Coaching

Do you want to communicate more clearly, lead with confidence, and handle challenges with ease?
Whether you're an engineer or a leader, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the pressure to articulate your ideas, handle tough conversations, or present with confidence. You might find yourself wondering: Am I getting my message across? How can I connect better with my team or audience? Am I doing this right?

That’s where I can help.

I coach engineers, new managers, and experienced leaders who want to feel more confident in their roles. Together, we’ll work through the challenges holding you back: from navigating difficult feedback conversations to creating presentations that truly resonate with your audience.

Here’s what you’ll get out of working with me:

Clearer communication: Learn how to share your ideas in a way that builds understanding and trust.
Stronger leadership: Develop essential skills like empathetic feedback, advocacy for your team, and creating a culture of trust.
Better presentations: Craft impactful stories and improve your stage presence to engage and inspire any audience.

As a former engineer turned leader, I know firsthand how daunting it can be to step into new roles. I’ve spent over a decade managing developers and teams, and I’ve spoken at conferences around the world about leadership, outreach, and becoming a better communicator. My approach is grounded in real-world experience, and I’ll meet you where you are, providing personalized guidance to help you grow.

Since 2014, I’ve helped engineers, designers, and product managers build their confidence, hone their communication skills, and thrive in their careers. If you’re ready to stop second-guessing yourself and start leading with confidence, let’s work together to make it happen:

If you're interested in working with me or finding out more about my availability, get in touch at melinda@seckington.com.

1:1 Speaker Coaching

Do you want to become a brilliant speaker but feel unsure where to start?

Maybe you don’t know what to talk about, or the thought of public speaking feels overwhelming. Perhaps you’ve given a few talks already but want to take your skills to the next level. Wherever you are on your journey, I’ll help you uncover and deliver the brilliant talk that’s waiting inside of you.

I specialise in coaching speakers to feel confident, clear, and impactful. Whether you’re just starting out or refining your next talk, I’ll work with you to tackle the areas you want to improve, including:

Overcoming fear and building confidence: Understand your fears and motivations, and learn techniques to manage nerves, anxiety, and stage fright.
Discovering your voice: Brainstorm talk ideas and uncover the topics that excite you and resonate with your audience.
Crafting compelling presentations: Get hands-on guidance for designing slides, structuring your talk, and creating an engaging story flow.
Delivering with presence: Improve your stage presence, delivery, and body language to captivate your audience.
Practicing and perfecting: Receive actionable feedback during practice runs to fine-tune your presentation.

Every session is tailored to your needs, blending practical exercises, personalized training, and interactive discussions. If you opt for a multi-session package, you'll also receive asynchronous feedback on talk outlines, CFPs, bios, slides and more.

With my background in storytelling and engineering, I’ll help you connect with your audience, transform your content into something unforgettable, and deliver your message with confidence.

If you’re ready to explore how we can work together, I offer a complimentary 15-minute introduction call. Get in touch at melinda@seckington.com to schedule yours today.

Management & Leadership Coaching

Are you navigating the challenges of management and leadership and wondering how to level up your skills?

From building trust with your team to making tough decisions, stepping into a management role often feels overwhelming. You don’t have to figure it out alone.

I help new and experienced managers develop the skills they need to lead confidently and effectively. Together, we’ll focus on the areas you want to grow in, such as:

Building strong relationships: Learn how to conduct meaningful 1-on-1s and develop your skills in coaching, mentoring, and sponsoring your team members.
Giving constructive feedback: Master the art of delivering feedback with candour and empathy, and confidently navigate difficult conversations.
Understanding your team: Gain insights into individuals’ core needs, emotions, and motivations to better support them.
Fostering growth: Set clear goals with your team members and support their personal and professional development.
Prioritizing with purpose: Explore tools and methods for effective time management, balancing competing priorities, and focusing on what truly matters.
Making better decisions: Learn techniques for evaluating options, mitigating risks, and driving consensus within your team.
Leading through change: Apply strategies for navigating organizational change, fostering resilience, and communicating effectively to inspire trust and adaptability.

My coaching is tailored to your unique challenges and goals. Whether you’re new to management or looking to refine your leadership approach, I’ll work with you to build the confidence and clarity you need to succeed.

If you’re ready to take the next step in your leadership journey, let’s chat! I offer a complimentary 15-minute introduction call to explore how we can work together. Email me at melinda@seckington.com to schedule yours today.

Engineering Coaching

Are you ready to take your engineering career to the next level but unsure how to get there?

You might want to improve your communication, enhance teamwork, or sharpen your technical skills, but figuring out where to start can be overwhelming. I can help you navigate the challenges and opportunities in your career.

I coach engineers to build confidence, communicate effectively, and succeed in their roles. Together, we’ll focus on the areas that matter most to you, such as:

Giving and receiving feedback: Learn how to provide constructive feedback, handle challenging conversations, and respond to feedback with confidence.
Setting goals and staying focused: Work on identifying what matters most to you and aligning your efforts with your career aspirations.
Managing your time effectively: Explore tools and methods for time management, task prioritization, and balancing competing priorities.
Strengthening communication skills: Develop active listening techniques, improve how you convey ideas, manage up effectively, and resolve conflicts within the team.
Adapting to change: Build resilience, adapt to organizational shifts, and navigate interpersonal dynamics during transitions.
Career progression planning: Map out your next steps and identify the skills you need to advance.
Cross-functional collaboration: Learn strategies to work effectively with design, product, and other non-engineering teams.
Technical leadership skills: Discover how to lead projects, mentor junior colleagues, and take on more responsibilities without becoming a formal manager.
Storytelling for engineers: Articulate your ideas, proposals, or accomplishments in a compelling and clear way for stakeholders or presentations.

My coaching is tailored to your specific needs and career goals. Through personalized guidance, hands-on exercises, and actionable advice, you’ll gain the clarity and skills to take your engineering career to the next level.

If you want to do a 15-minute introduction call to explore how we could work together, get in touch at melinda@seckington.com.

Conference Partnerships

I've previously partnered with conferences to provide speaker coaching to their speakers, covering all the above topics. I help speakers create the best version of their talks, helping them with their timing, delivery and content.

I also use my own background as an engineer and manager to provide feedback from an engineering perspective, helping speakers adapt their talk to the level and interests of the target audience.

If you're interested in working with me in this way or finding out more about my availability, get in touch at melinda@seckington.com.

Testimonials

Sook Meng Muk:

Melinda has been coaching me towards my goal of getting a presentation ready for a conference. I have enjoyed the whiteboarding sessions where Melinda has worked with me, from writing an abstract to turning it into a talk structure.

Throughout the sessions, Melinda imparts insightful tips based on her experience and provides feedback that helps me build a more impactful presentation. What I appreciate is how she manages to coach the ideas and words out of me. When it somehow falls into a structure that makes sense, it gives me a sense of excitement to see things come together.

The coaching sessions have been invaluable, and I am grateful for Melinda's structure and encouragement.

Cat Hicks:

I had the chance to meet and learn from Melinda as a speaker coach as she was generously providing support for speakers in partnership with LeadDev London 2023.

Melinda's coaching session was absolutely one of the highlights of my experience as a speaker. She brings a depth of wisdom across her wide range of experience communicating in many modalities. She provided an empathic audience-centered POV that any speaker would benefit from.

Melinda is a kind and insightful source of expert feedback, and truly knows tech audiences and the skillsets needed for large stages.

Alistair Shepherd:

Melinda gave me fantastic 1:1 speaker coaching for my first time public speaking, at a large conference. She gave me lots of invaluable advice on my slides and speaking style, that really helped me come across better than I could have imagined. Most importantly, she helped give me confidence in myself and my speaking ability which I am so, so thankful for!

Winona Bridgewater:

I had the chance to meet and learn from Melinda when she worked as a coach for speakers with LeadDev London 2023. Melinda took time to meet with me before the conference and at the conference, and each session was crucial for what I needed at that moment.

I first worked with her a few weeks before my talk where I turned up with a pretty unruly blob of ideas. She listened actively and with patience and asked questions and gave insights that helped me shape my content and narrow my message.

On the day of the conference she came backstage before I needed to present, and with unflappable calm she helped me make a few critical decisions that cleared my mind and made me significantly more confident about going up to present in front of 1,000 people. I was incredibly grateful for her time, and I would absolutely work with her again in the future to make sure I present the best version of myself and my ideas.

Dianing Yudono:

I watched Melinda's talks a couple of times and loved them so much that I jumped at the opportunity to have a speaker coaching session with her in 2023 for my 10-minute conference talk.

Her detailed feedback covered both the slides and the talk's storyline, emphasising their impact on the audience. She provided great suggestions for improvement, offering practical action items that helped make my talk successful and garnered positive feedback from the audience.

I highly recommend her coaching for anyone looking to enhance their public speaking skills!

Blanca Garcia Gil:

I had the pleasure of working with Melinda in the run up to preparing my talk for the LeadDev StaffPlus conference 2023. She was offering speaker coaching for the conference speakers. I took up the opportunity as I was feeling blocked with too many unconnected ideas, I needed someone to share them with and figure out what my next steps were. I also kind of needed a soundboard to reassure me that it made sense and it would be valuable to our audience.

I had seen Melinda speaking at conferences in the past and I loved her speaking style. She is authentic, engaging and kind.

We reviewed the material I had and she gave me constructive feedback to think about later on. She also coached me to distil what was the most important takeaway from my talk, and build the stories I had in mind to support it. Her style of asking open ended questions, listening to understand what I need was crucial to meet me where I needed to.

I came away feeling very motivated and exactly knowing what I needed to focus on. When I presented my talk at the conference I felt like the stories flowed and it was very well received.

I would work again with Melinda and recommend her to aspiring and seasoned speakers, her storytelling experience will bring any talk to the next level.