• First UAE online public speaking course to accept Bitcoin
  • Two female co-founders with journalism & PR backgrounds break down their executive training methods in the joint venture: “The Speakeasy Club” 
  • “Public Speaking Masterclass”, available here: https://bit.ly/3ClPUS2
  • #1 fear and skills gap amongst most professionals is public speaking (70% of vote responses). 

Dubai, UAE, 6th of June 2022 marks the official launch of The Speakeasy Club’s first online course, the “Public Speaking Masterclass” and with it the first-ever Bitcoin-accepting public speaking eCourse in the UAE (see launch video here). 

The inspiration for co-founders Kat & Rachel’s new eCourse came from the anxiety and lack of confidence amongst MENA professionals they worked with who reached out for help with their public speaking skills.

 The lack of effective tools to help develop their public-speaking skills left many professionals feeling embarrassed and suffering from stage-fright, leaving a sub-optimal impression amongst their peers and stakeholders. 

In 2022, Kat & Rachel developed the “Public Speaking Masterclass” to help professionals and leaders become confident public speakers in order to unlock their next career step. 

The inspiring UAE startup scene and a strong network of Dubai-based media production talent allowed the team to fast-track their launch to Q2 2022.

The course consists of 8 Modules: 

  • How to recognize and create speaking opportunities
  • The Content - Choosing a Topic 
  • The Content - Structure
  • The Content - Language 
  • The Preparation (What to Wear, Vocal Exercises,...)
  • The Practice
  • The Performance (Body Language, Gestures, Confidence…)
  • The Q&A

With a background in both Tech and Finance, the co-founders decided to facilitate payment for the eCourse via Bitcoin, the first online training of its kind accepting cryptocurrency in the Middle East. 

“We are big believers in the power of technology to improve people’s lives. It made sense to have an online course accepting payment using Bitcoin”. 

Rachel Pether, SkyBridge Capital Advisor & The Speakeasy Club co-founder 

Public speaking is an essential skill for all professionals, particularly amongst leaders in an organisation. The global pandemic has challenged individuals in new ways with a wider set of skills required to present comfortably in both the offline and online world. 

Throughout my career, training executives, I kept running into the same problem: Highly qualified (oftentimes female) talent that cannot grow in their career due to the lack of communication skills. They have the skills, they have the ideas - but they lack the confidence to present them successfully.”, says Kat Hicker, MD of Castleforbes Communications & The Speakeasy Club co-founder. 

“This is why we’ve created a concise eCourse solution to support the busy professional. The methodologies we use in the online training have been tested and developed over the past 10 years.”, Hicker continues.