James Westphal

Communication, Presence & Performance Coach | Actor

James Westphal is a communication, presence and performance coach based in London. He works with executives, partners and senior professionals across law, financial services, technology and the creative industries.

Through his company, James Westphal Creative Development, he has coached senior figures at Linklaters, Toyota, Tesco, Capital.com and Media Arts Lab (Apple's dedicated marketing agency), alongside the global development company DAI Global. His work covers high-stakes presentations, investor pitches, oral advocacy and the pressure of speaking in front of people whose judgement carries weight.

He holds a Master's degree in Psychological Sciences, which underpins his approach to cognitive reframing, behavioural change and regulation of the nervous system under pressure. He is also a working actor. He trained at a leading drama school, where he earned a first-class degree, and has performed at Shakespeare's Globe, the Arcola Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre and across the Off-West End, with screen work for ITV and the feature film Nomad.

James leads the Part-Time Foundation Acting Course at ArtsEd and is an Associate Lecturer at University of the Arts London. He continues to coach professional actors on audition and performance technique.

His approach treats communication as a technical craft rather than a question of confidence or personality: physiological, psychological and behavioural, trained through video and audio analysis so that what a speaker intends and what an audience receives are the same thing.