about the guru

meet “the guru”

What’s often cited as the number one fear in the United States, even over death, is one of the things that I relish the most.

My name is Jill Schiefelbein, and I am passionate about public speaking.

After seven years of teaching public speaking and business communication to students at Arizona State University and Chandler-Gilbert Community College, and doing speech consulting for Phoenix-area executives, I thought it was time to take my lessons, and put them into practice outside of the traditional classroom.

From the time I did my first formal presentation (I was nine, it was at a 4-H club, and the topic was How to Draw a Mouse, which my mom will remind me about to this day) I knew that communication would be a passion in my life. Since then, I’ve spoken to groups of all ages, in audience sizes of one to 5,000. And I love every minute of it.

Impromptu Guru is my way of enabling and empowering others to become better speakers. Whether you are terrified of speaking in public, or you are an experienced speaker, we can all use tips, tricks, and practice. And I am here to help you in that endeavor.

it’s all about communication

Communication is everywhere!  But are you prepared to meet the challenges that communication brings?  I'm here to help!

Today's society presents numerous challenges to speakers, as many of us are being asked to take our time-tested public speaking skills and put them to use in a mediated environment.  But how do you navigate these boundaries?  If I'm a good public speaker, will I be a good mediated speaker?  Not without the proper training on how to approach the nuances that a mediated and often online environment bring to the table.  With years of experience in managing online communication, and specializing in online training and webinars, I can help you naviigate the differences between speaking in public and speaking online in a mediated environment...and help you gain confidence and dynamism in both!

My education background is based in communication and international business, with foci in computer-mediated communication, multimedia writing and technical communication, organizational communication, strategic communication and communication technology.

My work background reflects my education, with direct experience in managing and directing online education, teaching communication classes and authoring textbook materials, evaluating and analyzing courses and market research, designing and facilitating corporate communication training classes, and one-on-one speech consulting.

specialties

Speaking is my passion, and Impromptu Guru is my way of bringing my passion to light by helping others achieve their communication goals. 

Public speaking coaching, mediated speaking, online course design, technical training, communication training, webinar design, e-communication strategies, communication consulting...and more.