Vada Roberts Ward (born 1917 or 1918) was an American actress, journalist, public relations practitioner, film writer, and speech coach.
[7] Her career went in a new direction in 1971 when AU referred Iran's ambassador to the United States to her for private coaching, which led to her counseling people (from a variety of professions other than acting) on how to overcome stage fright.
[7] Those she helped included a member of the United States House of Representatives, a newspaper columnist who became a television critic on national TV, a business executive who had to appear in televised Congressional hearings,[7] a United States secretary of transportation, and a leader of a national political party.
[8] In the late 1970s, NBC made regular use of Ward's training, sending personnel to her for sessions that typically ran for 21 hours in a two-week span.
"[7] Her techniques included getting the person to imagine that he or she was talking just to a friend or relative rather than to a large group or picturing oneself in a conversation at a campfire rather than in a TV studio.