Jane Praeger helps people discover their public voices and bring new ideas to the world. Whether it's presenting at a high-stakes Board of Directors meeting, being interviewed on national television, or preparing a keynote address, Praeger helps her clients feel confident, relaxed, and in control of their message. They know why they are there, what they want to accomplish, and how to best use their voices to inspire audiences.

"To forge a genuine connection with an audience, you need to find the place where the goals of the speaker and the deepest needs of the listeners intersect: that's when the real conversation begins," says Praeger.

Through her company, Ovid Inc., Praeger has helped clients --policy makers, CEOs, authors, politicians, philanthropists, academics and celebrities -- achieve comfort with and mastery of the spoken word. She is on the faculty of Columbia University, where she teaches in the graduate program in Strategic Communications. She brings a maverick approach and a deep knowledge of strategy, storytelling, and human behavior to her work.

"Most communications trainers tell clients how they should speak and act. But real change has to happen organically. Training has to respect the client's natural language, core values, and personal style. When the changes are generated by the speaker, they are profound and long-lasting."

Praeger named her company Ovid, after the Roman poet and storyteller, reflecting her belief that the words we use and the stories we tell are critical to successful communications.

The funny-looking Roman fellow you see throughout her website is Ovid, bringing age-old principles of effective communications to the modern world.