Individual German coaching for C1–C2 speakers
You already use German to explain complex ideas. But when you need to respond in a negotiation, speak to camera or guide an audience through a presentation, the wording still takes too much attention. You build the sentence before you say it, too many syllables carry equal weight, and the melody does not lead the listener through the argument as clearly as it should.
What the listener follows
In a specialist discussion, listeners do not process every case ending before they form an impression. They follow stressed syllables, pauses and the movement of the sentence. If nearly every word is equally prominent, written endings remain too full or words fail to connect, the listener has to reconstruct the information structure. This is often where the gap appears between your actual expertise and the level of maturity conveyed by your spoken German.
The starting point
Executive coaching begins once German is already a working language and your speech has a defined professional job to do. We therefore look beyond the wish to ‘improve pronunciation’. The relevant question is where your German needs to carry responsibility.
Leadership and negotiation
A board meeting, negotiation or difficult staff conversation leaves little time to construct the next German sentence in advance. We work on the chunks, stress patterns and transitions you repeatedly need in those situations.
Research and teaching
Professors and researchers present projects, teach at universities and defend a position in discussion. Their work may centre on specialist terminology, but the listener still relies on sentence structure, rhythm and the clear placement of the main information.
Media and public speaking
Interviews, television reports, keynote speeches and public appearances expose patterns that may go unnoticed in a routine conversation. We identify what currently weakens the message or makes the delivery sound more laboured than the content requires.
Funded professional development
For senior roles, academic appointments and funded research projects, the benefit extends beyond the individual participant. Following the diagnostic consultation, we can describe the recommended coaching scope in a written proposal.
How we assess fit
The enquiry form gives us the professional context: your role, the situations that matter, the outcome you need, the time you can invest and the likely budget. If the starting point appears suitable, the next step is a free initial diagnostic consultation with the coach.
Describe the role German plays in your work and the moments in which your spoken delivery has a real consequence, such as a media interview, a lecture, an investor conversation or the daily management of a team.
The coach hears you speak and makes an initial diagnosis. You discuss the patterns that matter for your professional objective, and the coach estimates how long it is likely to take to reach it.
After the consultation, you receive a concrete proposal setting out the recommended timeframe, the scope of the one-to-one work and the investment.
The diagnostic work
An initial diagnosis is not a catalogue of every deviation from a native model. We first listen to the effect of a longer stretch of speech. Where does the sentence lose direction? Which pattern consumes unnecessary effort? What returns as soon as you have to think and speak at the same time? That determines the order of work.
We examine rhythm, stress, intonation, reductions, connections between words, articulatory setting and individual sounds. A small number of patterns with real consequences gives us a useful starting point for the next phase.
You learn to hear the difference, practise short groups of words and carry the new pattern into complete sentences through shadowing. The shadowing tool provides a concrete example if the method is unfamiliar.
We use the phrases, specialist terms and recurring speaking tasks from your professional life. Each practice sentence has a later function: it needs to remain available when there is no time to search for the wording.
You record yourself, compare your version with the model and receive precise feedback. You then repeat the same focus until it begins to remain stable in free speech as well.
The coaching programme
The coaching includes a separate onboarding process, access to the online academy, individual one-to-one work and practice material drawn from your professional situations. Sessions provide diagnosis, correction and the next priority. Between them, you need to listen, repeat and record yourself often enough for the adjustment to become available without constant conscious control.
Scope and funding
Individual coaching starts at €3,000. The precise scope depends on your starting point, professional objective and the intensity of support required. Employer, university or research funding can be noted in the enquiry form.
Between sessions
Several short periods of practice each week are more useful than one long session immediately before the next appointment. You need to be willing to record the same patterns repeatedly and apply the corrections you receive.
Academic and methodological responsibility
The work combines phonetic analysis, speech science and adult second-language acquisition. Who contributes to a particular coaching programme depends on the scope agreed in the written proposal.
Founder and methodological director
Benjamin develops the training system, studies spoken German as it is actually used and turns phonetic observations into practical work for advanced learners.
Speech scientist and Germanist (Diploma and MA)
Since 2005, Ines has taught corrective phonetics, phonetics methodology, rhetoric and speech training at universities and professional development centres.
Linguist and specialist in foreign-language education
Alfred brings many years of university teaching and research to an input-led, learning-process perspective on adult second-language acquisition.
How we judge the result
The relevant question is whether listeners can follow you easily, whether the sentence melody carries the information and whether your German conveys your actual professional maturity more accurately. A promise that you will sound indistinguishable from a native speaker would be dishonest. If that is the outcome you are seeking, this coaching is not the right format.
Frequently asked questions
Executive coaching requires a defined professional objective and recurring situations in which we can test the work. If you want a systematic foundation in German pronunciation, the online academy is usually the more appropriate place to begin.
The coaching is designed for C1–C2 speakers who already use German regularly in demanding professional situations. If basic grammar, general vocabulary or conversation practice is still the main issue, this format is premature.
Individual coaching starts at €3,000. The final price depends on the objective, the period of work and the intensity of support required. If the format is suitable, the written proposal sets out the scope and investment in full.
Yes. Companies, universities and research funders may cover individual professional development. You can state the expected source of funding in the enquiry form; the proposed scope is then documented in writing after the diagnostic consultation.
The coach hears you speak and makes an initial diagnosis of the patterns affecting your delivery. You clarify the professional situation, identify the areas most relevant to it and discuss a realistic period of work. A concrete written proposal follows the consultation.
That depends on the patterns involved, the frequency of practice and the situations in which you use German. An adjustment may become audible early on. It takes regular repetition over a longer period before it remains stable in spontaneous speech.
Yes, when these situations form a recurring part of your professional role. We can then work with your material on pausing, stress, intonation, speech flow and the phrases you need to retrieve under pressure.
Yes. The enquiry form, diagnostic consultation and coaching are in German. You therefore need a stable C1–C2 level before applying.
The next step
The enquiry form asks about your role, the situations that matter, your objective, the time you can devote to practice and the likely budget. If the starting point is suitable, we invite you to a free initial diagnostic consultation. The written proposal follows afterwards.