About Me
Speaker and Accent Reduction/Public Speaking Coach
As a speaker, performer, and teacher, Joanne Chen is known for her passion, creativity, empathy, sense of humor, physical comedy, and dramatic storytelling. Her Life Purpose is to awaken people to the joy of sudden inspiration through speaking.Originally immigrated from Taipei, Taiwan, Joanne holds a B.A. in History (with a concentration in History of Science) from the University of California at Berkeley. She has completed business coursework at UC - San Diego and UC - Los Angeles.
Joanne has acquired extensive training in voice and speech, singing, voiceover, theatre, dance and movement, and improvisational comedy. Kimberly Mohne and Drew Khalouf of American Conservatory Theatre, Eric Bishop and Tracy Williams of the Actor’s Academy, Arthur Lessac, James Alburger and Penny Abshire of VoiceActing, LLC, Jeremy Whelan, Jacquie Lowell, Pat Fraley, Richard Nickol , Louis McKay of North County DanceArts, Inc., are just some of the fine instructors whom she has studied with.
Joanne’s background also includes public speaking, PR/marketing, and broadcast and print journalism. She was a news reporter and public affairs writer at KALX 90.7 FM and contributed articles to The Daily Californian, Berkeley Scientific, and Issues: Undergraduate Medical Journal. She also managed PR and marketing at Total Recall Learning, Inc. Some of her past speaking engagements took place at the Solana Beach Chamber of Commerce , the San Diego Taiwanese American Community Center, and a UCSD Extension marketing class. Joanne was also the MC at the Opening Ceremony of the Taiwanese American Heritage Week Celebration in 2005 and 2006.
She is a member of the American Society of Training and Development, Lessac Training & Research Institute, and North Coast Toastmasters. She has also been featured with three Toastmasters World Champions on the educational CD, Panic to Power: Swift and Simple Speaking Strategies Anyone Can Use. She was a founding member of the Jest in Time Comedy Troupe and is currently the President of North Coast Toastmasters. Her past creative and enthusiastic efforts as Vice President of Education of Carmel Valley Toastmasters led to coverage by The San Diego Union-Tribune.