Offering one-on-one training and group workshops addressing performance anxiety, storytelling, communicating technical data for non-technical audiences, pitch coaching, and techniques for aligning your body and voice with your message. 

Clients represent a variety of fields: cybersecurity, hedge fund managers, HR, SaaS, research management, founders, higher ed. 

I source exercises from multiple disciplines such as applied improvisation, sports psychology, and even singing, to create high energy training events and one-on-one sessions.

Actors: for dialect work, meet me in my DMs.

Melissa Reed Voice and Speech

Plays, opera, independent film. Single sword. Full piano proficiency. Classically-trained mezzo-soprano wtih belt. Partner dance, jazz, tap. Devised theatre and facilitation skills. Dialects and vocal coach.

Artistic CV available on request.

Professional Actor and Singer

TL;DR: Simulation Training Design, Recruitment, Actor Whisperer

I designed and acted in business, legal, and forensic simulations for federal, state, and private sector clients in 19 US states. Through collaborating with professionals in HR, OD, L&D, as well as legal and forensic SMEs, I identified training targets and wrote in-depth localized characters to elicit target behaviors in trainees. Events ranged from short interviews to immersive training experiences. Role plays are "next level" with professional improvisational actors and impress your stakeholders.

Hiring professional actors is a minefield for trainers outside the entertainment industry. As an actor with agency representation, I was fully aquainted with casting norms and procedures. I recruited top-notch talent who supported my clients' goals and also reflected the diversity of the American public. I assessed actors' performances after communicating with trainers during our events and directed their performances based on training objectives. In the past, simulation clients struggled with maintaining program continuity due to actor attrition. I focused on employee retention and developed a large network of trained and diverse actors to support our work.

From conception to writing, hiring, and managing large scale training events, working as a simulation designer invited me to work in my interdisciplinary zone of genius through melding my qualitative research, performance, and training skills. Simulation topics included:

-- forensic interviewing: child physical & sexual abuse, elder abuse, trafficking, kidnapping
-- Higher Ed: Title IX compliance training
-- legal: depositions, witness questioning
-- medical: psychiatric interviews

L&D Consultant -- Simulation Specialist

Pacific Performance Project/east

Studio Member

The Warehouse Theatre

Teaching Artist in the Wooden O education program. Shakespeare residencies, movement/choreographic work, and humanities/arts integration.

Teaching Artist

Furman University

Movement Instructor at Furman Vocal Experience

South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities

Movement instructor for the Discovery and Academy Programs. Devised original work with 14-16 year olds.

Summer Drama Faculty

University of South Carolina

This upper-level movement class for theatre majors, Techniques in Physical Theatre, focused on various Asian and Western performance techniques. Course topics: developing a physical practice as an actor, working with the breath through text, the actor as generative artist (devised performance).

University Instructor

This course, Introduction to Acting, fulfilled a humanities requirement for all undergraduate majors and attracted predominantly first and second-year students. Drawing from my integrative background, I used the subject matter as a tool to develop what I view as core competencies for academic and professional success: the art of discourse, public speaking, and research and writing skills.

Teaching Assistant

Opera Carolina

Movement Instructor at Opera Carolina Academy, a training program for young classical singers.

Movement Instructor

Acted as a liaison between the Governor's School and stakeholders in the audition process (students, parents, teachers, and school administrators). Public speaking on behalf of the school throughout the state. 

Coordinated admissions and outreach events. Collaborated with parent and alum volunteers through out the state.

Collaboration with the Office of the Dean to manage and write SC State Department of Education grants. Grant-funded residency instructor: work with fifth through eighth graders on imagery in Shakespearean plays. Facilitated other adjunct faculty outreach events.

Humanities "Why Day" faculty facilitator, summer reading group leader. Audited drama auditions and provided support to drama department by coordinating drama outreach events.

Arts Outreach Faculty

Residency artist for a SC State Department of Education, sponsored by the SC Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities in Greenville, SC.

Residency Teaching Artist

𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒚.

When I was 7 years old, I won my elementary school talent contest. Impressive, right?

From that moment on, I became a performer. 

But acting and singing in front of others truly terrified me. 

"And when you started getting paid for acting, that feeling went away and you were never nervous again, right?"

No. I was still terrified. 

It wasn't until -- with the guidance of teachers and mentors -- I did deep work on myself that I learned how to effectively manage my nerves onstage and in other public speaking situations.

Now I help other people conquer their version of the demon. I work with founders and corporate clients on pitching and keynotes to help them achieve effortless, confident communication. I'm also available for film/TV dialect coaching.

If this sounds interesting, let's have a short chat. I can't wait to hear your voice.

WeChat ID: GreatPresentations

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