Janie Van Hool

Janie van Hool is a communication expert specialising in leadership development and executive coaching. A RADA trained actress with an MA in Voice Studies and MSc in Performance Psychology, Janie teaches the art of communication, presence, and impact to professionals in a wide range of organisations. Janie has worked as a workshop facilitator and 1:1 coach for more than 20 years, enhancing the communication skills of senior leaders. Her many high-profile clients include the House of Lords, Dyson, Deloitte, McDonalds, Sainsbury’s, Charlotte Tilbury, and Travis Perkins. Using her tried and tested practical tools and techniques, Janie supports business leaders to connect with, inspire and motivate their people. She also has extensive experience in developing and delivering high potential leadership programs for graduates – and teaches at some of the world’s top business schools including the Ashridge Hult flagship senior executive leadership program.

Janie teaches in one-to-one conversations and interactive group sessions involving challenging and constructive feedback, practical ideas, tools and encouragement creating impactful change and shaping inclusive, listening organisational cultures. She delivers coaching for specific communication situations, such as high-profile public speaking, media training, strategy message design and delivery; plus C-suite level interview preparation and presenting at board level. Janie also offers interventions where a specific gap in leadership skill is missing, such as empathy, presentation style, influencing, and listening.

Janie is author of The Listening Shift: Transform your organization by listening to your people and helping your people listen to you (Practical Inspiration, 2020). The book explores the power of listening, which often flies under the radar when it comes to communication in business. It is the ultimate guide to learning how to cut through the noise and listen expertly, offering a constructive toolkit for raising the game in communication with strategies, tools, and techniques to implement with confidence.

In a world of remote working, where we need to acknowledge different and minority voices, and where leaders are juggling uncertainty, communicating in a way that supports listening is more important than ever.

In her spare time, Janie volunteers as a listener for Samaritans UK. She lives in Bristol with her partner and dog and spends as much time as possible at the wheel of her campervan.