A one-day course
Speaking in front of others – whether in meetings or presentations – can be daunting, even for people who are confident in other situations. Understanding anxious reactions, learning how to control the situation and addressing the unspoken “what if?” questions all help us to steer a safe course through choppy nerves.
This practical one-day course explores why fear shows up in group situations and, crucially, how to work with it rather than against it. Participants learn techniques to manage stress, project confidence and communicate clearly and naturally when it matters most.
- Understand why anxiety arises in meetings and presentations
- Recognise the relationship between the rational and emotional mind
- Manage stress responses such as fight, flight and freeze
- Harness nervous energy to enhance performance
- Communicate with confidence through body language, voice and words
- Handle difficult, unexpected or hostile questions more effectively
- More effective communication when operating outside their comfort zone
- Improved confidence to speak up in challenging situations
- Greater ability to present information with calm assurance
- Clearer thinking and expression when participating in groups
- Enhanced skill in conveying messages that might otherwise be lost
Expert trainer
Candy Bowman specialises in confident communication skills for business, management and personal development. Her initial training and management experience was in telephone sales at Times Newspapers Limited, going on to work in the music industry and consultancy. She recognises the importance of service standards to improve both sales and quality of working life. This is reflected in her registered trademark, “Putting a Smile on the Customer Interface”. From Leadership & Management to customer facing roles, Candy’s training applies to all departments in an organisation. Sector experience includes legal services, media, leisure and hospitality, healthcare, engineering and the events industry.
Workshop outline
1. Setting the scene
- Welcome and introductions
- Course objectives, personal objectives
2. Understanding fear and anxiety
- The fear factor
- The relationship between the rational and emotional mind
- The effects of an amygdala hijack
- Survival responses: fight, flight and freeze
- Why fear in front of a group makes evolutionary sense
3. Managing and harnessing stress
- Tactics to manage stress
- Analysing the anxiety
- Making friend with the stress
- Old scripts – do they still apply?
- Techniques to harness nervous energy positively
4. Communicating with confidence
- Shaping communication for groups
- The appearance of confidence versus being natural
- The effects of anxiety on interpersonal communication
5. Visual communication
- Body language, posture and gesture
- Eye contact and facial expression
6. Vocal communication
- Tone, speed and pacing
- Pitch, clarity and inflection
7. Verbal communication
- Using positive terminology
- Choosing appropriate language for different audiences
8. Handling questions
- Managing questions when you want time to think or don’t know the answer
- Managing hostile or sarcastic questions
9. Practice and application
- Practising the techniques
- Summary, review and questions
- Personal action plans
