“The right word is born when the body, the voice, and the heart speak the same language.”
Martine Donboly
Martine Donboly
Actress, coach, and speaker, Martine Donboly is an expert in oral communication, image, and media. Founder of the firm "À chacun sa com'," she has been supporting public actors, leaders, institutional spokespersons in the art of speaking for nearly twenty years. She also teaches eloquence to Master's level students. Her unique journey, at the crossroads of theater, public relations, and education, has forged an approach that is both demanding, caring, and profoundly human.
A graduate from Université Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas, she began her career in public relations as a parliamentary assistant in Italy before turning to event communication and press relations. For two decades, she has participated in major international events – Cannes Festival, MIPTV, The French Open – and collaborates with media in Canada. These experiences have sharpened her keen sense of the right message, the gaze, the posture, and the impact.
Trained in theater and having performed on the Paris stage (notably at Théo Théâtre with "Un Vertige" by Jean Larriaga), Martine Donboly today transposes the techniques of actors to the service of corporate speaking (for info: it's not just companies, I also work for federations, university directors… but I suppose that's your target): mastering stage fright and unexpected events (turned into resources), skillful use of emotions (levers for attention), vocal impact, coherence of non-verbal communication (silent interface), and decoding of the audience's behavior (reading the room and adapting). For her, good communication is primarily about learning to "play it right."
For over twenty years, she has taught oral expression techniques and rhetoric in several prestigious schools (EDHEC, MBA ESG, IESEG, Université de Dauphine…) where she introduces future managers to the power of body language and the sincerity of discourse. Her sessions combine academic rigor, emotional intelligence, and the pleasure of speaking truthfully. She also leads eloquence courses at the Theatre School of Versailles – Côté scène.
Former President of the Rotary Club of Paris La Défense-Courbevoie, she regularly hosted dinners and conferences on oral and non-verbal communication and self-confidence. Meanwhile, she expresses her love for meeting people, for two years through her show on Vivre FM * "Au dos de la carte," then with her podcast "En 1 000 mots" where she hosts scientists, artists, and entrepreneurs to explore the thousand faces of human speech. Author of the children's book "Ma 1ʳᵉ année sans Grand P'pa" (Éditions Complicités, 2025), Martine Donboly extends her reflection on the words that soothe. Through this book, she invites children to work through grieving through language and softness. A single philosophy runs through her work and her conferences: to restore meaning, breath, and sincerity to communication, so that each spoken word connects rather than separates.
"The body speaks before the words" – Decoding non-verbal communication
- Most of our messages are conveyed without words: gestures, postures, gaze, breathing… Martine Donboly reveals how this silent language shapes our professional relationships.
- In this engaging conference, she demonstrates that the body, much more than the voice, builds the speaker's credibility. Drawing on examples from theater and executive coaching, she analyzes the signals that inspire trust or, conversely, undermine it.
- Participants learn to read others without judgment: by observing, feeling, adjusting. It's a school of presence.
- A conference with a strong visual and emotional impact, ideal for strengthening team cohesion and developing relational intelligence within organizations.
"It's all about two minutes" – The art of convincing from the very first moments
- In an interview, a pitch, or a meeting, the first seconds are crucial. Martine Donboly explores these "two minutes of truth" where everything crystallizes: posture, gaze, tone, breathing.
- Based on her experience in media training and theater, this conference shows how to prepare your entrance, capture attention, and create an authentic connection.
- Through anecdotes and demonstrations, she explains why sincerity is more persuasive than performance.
- Participants leave with simple tools to make a good impression without betraying their nature: a method as effective in front of a camera as in face-to-face situations.
"Dare to Speak" – From Stage Fright to Confidence
- Stage fright is not an enemy: it is an energy to be tamed. Martine Donboly shares here her techniques as an actress and coach to transform fear into a powerful expression.
- She addresses the psychological mechanisms of stress, offers breathing and visualization exercises, and invites everyone to build their own comfort zone.
- Her approach is humanistic: she shows that confidence does not arise from perfection, but from presence.
- This conference, often praised in corporate seminars, gives speakers back the pleasure of being themselves on stage, with sincerity and poise.
"Say the Unspeakable" – Talking About Emotions and Sensitive Topics
- Drawing on her experience as a youth author on grief, Martine Donboly addresses the power of words in the face of deep emotions.
- She explains how, in both business and family, to find the right words to talk about what matters: failure, loss, vulnerability, change.
- Her conference, marked by great delicacy, shows that shared speech is a collective strength: it allows for healing, calming, and connecting.
- A rare moment, at the crossroads of storytelling and positive psychology, which reminds us that sincere communication is the primary lever for well-being at work.
"Martine Donboly – Un Vertige de Jean Larriaga" (Interview au Théo Théâtre)
The journalist: friend or foe? Mastering their speech in front of the media.
- In an environment where every word can be amplified, distorted, or looped, the relationship with journalists has become a major strategic issue. Should we fear them, seduce them, control them? This intervention proposes to go beyond preconceived ideas to understand the logics inherent to the media and learn to make them allies rather than adversaries.
- Through concrete examples from the field, Martine Donboly deciphers the functioning of journalists: their constraints, their expectations, their treatment angles. She shows how to anticipate an interview, structure one's discourse, and avoid the classic traps that can undermine a message or a position.
- The workshop then allows participants to work very operationally on different interview situations: television, radio, or face-to-face. Participants experience the key rules of the interview, learn to maintain control over their message, and respond clearly, even in sensitive or destabilizing contexts.
- Finally, a particular emphasis is placed on the ability to convey messages in an impactful manner. How to be understood, remembered, and relayed? How to deliver a « 5/5 » message — clear, embodied, memorable? Each participant leaves with concrete tools to secure their media speech and reinforce their credibility.
Storytelling, captivating, convincing: the fundamentals of impactful oral communication
- Speaking up is not just about conveying information: it's about capturing attention, creating emotion, and fostering agreement. In a world saturated with messages, only those who know how to tell stories, embody, and convince succeed in emerging sustainably.
- In this session, Martine Donboly offers a structured and accessible approach to construct an effective speech. She guides participants in preparing their interventions: clarifying objectives, structuring the message, choosing words and examples. For a good oral performance always begins well before stepping on stage.
- The workshop also emphasizes the alignment of the body, voice, and language. Posture, breathing, intonation, eye contact: these are elements that influence the perception of the message. Participants learn to mobilize these levers to gain presence, impact, and authenticity.
- Finally, the ability to create and maintain a connection with the audience is at the heart of the proposed work. How to capture attention in the first few seconds? How to maintain interest throughout the intervention? How to adapt one's speech in real time? These are key skills developed through practical exercises and role-playing.
- Each participant leaves with immediately actionable tools to enhance their oral delivery, structure their interventions, and persuade accurately.