Jon Torrens

Jon’s worked as a designer at games companies including Sony and Electronic Arts, and as a professional stand-up comic for a few years, so he knows how to engage and motivate. Occasionally he can be funny too.

Now, as a coach and speaker, Jon teaches effective communication, using his personal skills to both show and tell. He has delivered communication skills training for Cambridge University and for a variety of tech companies and software developers.

A unique combination of insights from the worlds of computer game design and stand-up comedy enables even the most introverted of his clients to deliver presentations that enhance their professional persona and both delight and motivate their audiences. 

Testimonials

‘During preparation for the workshop, Jon was insightful, enthusiastic and professional and we knew we’d got the right person to help prepare our people. The attendees of the workshop itself had nothing but praise for Jon’s work and the increase in their confidence was evident.’

Chris Smith – Head of Product Delivery at Redgate Software

‘Jon has delivered a number of sessions to members of staff at Creative Assembly and the feedback has been fantastic. He has a very relaxed style, which makes the most nervous of presenters feel more comfortable and ready to give it a go. What is also great for us is that Jon has some background in games dev, so he gets CA. Having initially engaged with Jon to deliver a couple of sessions he is now our go-to trainer for presentation skills. I would highly recommend him!’

Isabelle Labonte – Learning and Development Partner, Creative Assembly

‘I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with Jon – he’s a marvellous mix of professional advice, practical tips and amusing stories. Lots of usable insight in highly entertaining form!’

Rebecca Trigg – Consultant at Acteon Communication and Learning

‘I have done a few sessions with Jon aiming to help with my communications skills, public speaking and in general “making myself being heard”. The coaching was definitely very beneficial, but also fun and a right balance between “light and serious”. Jon is extremely engaging, motivating, experienced and also gave plenty of suggestions of reading and listening materials that will help me with my further development in the area. Thank you, Jon!’

Magda Haver – Community Events Co-ordinator at GEANT

‘Jon was incredibly helpful in the preparation of my TEDx talk. His direct and hands-on approach to the workshop sessions quickly propels you to jump out of your comfort zone which in turn actually made me more comfortable and confident being in front of a crowd. Each session was tailored according to the personal development of the talk, enabling an organic growth to progress of the talk.’

Jonathan Irawan – Computational Designer at HASSELL

‘Jon has run a number of Presenting Skills workshops for us in the past few months and the feedback has always been great. Jon is a skilled coach who has helped us build both ability and confidence in people who need to be adept at presenting. I would highly recommend him.’

Martin Warner – Head of Talent Acquisition at Smart Pension

‘I’ve presented before, but feeling pretty rusty after a three-year gap I approached Jon to help me prepare for a conference talk this year. Jon was:

• Clear in his feedback and explanations of structures to really engage my audience
• Flexible, adapting quickly to my style which meant that although he helped me to improve significantly, the talk still remained authentically “me”
• Encouraging, giving me the confidence to get “back on the horse”. Recommended without hesitation, and I would happily work with Jon again in the future.’

Gareth Marlow – CEO and Leadership Team Coach

‘I have enjoyed the pleasure of learning from Jon with his fantastic training as part of my role and our Intern programme where we invite Jon to provide communications training to 50 students in our Faculty each year. And what valuable, fun and exciting training it is! Jon has such a natural way of engaging his audience and inspiring confidence in each person to get involved and learn how to communicate and present effectively. Such great training, and fun each time we welcome Jon to ARU – Thank you Jon!’

Nicola Faulkner – Student Business Adviser, Anglia Ruskin University

‘Jon Torrens delivered a fantastic training session on Public Speaking and Presenting to a group of Cambridge University students as part of our Social Innovation Programme. His mix of practical advice and more theoretical points about shaping a narrative were very well received, as was his warm rapport with the students. The confidence of the groups in presenting markedly increased after Jon’s training; it was a pleasure to work with him and I hope we will collaborate many more times in future.’

Michael Crowder – Consultant at ERS Ltd