Communication coaching for engineers, from an engineer
Most communication coaches teach you to sound good. I teach you to be confident in tackling the conversations engineers actually have.
One-on-one coaching for engineers and technical managers. Board papers, client pitches, council committees, interviews and hard meetings. Online, on your real material.
Not sure yet? Book a free 15-minute fit callOrganisations I've worked with
Sound familiar?
An engineering project is one conversation after another.
The client. The council. The contractor. The regulator. Site. The board. Each one is a chance to be heard, or to be talked past. Do any of these sound like you?
"I had the right answer and still lost the meeting."
"My updates run long, and I can see people drift."
"I go quiet when the question I was dreading finally comes."
"I get talked over, and the loudest answer wins."
"Site doesn't buy what the office decided, and I'm the one who has to sell it."
"I'm the expert in the room, but someone else gets heard."
If one or two of those landed, keep reading.
The skill under every other skill
You can stack skills for a whole career. One decides how far they take you.
Software, standards, tickets, another qualification. They all matter, and engineers are brilliant at collecting them. But every one of them reaches other people through one skill: communication.
Leadership is built on it: setting direction and getting people to follow. Storytelling is built on it. It's the most important skill an engineer will ever have, and the one we're least trained in.
When Google studied what made its best managers, having key technical skills came last of eight behaviours. Coaching and communicating well both ranked above it. Read more
About your coach
I thought being technically right was enough. It wasn't.
I'm Frederick Fouad Alkhatib, a mechanical engineer. I've run complex projects end to end across mining, manufacturing, infrastructure, construction, water and wastewater, food and beverage and bulk handling, in Australia and Asia-Pacific. I was good at it. And it took me until my 30s to realise the real skill was communication and storytelling, and that I'd been playing catch-up.
So I went after it properly. Extras and acting gigs while working on projects in Asia. A shopping-centre sales job that nearly broke me on day one. Open mics, a voice coach, acting classes. Three Toastmasters clubs, and competition wins up to regional level.
Working as a consultant and advisor, I kept seeing the same thing: the hard problems were communication problems. I started helping. One day I asked someone, "Would you pay for this?" They said yes.
I've stood in front of council committees, principal contractors, regulators, sceptical site crews and boards. Each needs a different conversation, and I've had all of them.
Here's what I've learned. Your engineering brain is a real asset for the mechanics: structure, pace, preparation. The other half, range, doesn't follow a fixed path. It's the half actors train for. I coach both.
Mechanics without range sounds rehearsed. Range without mechanics sounds lost. You need both.
Why I do this
Because I learned it the long, expensive way, and I keep meeting engineers who are where I was. Plenty of people coach communication who have never run a project or stood in front of a sceptical site crew. I have.
I also know trust is earned, not claimed. The free tips and the weekly masterclass are there so you can judge for yourself before you spend a cent.
What clients say
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Work with me
Every price is here. All online, on Teams, in AUD. Employers can be invoiced directly.
One-on-one sessions
15-minute slot
Quick consult
$89 $29
Your first 2 sessions, then $89
Send your question ahead, get a straight answer. Limited slots.
30-minute slot · Start here
Coaching session
$145 $45
Your first 2 sessions, then $145
Coaching. We look at what you need at the time and work on it.
Book your first session60-minute slot
Extended session
$290 $89
Your first 2 sessions, then $290
A longer coaching session. We look at what you need at the time and work on it.
Sessions run a little short of the slot, like a doctor's appointment: about 10 minutes in a 15-minute slot, 25 in a 30, and 50 in a 60. Introductory prices apply to your first two sessions, at any slot length. A free 15-minute fit call is also available once, to check we're a match; it isn't coaching.
Group program
The more affordable way to be coached
If one-on-one coaching is more than you can spend right now, the group gets you live coaching for a fraction of the hourly cost: about $74 an hour in a class of 8 and $120 an hour in a class of 4, compared with $290 an hour one-on-one.
Plus feedback between sessions: after each live session you practise, send a 2-minute video and get personal feedback, so you go into the next session already improved.
Eight weeks, four 2-hour live sessions, every second week. Between sessions you send a 2-minute video and get recorded feedback. Every session is recorded for your class. Join the waiting list for upcoming dates; a class runs once it fills. If it doesn't, you choose a free one-hour one-on-one or a full refund.
Class of 8
$595
per person · about $74/hour
Class of 4
$960
per person · about $120/hour
Premium retainer
For senior leaders
One hour face to face each month, plus email and text access between sessions. Send me the board paper the night before. Replies within one business day. Places are limited, and we confirm fit before you start.
$1,295
per month, no lock-in
Full details of every option. Need this for a whole team? Workshops and team programs for organisations.
This is for you if
- You have a real conversation coming up and want to get it right.
- You'll practise between sessions, even for ten minutes.
- You want honest feedback, not compliments.
- You want to sound like yourself, only clearer and steadier.
It's probably not for you if
- You want a script to read word for word.
- You want to sound polished without changing how you work.
- You won't practise between sessions.
- You think the problem is information, not delivery.
That's fine. The free tips and masterclass are still yours.
Start for free
My best tips are here. No sign-up, no email. Give it 10 minutes and you'll hear the difference. Coaching is for when you want someone watching and correcting it live.
Free · Live online · Launching soon
Free weekly masterclass for engineers
One hour online, a new topic each week. I teach it, then coach a volunteer live so you can see it work. Join the list to hear when it starts.
Questions
Why short sessions?
Short, regular sessions fit around work and keep you practising between them. Longer slots are there when you want more time.
What happens in the first session?
We talk about what you need right now, then work on it. Every session is coaching on whatever matters to you at the time.
How long do sessions actually run?
Like a doctor's appointment, a little short of the slot: about 10 minutes in a 15-minute slot, 25 in a 30, and 50 in a 60. The rest is buffer so we never run late.
What's the difference between the fit call and a quick consult?
The fit call is free, once only, and just checks we're a match; it isn't coaching. A quick consult is paid coaching on a question you send ahead.
Where are sessions held?
Online on Microsoft Teams, for clients in Australia, Singapore, Indonesia and across Southeast Asia. Times suit our side of the world.
What should I bring?
Something real and coming up: slides, a speech, notes for a meeting, an interview. Have it open, use headphones, and have your camera on.
How do the introductory prices work?
Your first two sessions are at the introductory price, at any slot length. After that, the standard price applies. The fit call is free once. Prices are in Australian dollars.
Book a session
I take a small number of clients at a time. 2 places are open this month. If the calendar shows a time, it's yours.