Speakeasy Inc.

Speakeasy Inc. Great journeys require great guides. You need to work with someone who will lead you where you want to go and inspire you to go even further.

Speakeasy provides personal growth, communication development and communication consulting services to some of the most influential business leaders in the world. When you journey to become a great communicator, you need to explore with someone who understands the commitment, knows the course, and sees the possibilities. That's the kind of guide you'll find at Speakeasy. As full-time members of ou

r staff, our instructors and consultants are dedicated to teaching, learning, and doing. You'll benefit from their expertise and personal coaching. And you'll benefit from the insight they've gained as they continually advance through new thresholds on their own communication journeys. Get to know the people who can help you become a more powerful communicator ...

05/29/2026

People can usually tell when a message does not sound like the person behind it.

That matters for leaders.

AI can help draft, organize and refine communication. But when the message is personal, employees and clients still need to feel the leader’s judgment, attention and ownership in it.

In this short clip, Sandra Ashe, Speakeasy Distinguished Faculty, explains why communication that sounds polished but detached can miss the trust it is meant to build.

05/28/2026

Some employees already have the insight, judgment and drive.

What they need is the communication to help others see it.

Manish Shrivastava, CMO of PulteGroup, shares why he invests in communication development for his team.

His perspective is a reminder that communication is not a “nice to have” for high-potential employees. It shapes whether their ideas are heard, whether others follow their thinking and whether their impact is fully recognized across the organization.

One risk with AI is that it can make communication look finished before the leader has really done the work.The sentence...
05/26/2026

One risk with AI is that it can make communication look finished before the leader has really done the work.

The sentences are clean. The structure is there. But that's not always enough in a high-stakes moment. People are listening for judgment, clarity and whether the person speaking understands the room they are in.

That's where communication development matters. In Speakeasy programs, participants practice the choices that shape how they are experienced by others: voice, pace, presence, audience awareness and clarity under pressure.

The goal is not to sound polished or performative. It’s to become more aware of the choices that affect trust, credibility and whether people know what to do next.

We can help. Learn more: https://www.speakeasyinc.com/programs/in-person/

05/20/2026

A lot of the AI conversation is about speed.

How fast it can draft.
How much time it can save.
How much easier it can make the blank page.

Those are real benefits.

But for leaders, the harder question is what should still come from you.

In this conversation, members of Speakeasy’s faculty talk about where AI can be useful in communication and where leaders still need to bring their own judgment, presence and responsibility.

Because a message can be well written and still not build real human connection.

A reflection from Anna Mackney, Regional Director UK at Play'n GO:"In my role, I speak to clients about difficult subjec...
05/15/2026

A reflection from Anna Mackney, Regional Director UK at Play'n GO:

"In my role, I speak to clients about difficult subjects and lead a lot of meetings. English isn't my native language, and I've always felt that when you use filler words, people fixate on those instead of what you're saying. At Speakeasy, we worked on replacing those filler words with pauses, along with the posture, the eye contact, and the pace that goes with communicating well.

It felt uncomfortable at first, almost like a robot. But the more you do it, the easier it becomes, and you start to see the change in how people respond to you. I'd never been trained to speak before, and for me it was groundbreaking.

If you're considering it, take it seriously. The prep work and the work afterwards matter just as much as the three days. It's a real investment, but you get exactly what you pay for."

Thanks, Anna!

AI at work is creating questions many people are being left to answer on their own.Is using AI resourceful or is it chea...
05/13/2026

AI at work is creating questions many people are being left to answer on their own.

Is using AI resourceful or is it cheating? Who is responsible if the answer is wrong? If someone doesn’t use AI, are they falling behind?

Deloitte's 2026 research calls this cultural debt. It builds when organizations focus on AI adoption without enough attention to how the technology is changing trust, accountability and the way people work together.

The answer is not another vague message about innovation. Deloitte points to something more direct. People need open dialogue with leaders and clear, regular updates about how AI affects their work and their jobs.

That is a communication responsibility. Leaders do not have to have every answer, but they do have to create the conditions where people are not left to make those calls alone.

Read the full Deloitte 2026 Global Human Capital Trends report at https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/talent/human-capital-trends/2026/ai-cultural-debt.html

A new article from our faculty.Leaders are already using AI to communicate. The harder question is where it belongs.In t...
05/11/2026

A new article from our faculty.

Leaders are already using AI to communicate. The harder question is where it belongs.
In this piece, Daniel Frysh, Ed Domansky and Sandra Ashe each draw a different line. Daniel looks at creation and why leaders need to do their own thinking first. Ed focuses on the edit, the audience and the responsibility to check what AI gives you. Sandra looks at the organizational risk when there are no shared expectations for how AI should be used.

Their answers are different, but the principle underneath them is the same—AI can help a leader prepare, but it cannot take accountability for the message.

When the moment matters, the leader is still the person in the room.

Read the full piece https://www.speakeasyinc.com/where-ai-ends-leadership-begins/

We're grateful when leaders take the time to share their experience with Speakeasy. Here's what RJ Ulrich, Sr. Director ...
05/07/2026

We're grateful when leaders take the time to share their experience with Speakeasy. Here's what RJ Ulrich, Sr. Director of Talent Management at Primo Brands, had to say:

“Before recommending Speakeasy more broadly within my organization, I wanted to experience the program myself so I could confidently stand behind it. What stood out right away was how practical and personal it was. I came away with a much clearer understanding of how things like pacing, eye contact, hand gestures and body language affect whether people stay engaged with what you’re saying.

What made the biggest difference was the experiential format and Jorge’s coaching. He created an environment where people could let their guard down, get honest feedback and make meaningful changes quickly. I’ve used what I learned in presentations at work, in coaching conversations and even in personal situations outside of work.

From a talent management perspective, that’s what makes this so valuable. It’s not just about presentation skills. It helps leaders communicate in a way that is clearer, more engaging and more effective, and those small shifts can have a real impact across teams and organizations.”

Thank you, RJ!

05/05/2026

A recent Harvard Business School piece on AI trends raised a useful question for leaders: As AI becomes easier to access, what becomes more valuable?

The instinct when AI shows up in the workflow is to ask what it can take off your plate. But when everyone has access to the same tools, the real difference is in how people show up.

Sensing the room. Reading what someone isn’t saying. Knowing when a client needs a real answer, not a polished one. These are the parts of communication that don’t scale through software, and they become more valuable as more work becomes automated.

The leaders and professionals who stand out will be the ones whose people and clients still feel their judgment, presence and attention in the work.

In our programs, professionals practice the communication choices that help them show up clearly when the stakes are real.

Listening without judgment sounds simple.In practice, many leaders find it difficult. The instinct to evaluate or solve ...
04/30/2026

Listening without judgment sounds simple.

In practice, many leaders find it difficult. The instinct to evaluate or solve a problem often kicks in before the other person has finished speaking.

Speakeasy Senior Faculty Paula Hamilton explains four practices that help leaders listen differently. https://www.speakeasyinc.com/listening-without-judgment-leadership/

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3438 Peachtree Road NE Ste 1000
Atlanta, GA
30326

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Tuesday 8:30am - 5:30pm
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Thursday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm

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(404) 541-4800

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