Esther Slattery
Esther met Kieran in early 2019 for a consultation about her accent. It seemed to be getting in the way of her delivery, and she was frustrated. The meeting provided a chance to explore her feelings and Kieran realised they were inspired by a lack of confidence (Esther’s English is impeccable). Esther considered group training to help change her accent, but, at Kieran’s suggestion, she decided to try The Dialogue Room course we launched that autumn.
The results were profound. Esther completed the two-day workshop and immediately felt its effects as she led her next training session. “I felt relaxed, confident and was able to notice when I was rushing and pull it back,” she wrote. This clarity and confidence were the result of her courage to face her fears about speaking; all of it was possible without changing a thing about her accent.
After the workshop, Esther went on to complete the follow-up sessions. Her delivery was a joy to watch, as was her growing confidence. Her elegant self-expression touched us all. After the sessions, Esther wrote “It has been such a pleasure working, practising and exploring our voices and I look forward to our sessions in 2020.”
It has been a privilege to witness Esther’s journey, and we look forward to working with her unique, inspiring and powerful voice in the future.
Zaneta Luszczewska
Zaneta met Kieran in late 2018 to develop her communication skills and improve her pronunciation. As Kieran and Zaneta worked it became clear that, beyond the technical issues, she was held back by an underlying lack of confidence. She could not speak in public without feeling self-conscious and nervous.
While Kieran and Stephanie developed the Dialogue courses in 2019, Zaneta was launching her own business, learning new materials and techniques that she was responsible for teaching others. The autumn was a pivotal moment for her new company, as she took over training from an experienced colleague, stepping down after 20 years. Kieran helped Zaneta, now the primary trainer, to deal with latecomers, manage her fears about her English and pronounce obscure medical terms. Zaneta’s growing enthusiasm and success inspired Kieran to suggest that she might like to try the new Dialogue Room course.
Despite her workload, Zaneta joined the class and continued with the follow-up sessions. Her confidence has grown enormously. After giving her final speech of the ten-week course – in which she took the stage, moved with ease, varied her voice and pitch to command attention – she told the tutors and her audience that she had “forgotten you were there at all: I was just performing.”
Creating a space where this can happen is why the Dialogue courses work, and why Zaneta announced “I love this workshop!”