Speaker

Research has shown than people are more afraid of public speaking than they are of dying. Which basically means that at a funeral, people would rather be in the coffin than giving the eulogy!

I, on the other hand, am dying for opportunities to speak to you on anything from the Art of Conversation to getting enough ZZZZZZZ’s.

I'd like to inspire you to develop your YOU-Q and find your Inner Winner!

My Style & Approach

I believe there are four things which make me unique and different from other speakers. These are:

My particular combination of academic & professional qualifications
My message
My authenticity
The way I present my talks

1My Particular Combination of Academic & Professional Qualifications

Teacher
Psychologist
Executive and Life Coach

There are very few speakers who have my combination of academic and professional qualifications. What I have to say comes from a combination of academic research and theory, as well as my life’s experiences. I also belong to two international speakers’ organisations, which ensures that I stay up to date with professional speaking styles and trends, and enables me to continually hone my skills as a speaker. These qualifications and memberships give me a solid foundation as a speaker - I am knowledgeable on, and thoroughly research, my topics. And I do know what I am talking about!

See my CV in the tab above to read more about my qualifications.

2My Message

“You already have everything you need to live a Be-YOU-tiful life. Just believe it, and go for it!”

My message is unique because it is about YOU-Q - a unique term that I developed, and which refers to our own unique intelligence, creativity and wisdom. It encompasses our belief in our own worth, being uniquely you, and the way we interact with others.

I inspire people to find the courage they need to hone their creativity, improve their personal skills, and grab the opportunities that come their way. In other words I inspire and help people to rediscover their YOU-Q.

3Claire – A Unique Person

I am an ardent believer in following my own unique path - and unique it has indeed been. I have embraced opportunities that have come my way and as a result have travelled widely and enjoyed a variety of extremely diverse experiences.
To read more about this, visit the section About Me.
I live my dreams and walk my talk. I already do what I encourage others to do - and I inspire my audiences to do the same, that is to Be-YOU-nique!

4The way I Present my Talks

My approach is always professional, but at the same time is light, engaging and warm. I have the capacity to take complex issues and subject matter, and present it in a way that is easy to understand and accessible to all. My talks are always easy to follow, and jargon and terminology – if used at all – are well explained. Nothing is lost in translation!

I engage with the individuals who come to listen to my presentations – they are not just ‘an audience’. I am humble and deeply respectful towards each person present. I am a passionate student of life, and my clients and audiences teach and inspire me, just as I teach and inspire them.

When presenting to small groups I prefer an interactive approach – engaging with those present and dealing with questions as they arise. With large groups, I adapt my style and approach as required.

Apart from my metaphorical hats (psychologist, speaker, trainer, coach) I have a huge collection of actual hats. I add a fun dimension to my presentations by changing my hats throughout. Audiences love it!

By now you will have realised how I stand out from the crowd, so if you want me to do a talk for your group, organisation or company, speak to me so I can speak to you!

Awards

Toastmasters International

Since joining Toastmasters International in 2010, I have won over 40 awards in various categories. My membership of Toastmasters, and participation in speaking competitions, ensures that I stay up to date with professional speaking styles and trends, and enables me to continually hone my skills as a speaker.

2017

17 January - Winner of the Annual Evaluation Competition - Highway Toastmasters Club

2016

23 February - Winner of the Annual Evaluation Competition - Highway Toastmasters Club
19 March - Area P2 Annual Evaluation Competition - Second Place
9 August - Winner of the Annual Impromptu Speech (Table Topics) Competition - Highway Toastmasters Club

2015

10 March - Winner of the Annual Evaluation Competition - Highway Toastmasters Club
11 March - Annual Evaluation Competition - Durban Toastmasters Club - Second Place
31 March - Best Prepared Speech of the Evening - Highway Toastmasters Club
31 March - Best Evaluation of the Evening - Highway Toastmasters Club
1 April - Competent Communicator - Toastmasters International
11 April - Winner of the Annual Evaluation Competition - Area Competition
11 August - Winner of the Annual Impromptu Speech (Table Topics) Competition - Highway Toastmasters Club
27 August - Area P2 Impromptu Speech (Table Topics) Contest - First Place
12 September - Division P Impromptu Speech (Table Topics) Contest - First Place (Division Champion)

2014

12 March - Winner of the Annual Evaluation Competition - Durban Toastmasters Club
27 May - Best Impromptu of the Evening - Highway Toastmasters Club
27 May - Best Evaluation of the Evening - Highway Toastmasters Club
8 July - Best Impromptu of the Evening - Highway Toastmasters Club
8 July - Best Evaluation of the Evening - Highway Toastmasters Club
9 July - Best Evaluation of the Evening - Durban Toastmasters Club
11 November - Best Impromptu of the Evening - Highway Toastmasters Club
11 November - Best Evaluation of the Evening - Highway Toastmasters Club
12 November - Best Impromptu of the Evening - Durban Toastmasters Club
12 November - Best Evaluation of the Evening - Durban Toastmasters Club

2013

9 January - Best Impromptu of the Evening
9 January - Best Evaluation of the Evening
8 May - Best Impromptu of the Evening
12 June - Best Impromptu of the Evening (Tie)
12 June - Best Evaluation of the Evening
10 July - Best Evaluation of the Evening
11 September - Best Prepared Speech of the evening
11 September - Best Evaluation of the evening
14 September - Area P1 Impromptu (Table Topics) Contest - First Place
28 September 2013 - Division P Impromptu (Table Topics) Contest - Third Place
9 October 2013 - Best Evaluation of the evening

2012

18 January - Best Impromptu of the Evening
15 March - Best Evaluation of the Evening
15 March - Best Impromptu of the Evening
31 March - Area F1 Impromptu Contest - Second Place
31 March - Area F1 Evaluation Contest - Third Place
31 March - Division F Impromptu Contest - Second Place
9 May - Best Evaluation of the Evening
9 May - Best Impromptu of the Evening
8 August - Best Evaluation of the Evening
12 September - Winner of the Annual Impromptu Speaking (Table Topics) Competition - Durban Toastmasters Club
15 September - Area F1 Impromptu (Table Topics) Contest - Second Place
15 September - Division F Impromptu (Table Topics) Contest - Third Place
10 October - Best Impromptu of the evening - a shared award
14 November - Third Speaker on Winning Debate Team

2011

12 January - Best Evaluation of the Evening
9 March - Best Evaluation of the Evening
2 April - Area F1 Impromptu Contest - Second Place
2 April - Area F1 Evaluation Contest - Second Place
2 April - Division F Impromptu Contest - Second Place
2 April - Division F Evaluation Contest - First Place
13 April - Best Evaluation of the Evening
13 April - Best Impromptu of the Evening
15 April - Participated in Division 74 Impromptu Competition
15 April - Participated in Division 74 Evaluation Competition
11 May - Best Evaluation of the Evening
13 July - Winner of the Annual Evaluation Competition - Durban Toastmasters Club
13 July - Winner of the Annual Impromptu Speaking Competition - Durban Toastmasters Club

2010

14 April - Best Impromptu of the Evening
11 August - Best Prepared Speech of the Evening
10 November - Best Evaluation of the Evening
10 November - Best Impromptu of the Evening

Second Place

CV, Bio, Images

This is the serious stuff! To view or download my full CV and biography, please click on the relevant link below.

(Tip: Left click to view, right click to save)

CV: view/download

Biography: view/download

Hi-res images

You can download these images for printing purposes (5 - 12MB per image).

List of Topics

Click on a talk title below to find out more about that talk.

View summary of talks

Testimonials

Here are a few testimonials about me as a speaker. There are many more comments below.

WOW! What a privilege and pleasure it was to have Claire as a guest speaker at our COMENSA KZN Chapter event on 20 April 2018!
From the moment I made contact with Claire to enquire about her availability to speak at our event, I knew I was communicating with a true professional.
The questions she asked to gain clarity on the event and the audience gave me a sense of confidence as to what I could anticipate in the delivery of her speech.
Claire’s professionalism was of a high standard throughout. She followed up prior to the event to confirm arrangements, and arrived at the venue early and well prepared.
The speech Claire delivered was of the highest standard. She kept the audience engaged with her use of different hats as she covered key points relating to the topic.
Her changes in tone and tempo as she spoke added richness to the well-researched content which she delivered.
Claire answered all questions from the floor comprehensively, demonstrating her deep understanding of the topic.
The amount of discussion on the topic after Claire’s speech made it very clear to me that she had left a lasting impression on the audience.
I highly recommend Claire as a Keynote Speaker!
Peter Grant - Chairperson: KZN Chapter of COMENSA

"On behalf of the Community Chest, I would like to thank you for your valuable support of our recent high tea fundraising event.
We are indeed privileged that you shared your time and expertise with us. Our guests certainly enjoyed and also benefitted from the talk that you shared with us. Your delivery style is highly commendable as you were able to hold the attention of our guests right to the end of your talk. You were certainly the highlight of the event and I am sure that you have left a lasting impression to many!
Once again, thank you. Your commitment to caring for our community is certainly treasured."
Fadeela Deedat - Community Chest - Public Relations

“In my 7 years of youth ministry, I have never seen anyone capture a teenage audience as well as Claire did when she came to talk to our youth about suicide and depression.
Teenagers can be the most daunting people to speak to, especially when the ages range from 13 to 17 and include boys and girls. From the moment Claire started speaking to the moment she finished, the room was silent and all eyes were on her. Apart from Claire’s obvious expertise on the topic and her excellent public speaking skills, I think it is Claire’s passion for what she does that makes her such a powerful instrument of change. Our teens didn’t only end up believing what Claire was saying, but they believed in her. Comments after the talk included the following: “I felt like she was speaking directly to me” (four different people told me this) “She made me believe God has a plan for my life, just by who she is”, “I love her dress sense – that hat is so cool!” One girl came to me the following week to thank me personally for inviting Claire – she said that Claire’s talk had helped her to seek professional psychological help.
Claire’s 15 minute talk was serious enough to effect change in the attitudes of the listeners; light and humorous enough to elicit a relaxed concentration from the audience; sensitive enough to touch all the teens and even included a powerful personal testimony to bring the message home.
All this, coupled with Claire’s cool professionalism and easy-going nature made the whole night a wonderful success. Claire even went the extra mile by staying on, long after her presentation, in order to chat to any and everyone who needed it.”
Sean Lategan - Musician /Youth Minister – St. Dominic’s Catholic Church

"Claire has been an absolute pleasure to work with. I invited Claire as a guest speaker at the Women's Day tea-party at the Hare Krishna Temple. Her topic was Body Language for Confidence; such an apt topic as she displayed perfect confidence and skill in her 40 minute interactive presentation.
Claire is efficient, professional and carries out her tasks with impeccable character. Due to her dynamic style of presentation, she had over 400 ladies listen attentively to her every word and action.
As promised a talk that will get the ladies talking, and Claire indeed delivered on her promise!"
Krsangi Radhe dasi – Organiser, Women's Day Tea Party with Krishna

"Thank you for being supremely professional, yet warm and informative - a rare combination indeed in speakers."
Patricia MacCracken - Writer - Editor - Photographer / President Safrea (Southern African Freelancers Association)

"I recently had a corporate function for all my Nurse and Technologist customers where I asked Claire Newton to present her motivational talk on “YOU-Q: Finding Your Inner Winner”.
Claire met with me beforehand to discuss the audience so that she could customise the presentation and make it applicable to them.
The evening was a great success with about a 90% turnout. Claire really presented well and kept the audience entertained and engrossed for over an hour! Her presentation skills are excellent making the talk very enjoyable and touching.
The content of her presentation was extremely relevant and well structured. The audience was quite diverse with regards to age and background, but responded so well during the presentation and had a lot of questions and discussions afterwards."
Renate Friebus - Medical Rep. Batswadi Pharmaceuticals

"On behalf of the members of the Rotary Club of Isipingo-Morningside, I wish to, rather belatedly, record my sincere thanks and appreciation to you for taking the time to address our Club members on 31 January 2017. Your talk was interesting, engaging and informative, and was well-received by all the members.
We also wish to thank you placing us on your mailing list so that we can access your articles posted online."
Dr Sydney Chetty - President: Rotary Club of Isipingo-Morningside