About

The Buckley School Provides Communication skills training for individuals and groups, with an emphasis on public speaking and presentations

Helping Leaders Find Their Voice for More Than 30 Years

Professional speaker and champion debater Reid Buckley opened our school in 1988. Since, it's become a go-to resource for public speaking, communication, and presentation skills training.

Our experienced public speaking coaches provide instruction and one-on-one support for businesspeople, professionals, entrepreneurs, leaders, and policy makers from around the world. We help people refine their executive presence and become more influential leaders.

Public speaking courses that meet you where you are

Buckley coaches can provide online training or travel to any location to deliver private coaching for speeches, enhance presentation skills through group instruction, and more.

Our faculty can customize and deliver on-site public speaking courses, work with individuals and teams on presentation development, provide media training, or lead writing and business etiquette workshops.

Spend time with us at our public speaking school

Along with public speaking classes open for individual enrollment, we also welcome individuals and groups to our school in Camden for private one-on-one speech coaching and corporate retreats.

For company retreats, our staff can design a full program of training, create short modules to fit within your agenda, or simply provide space and staff support for your team's meeting.

Our location

The school offers open enrollment classes, including its flagship program, The Executive Seminar, at its home base—a historic house in the charming town of Camden, South Carolina.

Camden is 30 miles from the state capital of Columbia. The Buckley School is also within easy driving distance of Charlotte, Greenville, S.C. and Charleston. Atlanta and Raleigh are only a four-hour drive away.

If you need directions for finding our school, you'll find them here.

Buckley Speaking

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The Buckley Experience

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  • “I thought you’d like to know we won the contract. I also thought you should know we got a standing ovation from the review panel. They said it had never happened before.”
    Aeronautics engineer after prepping a multi-million dollar contract pitch with Buckley coaches
  • "The Buckley School instills confidence and allows one to quickly read competitors—necessary assets for us introvert accountants. Keep the oratory torch lit!"
    Controller for Artificial Intelligence Company graduate of the Executive Seminar
  • "The Executive Seminar proved to be a defining experience personally and professionally. I approach speaking with a new sense of enthusiasm and confidence."
    Lyft marketing leader commenting on our Executive Seminar
  • "I have attended a few courses over the last year or two, and nothing has come close to the personal attention and standard of coaching I received at your school."
    BET executive after attending The Executive Seminar
  • "I put to good use the many skills learned at a speech before several hundred diplomats at the United Nations. While I had made many presentations since attending your school, the U.N. speech was the first large scale one. It made a huge difference."
    Washington, D.C. attorney after attending The Executive Seminar
  • "What a pleasure and a true privilege to watch you develop our team. The value of what you do grows every year for me."
    U.S. military training leader following multi-day custom program
  • "After coming over to work on a keynote address for a bankers’ convention, I received the highest evaluation I’ve ever gotten as a speaker. My thoughts were the same, but The Buckley School helped me better organize and present them. The difference was amazing.”
    Bank executive in an email after private coaching
  • “I spent a great deal of energy avoiding public speaking. It limited my career, my personal causes, and my potential. It was truly my ‘skeleton in the closet.’ You have released me from my shackles.”
    Development director for commercial real estate company after attending The Executive Seminar
  • "My experience at The Buckley School, in no short order, changed my life. It made me more confident, polished and secure."
    Government Affairs Director in an email after attending The Executive Seminar
  • “It was just what my staff needed—instruction and practice that made them more polished and built their confidence….one more reason to love The Buckley School!”
    Insurance company CEO by email, after Buckley on-site training
  • "I make presentations every week via Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Skype. I received an email from someone in Hong Kong who's a senior board member of several Asian funds. He'd been on a conference call, and people were praising my presentation. Every time this happens, I say thank you to The Buckley School!"
    Investment Executive graduate of multiple Buckley programs
  • "I gave my first campaign speech in Washington on Friday to a room of approximately 1,000 people. Following the speech, I had numerous people congratulate me on a ‘wonderful,’ ‘passionate,’ and ‘statesmanlike’ talk. I could not have done it without your help!"
    Architect and former AIA president after prepping with Buckley coaches
  • "I learned more in one day than in a semester in speech at college. As the Chinese say, when the student is ready, the teacher arrives."
    Physician after private coaching for a keynote speech
  • "I’ve been writing speeches for more than 20 years and have attended a number of public speaking training sessions. But I’ve not experienced one the caliber of yours. You’ve helped give my speeches a whole new dimension."
    AARP Consumer Representative after attending a Buckley speaking workshop