About Us

Who we are?

We are a team of executive coaches and trainers committed to helping clients elevate their impact and increase their influence through better communication skills. We have worked with professionals from all over the world seeking to become crisp, confident, and credible communicators. Our team members are seasoned public speakers and trainers who come from a wide variety of backgrounds including business, communication, education, human resources, speech pathology, and theatre.  Our firm is led by:


Stephanie Bickel, Director

University of Notre Dame, BBA Marketing
Roosevelt University, MFA Acting

Stephanie founded Speak by Design in 2000. She is a former faculty member and curriculum designer for Roosevelt University’s Business Communication and Public Speaking courses. She has also been a faculty member of Wright College and the Hinsdale Center for the Arts. She was hired by a large international consulting firm to prepare enterprise-wide communications and training 2002-2005. She spent most of 2006 living in Amsterdam and supporting a senior executive by leading multiple global communications and training initiatives. She has been featured twice in the Chicago Tribune, and her articles have appeared in many publications. She is responsible for customer relations, curriculum design, and recruiting coaches. She is an active member of the Chicago Voice Foundation, the Voice and Speech Trainers Association, and the American Society of Training Development.



Speak by Design coaches are training experts in their fields of expertise. Our coaches…

  • Have over 10 years of teaching or training experience at the university level or in a corporate environment
  • Have advanced degrees and certifications in coaching assessment tools
  • Are dynamic facilitators who have trained corporate groups across a wide variety of industries and levels
  • Are culturally sensitive and adept at bridging cultural divides
  • Are expert learning designers who tailor our material to the client’s needs utilizing a variety of instructional approaches
  • Are creative, supportive, and passionate about their work