Skip to content

About Me

I help tech professionals to improve their communication skills, increase their confidence - and above all, deliver a meaningful message in public.

I'm also the Speaker Coach in several Tech conferences in Zurich such as Front Conference and World Usability Day
Public Speaking Communication

Life as a world citizen

Home is a place where you feel comfortable enough to be yourself. It is a place where you can let go of all of your fears, feel safe, and feel welcomed. Home is where we have a family, people who care about us, and a place where we belong.

However, when you decide to live as an expat and travel to another country to start a new life, it is very easy to miss the feeling of being “home”.

This is because you’re in a new place, a new culture and have a new language and set of rules to learn and live by. Being in an unfamiliar place brings up a lot of different emotions, feelings and challenges.

You may not yet understand or really resonate with aspects of the new culture.

You might have a hard time getting around and doing simple tasks because everything is in a foreign language.

You might have a hard time adapting to the new corporate culture as things are done differently than back home.

Starting a social life of having a circle of trusted friends in a new place also presents its challenges.

All this can be overwhelming, draining, confusing and very challenging if you do not have the right mindset and integration skills that empower you to overcome these challenges.

I feel you as I have been there so many times.

My view of “home”

The idea of, or feeling of being “home” is not just a house where you keep your things and sleep in at night. As a world citizen, a mum and a communication lover, I like to relate the idea of being able to feel at home to 3 main components.

1. SPACE

The physical place you live. Having a safe space to come “home” to is key to feeling comfortable, letting your guard down and being able to be yourself.

2. LANGUAGE

The language you are speaking and communicating in.

You will be able to feel more at “home” when you are understood when you don’t have to explain yourself in ways to get people to understand nuances of humour and when you can freely express yourself in a way that allows you to fully connect with the people around you.

3. TRIBE

A sense of belonging.

You get this feeling from the people you have bonded with, who know you, trust you and have interests as you do. When you have found people to bond with for any number of reasons, you feel like you have a place among them to belong.

When all three of these elements are present in your life and in alignment with one another, you can feel like you are at home.

What is the glue that can bind all of these things together and serve as the foundation of having the feeling of being “home” in your life?

It is your communication skills

Communication skills are essentially people skills so being able to communicate is key to being understood, being accepted, being respected and finding your place among the people you are interacting with.

I believe that communication is the key driver in all businesses, relationships, families and in any and all of our human endeavours where we have to interact with other people.

Therefore, when you are able to improve your communication skills, what you are essentially doing is improving your people skills. Improving your people skills brings your better friendships, personal relationships, business relationships and overall success in your career and personal life.

My mission is to help you feel like you are at “home” no matter where you are in the world by training you to communicate effectively.

Why work with me?

I’m fluent in Spanish, English and Finnish – to support you in the language you’re most comfortable in. I’m currently learning German and I studied French, Catalan and Swedish back in the day.

I have over 15 years of experience coaching professionals on improving their communication skills in project management and business operations. I am also the creator of the online course to help you become an irresistible speaker.

Communication is an essential part of any project, business venture or operation so I help managers, founders and those in leadership positions hone their communication skills to:

Anne Pirkkanen Public Speaking & Communication Trainer
“I have spent most of my life abroad away from my dear home country Finland, so I have mastered the art of adapting to other cultures, environments and corporate work cultures through FEARLESS communication skills and never ending curiosity to learn”

At heart I’m a country girl and feel very connected in nature. So when I’m not coaching, you’ll find me adventuring in the mountains hiking or rock climbing. I seek out silence in new places and let my mind wander off – it’s a great way to balance the demands of city life. And I often end a day out at the cliff edge watching the breathtaking views or enjoying the local culinary experiences in the rural towns.

I live with my husband and daughter in Switzerland so often at the weekends we escape to some nearby town and go explore some new hiking routes, skiing or even hiking in the snow.

To contrast this adventure in the mountains, yoga and meditation are also a big part of my life. In the last ten years, I’ve been practising yoga and attending silent meditation retreats in different places in the world. I ‘m also on my personal journey of becoming a better version of myself and I feel truly grateful that I am able to combine my passion and my purpose on the same path.

So in a nutshell, I’m passionate about finding the harmony between our mental and physical well-being, and the impactthat it has on our daily lives.

So for you, what is the next decision you need to take to be a step closer to becoming Version 2 of you?

Anne is a driven, precise and amazingly well trained communication coach. I remember meeting with her for a session and she was able to provide adequate and quick tools that improved my message and self confidence right away.
Daniel Juárez
Founder and Co-CEO of Interfell Public Speaking Coaching, Barcelona
Subscribe to my Newsletter
Zurich | Barcelona | Helsinki
EN | ES | FI