Public Speaking Courses in London for anxious speakers
A two day course in central London for people who find public speaking hard
With my different approach to public speaking, you can learn to take your place in the world
“A fantastic course. John's approach is extremely sensitive to those with a fear of public speaking (me!) and at no point did I feel uncomfortable or pressured. You learn the fundamentals of why we shy away from being in the spotlight and how to be kinder to yourself. John is very sincere and an excellent teacher. Couldn't recommend enough.”
Alice West who attended a London Course.
Since 2000
26 years
Over 8500
people helped
6-10 people
small group size
No quibble
guarantee
Just one
trainer
Dates for my London public speaking course - Taking your place in the world
Solo rate if you are paying for yourself • Standard rate if your organisation is funding you or reimbursing you
Basic course info for my London public speaking course - Taking your place in the world
London Venue
October Gallery, 24 Old Gloucester Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1N 3AL.
Nearest Tubes: Holborn, Russell Square, and Tottenham Court Road
Buses: 1, 8, 19, 25, 38, 55, 91 and 243Course Times
Day 1, 9am - 5pm;
Day 2, 9 am - 4pm
Course numbers: 6 people min - 10 people maxDress code: smart casual
Money Back Guarantee
All my public speaking courses come with a simple no quibble guarantee.
Full details here
Cancellation policy
You can cancel up to 14 days and get your money back. Details here
More information about the London venue and area at the bottom of page
Early Bird
Book early and you get early bird discount on both the standard and solo rates.
Invoicing
Often organisations book via credit card for a single booking and that’s the simplest way. And I’m very happy to invoice organisations, just let me know your dates and the person/people coming etc. I’ve learnt to have no more than two people per organisation per course. Email me, John Dawson here
Two rates
Solo rate - a reduced rate if you're paying for yourself. I know what that's like, especially when you can't reclaim the VAT.
Standard rate - if your employer or organisation is paying, in full or in part, including if they reimburse you afterwards.
What they say - people talking about the London course
“The best training course I’ve been on, without a doubt. John’s calm and constructive approach quickly becomes infectious.
It was so inspiring to be part of a room full of people who started off eaten up by negative thoughts and doubts of self worth, and experience our journey to become people willingly, unapologetically, and even keenly taking part in the very safe and well-constructed experiential opportunities (none are obligatory!). Ponder no further, do this course!”
Claire Bass
“Fantastic course. Amazing the difference 2 days can make. John is a legend, who has a wealth of knowledge and experience, and passed on life changing skills to the group.” James Tighe
John's approach is unique, authentic and not at all scary. I entered believing public speaking was a pressured, perfectionist, fearful thing and leave realising it’s just a chat and it's ok to be myself in front of others.
Nat Harrison
“What a great two days. In a world where we have become very branded and corporate it's refeshing to have a geniune warm and 'real' instructor. I felt as though I was talking with a friend. Encouraging, enthusiastic and not 'slick' at all, which made the subject matter much easier to cope with. Thanks John. Highly recommended.” Sam Bunch
Not only is John an expert, he's an expert who really cares. That's why the course felt so powerful.
Sophie Brooks
Who comes on the course and why?
Everyone who comes dislikes public speaking or presenting in some way. In 26 years, they've come from all walks of life.
People come for all sorts of reasons: a presentation at work, father of the bride, best man, not speaking up in meetings, a book tour, a conference coming up, starting a PhD, people with social anxiety. And some come because they're scared their job is on the line if they don't start presenting.
Ages run from 22 upwards, the oldest have been 85 and 82, though most people are 25 to 55. The jobs are the widest range you can imagine: judges, foresters, students, professors, preachers, tech CEOs, parkour champions, new recruits, retired people, only one cage fighter. The very full list of jobs people have come from is here. I’ve just added saturation diver to the list!
You might recognise some of this.
Not much liking being the centre of attention.
Going blank halfway through.
Avoiding it for years, turning things down, hoping nobody notices.
A sniff of imposter syndrome, or a big dollop of it. That’s most people who come
Trying hard to control the anxiety and finding it doesn't work.
Roughly 60% of people who come see them selves as perfectionists or in the ball park.
Thinking everyone else has it sorted when it comes to public speaking.
Dreading it for weeks beforehand, then replaying it afterwards. W
anting your brain back when all eyes are on you.
It's really not just you who feels this way.
We humans share a lot, we are really good at threat and overthinking. And because it's shared, we're all working on similar things in that room.
The Method
Taking your place in the world
The 2 day public speaking course in London for anxious speakers
This public speaking workshop is for you whether you are a beginner or have been speaking for a long time. Unlike what they say, practice doesn't always help. Sometimes all you are practising is being anxious, which is miserable. We need to learn different skills.
My course is different. It's about changing how we see public speaking and presenting, about shifting our thinking so we can reframe public speaking. Working at the real fundamental level to move from "Can I be okay being the centre of attention?" or "If I pause, will they think that I don't know my subject?" to feeling that you can really trust yourself when all eyes are on you. There's a word I use that isn't in the dictionaries and it's dethreat. We need to learn to dethreat a lot of aspects of public speaking, such as audiences and the centre of attention.
Notice that it's NOT the standard presentation skills course. It's not about how to structure a presentation or how to stand.
What actually happens
It's a two day course with 6 to 10 people. Nothing on the course is compulsory. We set strong ground rules together at the start, so the group feels safe to be in. Unlike most courses we don’t do an introductory round, nor do we an ice breaker. In fact we start slowly.
First we look at audiences and how we might see them differently, partly by exploring what you yourself are doing when you're sitting in an audience. Then we build on that: the pressures we put on ourselves, the problematic thinking (how on earth does our brain know what other people are thinking? But we're often sure it does), and why being the centre of attention bothers us so much. We explore the core things that are problematic around speaking and confidence. And how it seems to be mostly us rather than the audience that gets in our way.
We also take the long view. We're carrying around a stone age brain, last upgraded 100,000 years ago when language arrived, and it's extremely good at overthinking threat. The Stone age brain is a bit wonky. So we probably need to learn some new skills to live with it.
That's the morning of day one, learned through discussion and exercises. The rest of the course works in a cycle: an exercise, time to reflect on what you noticed, then putting it into practice. Lots of small steps, developed over years and adapted from evidence-based science.
Each step makes the next one possible. You build confidence in small pieces and learn new ways of seeing. Then perhaps you can also let go of the things that get in the way. “I can honestly say the slow and steady reframing around public speaking has made a massive difference to me already” - Alison who came on the London course
I've taught this for 26 years, ten people at a time, to over 8,500 anxious speakers. It's an approach and a job that I love, and I still love learning how to do it better.
For more about my experience and background see about John on this page
What you'll be able to do - eight shifts that most people notice on the course and beyond
Feel more at ease in front of an audience, and stop building a harsh, judgemental one inside your head.
Quieten the harsh inner voice that catastrophises.
Be more comfortable being the centre of attention
Speak conversationally rather than performing.
To create an authentic connection with the audience
•Deal with the problematic thoughts that surface while preparing a talk.
have a very different relationship with the audience, away from the very harsh, judging version to a friendlier, easier one
develop a confidence practice in the everyday world that builds confidence for public speaking
How the course works and why it’s a safer place to learn
small steps and small groups
It’s an experiential course and builds up the learning in very small steps, sometimes very baby steps! The smaller the steps are, the easier it is to learn, because it’s hard to learn if you are anxious.
The whole course is aimed at anxious speakers, everyone there is in the same boat, it’s not about being the best speaker but it’s learning new skills and reframes to de-threat public speaking.
Small groups of 6-10 people
Using ground-rules to set up the learning space to be as safe as possible. This is a key part of my approach and something I really value.
All exercises are optional, no one is made to do anything. You are always in control
Individual attention and questions welcome throughout the course and during breaks if you wanted.
We learn simple fundamental skills before we focus on gentle public speaking practice with reflection
Every course place comes with a no quibble money back guarantee so I’m very focused on helping everyone who comes!
Pre- or post-course coaching available if you want extra support
Experience. The course has been running for 26 years. And over those years I’ve brought the focus of my work to anxiety and confidence. I think the skills we learn are relatively simple and I wish I had another lifetime to teach more people!
Mountains of feedback. If you want to see what other anxious speakers thought about the course, I published long-form feedback so you can get a deeper idea of what the course is like, not from my words, but from people who hated public speaking before they came. Feedback section
London venue, the October Gallery and Bloomsbury
October Gallery, 24 Old Gloucester Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1N 3AL
Nearest Tubes: Holborn, Russell Square, and Tottenham Court Road
Buses: 1, 8, 19, 25, 38, 55, 91 and 243
Participants seem to love this tucked away venue and I do too. It's a little oasis in central London - a calm, unhurried space that feels nothing like a corporate training room, which suits the course perfectly.
There's a garden courtyard (pictured above) and often a fascinating exhibition of international artists in the gallery itself. It's the kind of place you'd never stumble across unless someone pointed you to it.
The training rooms are on the second floor, which keeps things quiet - builders permitting. It’s a grade 2 listed building and the downside to that is that there are no lifts.
And if you want to work off lunch, there's a public gym in the park next door. I haven't used it yet.
Lunch
There is a great café at the October Gallery by Amy serving great Asian food at lunchtimes. And there are other cafes nearby if you prefer. When the weather is good, people often bring their own food and eat it in the courtyard.
Further details can be found at the October Gallery website.
What October Gallery say…
October Gallery has been instrumental in bringing to worldwide attention many of the world's leading international artists, including El Anatsui, Rachid Koraïchi, Romuald Hazoumè, Nnenna Okore, Laila Shawa and Kenji Yoshida. It’s a cultural hub in central London for poets, writers, intellectuals and artists, and hosts talks, performances and seminars, see www.octobergallery.co.uk/events”
Bloomsbury
The area is worth exploring if you're staying locally. You're a short walk from the British Museum, Covent Garden, and Lincoln's Inn Fields - one of London's oldest garden squares, good for an evening wander. This is Bloomsbury, home of Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Circle - who famously lived in squares and loved in triangles. Some lovely independent cafes and restaurants nearby, and the British Library if you want somewhere quiet to sit. A surprisingly calm corner of central London given how central it is.
The course guarantee
your money back if you don’t get what you want from the course
I want you to be really clear about my commitment to you and your learning.
Your money back if you don't get what you wanted from the course.
No arguments. A no quibble course guarantee.
I've given course money back 11 times in 26 years, and over 8,500 people have been on the course.
I'm putting my word into this. I stand by it. Because I know it’s not the easiest course to come on.
There are a couple of rules, of course, but they're simple.
You need to take part and be on the course for both days. You can't use it if you just don't turn up. Full details here
About John
The course is run by me, John Dawson. In 1988 I messed up a national radio interview and then avoided public speaking for eight years. Eventually I went on the course I now teach. It has changed a lot since then.
At the time I was the founding editor of The Spark, a magazine I started in Bristol and edited for 15 years. Alongside the deadlines and the distribution I trained, and began running courses for people who didn't like public speaking. In 2009 I left the magazine and chose the public speaking path, and it has been full time ever since.
I've also trained in groupwork and in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and I've spent years taking what clinical psychology research says about anxiety and translating it into something that works in an ordinary training room. I also co-lead a European peer supervision group for other trainers working this way as part of Relational Presence Network.
There are too many people living quieter lives than they need to, too many careers shaped by anxiety. That's what still gets me into the room. And what I didn't expect when I started is that confidence learned for public speaking doesn't just stay there. It turns up in the rest of your life. Which I think is so neat - a sneaky benefit of the work.
I see confidence as a practice and I’m still practising. Amongst other things, I've probably started 600 conversations with strangers on trains. And, shock horror, sometimes even on the London Tube.
I've been teaching in London for 16 years now, and at the end of a course day I'll sometimes head off into Bloomsbury and beyond for some street photography.
I live in Bath with my lovely wife Clare. We were both born in the same hospital in Huddersfield and met years later in Bristol.
More information
My e-mail is john@speaking-infront.co.uk or ring or WhatsApp me on 07730 550842
Talk first? Free chat and coaching
If you are nervous about booking the course, you are not the only one, let’s chat first.
You can talk to me for 10 minutes for free. It’s a great way to explore if the course is right for you and if you have any questions. And of course see whether you want to work with me.
Book here
Or if you want longer I have an initial hour of coaching for £45 (normally £95)
Book here
Frequently asked questions about the London course
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At the October Gallery, 24 Old Gloucester Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1N 3AL, a few minutes from Holborn, Russell Square and Tottenham Court Road
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Prices start from £525 including VAT for self-funded places, with a separate rate for organisation-funded places and an early-bird discount for booking ahead.
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It's a two-day course, 9am to 5pm on day one and 9am to 4pm on day two.
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Most months of the year, with a break in August and December.
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Yes. They're designed for people who find public speaking frightening, every exercise is optional and the groups are small and supportive.
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Small groups of 6 to 10, so everyone gets individual attention.
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Yes. The approach works whether you currently avoid speaking altogether or already speak but want to feel more at ease.
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Yes, a simple no-quibble guarantee, plus free cancellation up to 14 days before the course.
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Yes. There's a standard rate for organisation-funded places, and invoicing is available for single or multiple bookings.
Early bird by 29 August ·• Early Bird Solo £525 (usually £625) • Early Bird Standard £684 (usually £770.40)