Workshops
An experienced trainer, workshop leader and facilitator for the performance and corporate sectors
Having worked in so many environments, including the performance, charity and corporate sectors, I see very clearly there are simple things that link all the successful and fulfilled people I’ve met. They all have the same traits:
- They believe they are worthy of success.
- They are open to new ideas.
- They have a YES personality.
- They are comfortable in their own bodies.
- They never stop learning.
- They recognise that talent and hard work is only 10%, the rest is confidence and networking.
And do you want to know the best thing? All of that can be learned.
The workshops and training opportunities I offer here are a blend of acting techniques, creative/innovation exercises and tricks I’ve picked up in the corporate world. Blending a business mind with the power of creativity is a sure-fire ticket to a successful and fulfilled career.
WORKSHOP 1
How to be the most popular person in the room
Networking. Urgh! Even the word sends shivers down many people’s spines? Do you get sweaty at the thought of ‘selling yourself’? Do you slink to the back of the room, chatting to the same old people while seething with jealousy at the cool chick on the other side of the room who seems to have everyone hanging on her every word? Do you get tongue tied? Do you always feel like the small fish in a pond full of fat cats? Do you envy those ‘natural socialites’?
You’re not alone.
But know this. Networking is one of the most profitable activities you can get involved in. And certainly the one skill you can learn that will change your career the fastest. Two thirds of the economy is driven by word-of-mouth. It is estimated that the average person knows about 250 people. And each of those people knows, in turn, another 250 or so people. This means that for each new person you meet, you gain access to a potential pool of 62,500 people separated from you just two ‘degrees’.
Designed for anyone, in any industry, this course will dramatically change the way you feel about social occasions.
Course Content:
- Making an entrance
- How to introduce yourself so no-one forgets your name
- Make ‘working a room’ feel like fun
- Building relationships and USING them
- Opening Gambits and Small Talk
- Making the most of social media
A lot of people think business networking is all about ‘selling yourself’ or ‘working a room’. It’s not. It’s just simple relationship building. Fear not, I’m not going to try to turn you into a slick car salesman. This course is about learning to be your own, fabulous self and becoming magnetic.
The course is designed to develop skills you already have, tease out those areas where you do feel comfortable and confident, and teach you simple techniques that will make networking fun!
“Claire’s approach to teaching networking is supportive, fun and engaging. Her straightforward approach to discussing the basics shines a light in that dark corner of fear that surrounds the subject and offers clear practical ideas that anyone can use to transform the way they network. If this is an area you struggle with, get along to one of Claire’s sessions – it will change your whole approach.”
WORKSHOP 2
Facilitation
Whether it’s chairing a meeting or designing and running a workshop, most of us have to facilitate in our working lives. It’s easy to follow a ‘paint by numbers’ agenda, but excellent facilitators have the skills and confidence to be flexible and responsive in the moment.
Through an interactive agenda, delegates will have the chance to facilitate parts of the workshop and by the end of the day they will feel reassured, calm, ready, enthused and capable.
Content includes:
- Responding to energy fluctuations
- Preparation vs finite planning
- Creating a mood
- Handling silence (not filling it)
- Gut instinct, spontaneity, being brave
- Mindfulness – handling nerves and mindtalk
- Trust and boundaries
- Dealing with conflict
WORKSHOP 3
Devising and improvisation
More and more established companies, as well as a multitude of dedicated theatre makers, are putting devised work at the heart of new productions. And they need actors who understand the process and are prepared for the rigours of this kind of work.
This course helps prepare actors for working in this free, imaginative, collaborative and exciting discipline. We’ll look at exercises to unlock the imagination and explore some techniques that act as great starting points for creating your own devised work.
Having the bravery to work without the security of a script or known end point should be in every actor’s toolkit.
WORKSHOP 4
Storytelling for business and communications
We live in a world where we’re bombarded with information. The last thing we need is more facts. People want faith: faith in you and faith in a new story. Because stories have undergone thousands of years of R&D, they’re a pretty good vehicle for reaching the human mind and, most importantly, the heart. Storytelling is an art – there’s no rulebook or map, but there are some principles you can learn that will improve the way you lead a team, communicate with your audience, present your ideas or run your organisation.
This workshop is designed to provide inspiration and practice.
Content includes:
- What makes a good story
- Types of story and where they can be used
- How to build, structure and tell stories
- Applying story to our work
- Top tips for successful communications
WORKSHOP 5
Improv for business and communications
This course is more than the standard Impro for business that you get elsewhere. It’s not just games to make you feel energized for the day. After Impro comes Devising; it’s the process of refining and improving what came from a moment of improvised creativity. Anyone can come up with ideas, it takes skill to develop them. So, I’ve blended my experience in Improv, devising and the business world to give you a course full of transferable skills, experiences and techniques that you can take improve your working lives.
Content includes:
- Being in the moment – listening vs hearing
- Adaptability and spontaneity
- Using constraints to set you free
- Trust – yourself and others
- Brainstorming
“Claire was fantastic, bubbly and funny. Top tips delivered in a memorable style. An invaluably useful session. Great to learn (in a very fun way) the tricks of the trade for networking and working a room.”
“Claire was a dynamic leader who responded quickly and with great flexibility to the group on the day, tailoring the workshop plan to better suit the individuals attending.”