t the answer. Women are already speaking up – but too often, they’re not being heard. What’s needed are practical tools that give their voice weight, clarity and authority – so they’re not just present, but powerful.

The Workshop Agenda: Confidence in 90 Minutes

In just 90 minutes, we explored three powerful vocal tools:

🎤 Pause
🎤 Pace
🎤 Volume

These simple tools – when used with intention – create immediate and visible shifts in a speaker’s presence. The session combined clear theory with five interactive breakout activities, giving everyone the chance to practise in real time. You too can learn about why to Pause in this post and video.

We also took a quick peek at Yoodli AI, my AI speech coaching app, which gives users instant, personalised feedback on their delivery. If you’re curious, learn more on How I use Yoodli in my daily coaching.

This is the kind of presentation training that sticks – short, practical and focused on real-world application. Or as one Nutanix participant put it in her LinkedIn post:

“Even though we hear many great ideas in trainings, most of them fade quickly. This session stuck because it focused on just three tools – and we felt the impact immediately.”

The Feedback: Pause = Presence

When participants were asked to sum up the session in one word, these came out on top:

👉 Engaging
👉 Insightful
👉 Empowering

Some practical takeaways included:

“I will practise the pauses and the rate of speech. I definitely need to speak louder!!”
“Practise my volume control and pauses. Work on removing the filler words.”

For many, the idea of Pace = Pause was the biggest shift. One participant wrote:

“With powerful examples and hands-on practice, Melanie helped us truly feel the effect of a well-placed pause. The pause brings presence and impact.”

This is exactly what I see time and again in my communication coaching and speaker workshops – when people experience the shift for themselves, everything changes.

So… What Makes a Good Speaker?

Not perfection. Not polish.
But clarity, confidence and human connection.

Whether you're an introverted engineer, a scientist presenting data, or a leader making a persuasive presentation to a senior board – your style of presentation can be developed. And the secret lies in building self-awareness, practising key skills, and receiving the right feedback.

That’s what we do in every workshop on public speaking, every executive presentation coaching session, and every interaction designed to help you improve your communication goals.

Helping More Women Be Seen and Heard

The Authority Gap won’t close overnight – but the more women are equipped to speak up with power and clarity, the faster change will happen.

My mission as a communication coach is to help professionals, especially women, step into the spotlight with skill and confidence – regardless of accent, experience or background.

If your organisation is ready to empower your people through public speaking coaching, presentation training, or tailored speaker workshops, I’d love to help.

👉 Let’s have a conversation about how we can make your voices heard.