A journalist attended our one day workshop, and here is what she thought…
“You’re standing on stage, waiting to address the crowd.
But how do you feel? Confident and excited?
Or do you feel scared and jittery, like 99 per cent of the population?
Victoria Birch reports.
There is nothing like getting ready to speak to a large crowd and suddenly finding your tongue has doubled in size and however hard you try, your hands can’t stop shaking.
Sound familiar?
But if you ‘squeeze your lemons’ and ‘pull the string’ you may just dazzle your audience.
Partners With You, which specialises in communication training, run events to right those wrongs. And who better than a team of actors, who have to get into character, hold the attention of the audience, and be fearless under pressure, to show how it’s done.
Actors, Yvonne Riley and Annie Farr, who led the course had beautiful, rich, warm, powerful voices which effortlessly commanded attention. They spoke slowly and purposefully, and were effortlessly entertaining.
While the rest of us shy souls struggled to let ourselves go when taking part in ice-breaker games and exercises, the actors joined in with gusto. However, although I’m usually the quiet one, shrinking into the background at these kind of events, the games actually work and were surprisingly fun – almost like being at a party.
We were taught some interesting tricks of the trade, including mouth exercises and techniques to limber up, and the importance of eye contact and genuine smiles.
Most people spend 100 per cent of their time worrying about the presentation. But how you look when you speak does affect how the hearer receives it.
And the tips and techniques did actually work. Our day started off with a talk to the group about ourselves, which was somewhat clumsy and dull. By the end, when we spoke for a second time, we were far more engaging.
Our confidence had soared. Success!”