Leadership Presence and Inspirational Communication
Compel others to follow you on your leadership journey
Compelling, not charismatic
We all need to make presentations sometimes, or communicate on a difficult topic, whether it’s in front of large audiences, our team members or when seeking investment, or even to convince our spouses!
It’s more than just speaking well, or being charismatic. And it’s certainly way more than just understanding the ‘technical’ dimensions of breath, voice and body. It’s about the capacity to compel others to follow us from a much deeper place, to win people over to a cause, to inspire them to act, whether that’s donating money, winning over voters, sharing academic research, agreeing to a project, investing in our work, or helping us to build a movement for social change.
What do you do?
The most compelling leaders our world has ever known – the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King – understood how to powerfully persuade and compel others to follow them, through a combination of personal presence, confident and inspirational communication, storytelling and the use of language to inspire and get results.
But not everyone speaks like that……yet!
Here are some of the issues you may be facing
Dependency on Powerpoint
You may be tempted to think that public speaking is all about the Powerpoint presentation. But we believe that Powerpoint is no substitute for the ability to tell your story with vision, clarity and purpose. In fact, Powerpoint is banned in our coaching! That’s because we believe you need to learn how to be a good public speaker without it first, encouraging you to use the power of your ideas and spontaneous thought to lead an audience. Then, and only then, might we let you have your precious slides back again….
An over-focus on the technical aspects
It’s important to learn the basic techniques of good public speaking - centering yourself, using breath and posture to have vocal clarity and volume, storytelling to energise and inspire, and the right choice of language and intonation to convey meaning. But being a compelling speaker is about going beyond the technicalities to deliver a talk that inspires people to act. It’s about integrating those lessons on speaking into a seamless whole that allows your own authenticity and spontaneity to shine through.
Uncovering the fears
Often, there are some deeply-rooted fears and insecurities that prevent us from ‘stepping into the light’ and it’s important to uncover those fears and gradually release them. We aren’t therapists but we do bring much love and attention to help you to dismantle the internal blocks that would prevent you from fulfilling your potential as a speaker and a leader.
Inability to command a room
In an age of technology and mass distractions, how can we make sure everyone is hearing what we say? The ability to command a room, to make people sit up and listen, is an art and one that can be learnt. By working with you on your ‘leadership presence’, body language and self-expression, you can inspire anyone to put down their mobile phone and listen to you!
A different approach
Our coaching helps you to break down some of the basic principles of public speaking, to enable you to speak with confidence, clarity and courage. Using her background in the theatre, Caroline can help you learn the tools an actor uses to speak on stage, in the boardroom, on social media, or in panel discussions.
But what makes Caroline’s coaching even more unique, is her capacity to help you to ‘dig deep’ to find your leadership ‘voice’, uncovering the blocks that prevent you from fulfilling your potential and standing up for what you believe in. She is an inspiring and energizing coach who will leave you amazed at what you are capable of!
In the sessions you will
Develop the genuine self-confidence and self-esteem to propel your leadership forward, stay rooted in your sense of purpose, and develop the support you need to further your vision
Do deep-level work into the mental ‘blocks’ and fear holding back your individual leadership progression, so that you can step into the light. And learn to ‘listen’ to know when to ‘speak’!
Work on your personal vision and mission, ensuring you to be able to speak with conviction and authority about what you believe and, critically, be able to inspire others to follow you
Individual work on breathing, articulation, pausing, pace, modulation, posture - the standard tools of an actor - to bring more authority and clarity to delivery, especially in non-native language presentations
Focus not just on speaking to large audiences but on one-to-one meetings and getting buy-in for investment or other forms of support from ‘upstream’ leaders you need to convince
Communicate spontaneously, particularly on panel discussions, media interviews, or even on Zoom or social media – feeling confident about being able to answer in the moment, without preparation
Your coach
Caroline Watson, Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum
Harvard, Oxford, INSEAD, Yale
Caroline is the founder of The Centre for the Arts and Global Leadership, with a background in the theatre, who uses her skills to empower the leadership of current and future leaders.
Drawing on her performing background, Caroline is able to help you develop greater confidence and authority in your public speaking, enabling you to enroll your followers in driving action to achieve your goals, and positioning you as a thought leader.
Caroline also has over 20 years experience of English language teaching and is a certified examiner of the IELTS exam for the British Council. She is therefore excellently positioned to work with non-native speakers of English to help them overcome their fear of speaking in a foreign language.
Caroline is herself an engaging and visionary speaker with a reputation as a disruptive thinker and thought leader on issues surrounding global governance, China and the emerging world, feminine leadership, and spirituality and leadership. An award-winning entrepreneur, she has regularly spoken on the stages of Davos, Harvard, London School of Economics, and many other high-level global institutions and is represented by A Speakers bureau as a global leadership visionary herself.
Caroline’s full bio can be found here and a full list of her speaking topics can be found here.
Caroline Watson is an award-winning entrepreneurial leader with a background in the theatre and she can help you fall in love with public speaking and communications, find your voice and stand tall in what you have to say!
Whether you are a corporate executive, a government leader, a head of state, a professor presenting academic research, starting out on your career or even a young mother learning to have ‘authority’ with your children, we are ready to work with you.
We have a particular passion for working with women and underrepresented voices - but believe white men urgently need this too and we always love working with them as well!
We also regularly work with those for whom English is not their first language.
COMMAND the room
COMPEL your audience
MOVE people to take action
Ways to Work with Caroline
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Online or In-person Coaching
10 sessions of one-to-one coaching with Caroline, accompanied by additional reading and video resources and personalised support for your key objectives
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Private, one-to-one retreats with Caroline
Individualised, private day-long or residential retreats on the Clos de Gaye estate, the chance to work one-to-one with Caroline in person at her stunning place in south west France with good food, incredible views and over 40 hours of contact time with Caroline
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Group retreats
Be a participant in our spring and autumn retreats, held on the Clos de Gaye estate, bringing together world-class artists and thought leaders, for 4 days of immersive learning and extraordinary experiences
Ready to take the next step in your leadership?
Please get in touch via the sign up form below to organise a free introductory call. Our first meeting will enable me to get to know you and your needs and establish if this is a good fit for both of us.
