Say the hard thing well, to the boardroom, the press, and the people who are watching closely.
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Twenty years advising people whose words carry consequences.
Atchison Consulting is the practice of Dr. Robert Jarrod Atchison, who has spent over a decade coaching senior executives, agency leaders, and public figures through the moments where communication determines the outcome: crisis response, investor presentations, media appearances, and high-stakes internal decisions.
That work is grounded in a rarer background: over two decades coaching and directing debate programs at the highest level. He directed the first debate program in history to win the Triple Crown, all three national championships in college debate, in the same year. He coached a team to win the Rex Copeland Award, recognizing the top overall ranked team in the nation, and directed seven ACC Debate Championships. Argument, persuasion, and message discipline weren't theory. They were tested every week, on the record, against the best in the world.
The result is a practice that treats communication as a craft with mechanics, not a talent you either have or don't.
- Education
- Ph.D., Communication, University of Georgia
- M.A., Communication, Wake Forest University
- B.A., Communication, Wake Forest University
- Current Roles
- Chief Academic Officer, Speech Labs, LLC (opens in new tab)
- Senior Director, Executive Communications & Coaching, Manchester Street, LLC (opens in new tab)
- John Kevin Medica Director of Debate, Wake Forest University
- Published Author
- Three books, including We Are Not One People (opens in new tab) (Oxford University Press)
- Recognition
- Selected by The Great Courses for a lecture series on the Art of Debate (opens in new tab); former President, American Forensic Association;
- Recognized with the George W. Ziegelmueller Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Debate Tournament
Where the work happens.
Executive Communication Coaching
One-on-one work with C-suite leaders on positioning, presence, and message discipline for the moments that matter most.
Crisis & Confrontation Communication
Preparation for the conversations no one wants to have: delivering hard news, responding under pressure, and holding a position under scrutiny.
Speechwriting & Message Development
From investor presentations to public remarks, building language that translates complex priorities into something an audience can act on.
Media & Investor Prep
Structured rehearsal for interviews, press moments, and investor-facing presentations, with an emphasis on tact, clarity, and control.
Organizational Training
Workshops for teams and agencies on breaking bad communication habits and building consistent, confident public-facing messaging.
Decision-Making Advisory
Counsel for leaders navigating high-stakes organizational decisions, where the communication strategy and the decision itself can't be separated.
Outside the practice.
Jarrod met his wife, Becca, on the Wake Forest Debate Team, where they were both Presidential Scholars in Debate. Becca is the founder and co-owner of Rebecca Rose Events (opens in new tab), a full-service destination wedding planning, design, and production firm serving couples and families worldwide. They live in Winston-Salem with their two daughters. When he's not working, Jarrod enjoys practicing dorodango, the Japanese art of polishing mud into a mirror-like sphere, hiking in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina, or researching old texts as an amateur treasure hunter.
Let's talk about what you need to say.
Reach out to discuss executive coaching, a crisis situation, or a speaking engagement.