Michael Sheehan (speech coach)

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Michael Sheehan
Michael Sheehan.jpg
Sheehan in 2025
NationalityAmerican
Education
Occupations
  • Communications strategist
  • speech coach
Board member of

Michael Sheehan is an American communications strategist and speech coach. Since starting his own consultancy in 1981, Sheehan has worked with many notable Democratic politicians, including three presidents of the United States and Democratic National Convention speakers, as well as companies and executives. He has been on the board of directors of the American Institute for Stuttering as well as the advisory board of his alma mater, the Yale School of Drama.

Contents

Early life and education

Sheehan was raised in an Irish Catholic family in New York City. His father worked in sales for a moving company. [1]

From 1965 to 1969, Sheehan attended Xavier High School, where he was a captain of the debate team and played tennis. Sheehan was among the winners of New York state's speech and debate championships during his sophomore and junior years. He changed his focus to drama during his senior year. [2]

In 1969, Sheehan enrolled at Georgetown University, where drama remained his primary interest in part to help him overcome a childhood stutter. He graduated from the Walsh School of Foreign Service and was accepted to the Georgetown University Law Center in 1973. [2] [3] However, he declined to attend law school after he was also accepted to the Yale School of Drama the same year. Sheehan's fellow students included Meryl Streep and Sigourney Weaver. He received speech therapy for the first time for his stutter from the Yale Health Service [2] and received his Master of Fine Arts degree in 1976. [1] [4] [5]

Career

Sheehan is a communications strategist [6] and speech coach. [7] [8] He began his career in Washington, D.C., working as an associate producer at the Folger Theater Group, part of the Folger Shakespeare Library. Sheehan later produced plays with the Folger at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, including the musical Charlie and Algernon which he helped transfer to Broadway. [9] His proximity to Capitol Hill led him to begin coaching members of the U.S. Congress. Sheehan started his own consultancy in 1981. [1] [10] He has consulted for many notable Democratic politicians, including U.S. presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden, [11] vice president Al Gore, senators Hillary Clinton, Lloyd Bentsen, and John Kerry, [1] governor Ann Richards, and others such as John F. Kennedy Jr. [3] [6] [12] [13] Between 1988 and 2024, Sheehan has also coached every presidential and vice presidential debates series as well as prime time speakers for every Democratic National Convention. [1] [2] [13] Outside of politics, he has consulted for many notable companies and organizations, including the chief executive officers of many large corporations. [3] [12] [14] [15]

Personal life

Sheehan and his wife Riki have two sons. [5] [16] [17] He suffered from a stroke in August 2003 and received cognitive therapy before fully recovering and returning to work in January 2004. [1]

Sheehan's lifelong experience with stuttering led him to receive a leadership award from the American Institute for Stuttering. [18] He has served on the organization's board of directors. [2] Sheehan received an award from the Voice Foundation, which focuses on voice education, medicine, and science, in 2012. [19] He also serves on the advisory board of the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University. [20]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Reingold, Jennifer (November 14, 2006). "The Man Behind the Curtain". Fast Company . ISSN   1085-9241. Archived from the original on 2016-06-04.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Vega, Shawna Gallagher (Summer 2023). "The Guru". Xavier Magazine. Xavier High School – via Issuu.
  3. 1 2 3 McElwaine, Sandra (February 26, 2011). "King's Speech: Guru Michael Sheehan on Helping Presidents, CEOs, More". The Daily Beast .
  4. ↑ Jurgensen, John (May 22, 2023). "The Rules of Crying in Public: What 'Succession''s Roman Roy Should've Known". The Wall Street Journal . ISSN   0099-9660. OCLC   781541372.
  5. 1 2 "Around the World: Alumni Notes". Annual Magazine of Yale School of Drama 2010–2011. Yale School of Drama. Fall 2010. p. 54 – via Issuu.
  6. 1 2 Tani, Max; Bice, Allie; Thompson, Alex (June 1, 2022). "The guy quietly helping Biden's speeches". Politico . Axel Springer SE.
  7. ↑ Thomas, Ken. "How Is Biden Preparing for the State of the Union?". The Wall Street Journal.
  8. ↑ Bernstein, David (May 29, 2007). "The Speech". Chicago . Tribune Publishing. ISSN   0362-4595. OCLC   2398937.
  9. ↑ Charlie and Algernon:
  10. ↑ Clendinen, Dudley (October 13, 1984). "Televised Debates: Candidates Have Yet to master the Medium". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331. OCLC   1645522.
  11. ↑ Pager, Tyler (March 15, 2024). "Joe Biden's obsessive search for the right words". The Washington Post . ISSN   0190-8286. OCLC   2269358.
  12. 1 2 Krupa, Michelle (August 22, 2009). "State Sen. Ed Murray ramps up campaign for New Orleans mayor with image coach, TV ad". The Times-Picayune . ISSN   1055-3053. In addition to the past two Democratic presidents and their wives, those who have sought the company's counsel include Vice Presidents Joe Biden and Al Gore, former Texas Gov. Ann Richards and former Texas Sen. and vice presidential nominee Lloyd Bentsen. Sheehan's roster of corporate customers is a who's who of American big business: Microsoft, ESPN, Coca Cola, FedEx, NASCAR, Nike, and Procter & Gamble.
  13. 1 2 Heilemann, John (February 6, 2009). "Geithner's Guru". New York . Vox Media. ISSN   0028-7369.
  14. ↑ Schwartz, Brian (July 16, 2019). "Biden campaign pays former Clinton and Obama speech coach the day after rough debate performance". CNBC.
  15. ↑ Hendrickson, John (January–February 2020). "What Joe Biden Can't Bring Himself to Say". The Atlantic . Emerson Collective. ISSN   2151-9463. OCLC   936540106.
  16. ↑ Rose, Lacey; Ford, Rebecca, eds. (November 7, 2018). "Next Gen 2018: Hollywood's Rising Executives 35 and Under". The Hollywood Reporter . Eldridge Industries. ISSN   0018-3660. OCLC   44653726.
  17. ↑ Palmer, Joanne (May 5, 2021). "The Constitution says what?". Jewish Standard . ISSN   0021-6747.
  18. ↑ Page, Clarence (June 12, 2010). "Stuttering, when the words just cannot get out". Pocono Record . Gannett.
  19. ↑ Dillon, HughE (June 8, 2012). "Voice Foundation's Voices Gala". Philadelphia . Metrocorp Publishing. ISSN   0031-7233.
  20. ↑ "Who We Are". David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University.
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