Kathleen Ellis: Writer and Communications Coach

I started Alchemy to help people bring their best selves to the world. There are too many boring business books, incomprehensible academic articles, and dull workshops. It doesn’t have to be that way!

We all have our gifts that we bring to our work. Mine just happens to be making sure your voice, your expertise shines.

My experience ranges from corporate to academic to nonprofit. Here’s what I’ve learned:

Clarity & accuracy + powerful storytelling + being absolutely clear on “what’s in it for your reader/listener” = communication that actually matters. And sells!

Yale University Communications Coach

In addition to my work with Alchemy, for more than 10 years I’ve worked with graduate and PhD students at Yale University to become more powerful communicators.

As a coach at the School of Management and School of the Environment, I worked with students from all over the world on academic papers, public speaking, PowerPoint presentation, media training, job interviews, resumes, and cover letters.

I’ve helped prepare Yale School of Economics Ph.D. candidates for job talk presentations and interviews, and I’ve conducted workshops in public speaking, presentation skills, and email writing for business.

Business Consultant: A Focus on What’s Important

As any good executive or entrepreneur knows, business is both art and science. In addition to running my own business, I was a partner in a business consulting company specializing in communications and staff development. I’ve worked one-on-one with business owners and led trainings in leadership styles, interpersonal communication, teambuilding, conflict management, performance appraisal systems, time management, and business writing.

Actor: What’s Your Story?

In my work with writing and presentation skills I draw deeply on my training in theater. As a student of acting in New York City, I performed in a number of productions there. And in my years in academia and the business world I became convinced that every presentation or written document is part theater—drawing the audience in with a compelling story and then delivering the goods.

But you don’t have to be an actor to be an effective communicator! I’ll work with you to identify your unique strengths and weaknesses and learn strategies to minimize what doesn’t work while enhancing what does. Most importantly, I’ll help you become comfortable being in front of a group or your computer screen. Imagine your career accelerating when you have the skills and confidence to be a dynamic speaker or writer!

I’d love to help you transform how you present yourself, whether in writing or talking. Contact me today for more information.

So What?

When a reader picks up your book or article, or listens to your presentation, they want to learn something and they want to be excited about it. They don’t want to wonder what you’re trying to say or why it’s useful to them. Those who can continually answer the So What question will be rewarded throughout their careers.

Here’s one of my all-time favorite quotes:

“Even most scholarly authors prefer reading stuff that doesn’t require physical suffering.”*

From Soup to Nuts

As a writer and coach, it’s my incredible good fortune to have helped hundreds of academics and business professionals develop their unique voice and advance their careers by answering the So What question with style and confidence.

I get bored easily so this is the perfect job. I get to work with clients across industries and disciplines, from biotech to sustainable and impact investing to yoga and mindfulness meditation. Climate change mitigation? Neuroscience in criminal court? Increasing diversity in the tech world? Just a sampling of the topics I’ve worked on.

I’m an experienced distance coach, so it doesn’t matter where you live. I use videoconferencing to work with clients in Europe and Asia as well as the U.S.

Experience

I’ve worked with tenured and tenure-track professors from 18 universities and colleges on their books and journal articles, and helped hundreds of students with dissertations, academic papers, and application essays.

I’ve taught Writing and Literature at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY, and was an Assistant Professor in the Bachelor of Professional Studies program at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY.

I also work with small business owners and nonprofit professionals, all of whom need to prepare for presentations or interviews or understand how powerfully a book can set them apart in their field. Some of my clients have worked at major corporations and nonprofits like American Express, Ameriprise Financial Services, AT&T, General Electric, Mercedes Benz, Pfizer, Port Authority of NY & NJ, Girls Scouts of the USA, and the Rockefeller Foundation.

Schedule a conversation today to find out if my services are right for you.

“10 Challenges for Scholars Writing for Wider Audiences,” Christopher Schaberg and Ian Bogost