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Course Address: October Gallery, 24 Old Gloucester Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1N 3AL. Tubes: Holborn, Russell Square and Chancery Lane
Choose between Standard rate or…
This standard rate applies if your place is being funded, fully or partly, by a company, organisation or institution. That includes your employer reimbursing you after you book, and attending as part of your professional role. If your employer is involved in covering the cost in any way, this is the correct rate.
If you need an invoice, want to make more than one booking, or need a purchase order number on the invoice, contact me, John Dawson, here.
Earlybird by February 19th: 2026: £570 + vat - total £684
Normal price: £642 + vat - total £770.40
choose 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.
This rate is for self-funded participants only. If your employer or organisation is covering any part of the cost, or reimbursing you afterwards, the standard rate applies.
Earlybird by February 19th: £525 including VAT (save £100 by booking early).
Normal price: £625 including VAT
Build your public speaking confidence • Taking your place in the world, a two day course run by John Dawson
The taking your place in the world course is for people who don't like public speaking or are struggling with it. This two day course has been running since 2000.
It will help you feel more at ease in front of an audience, change how you feel about being the centre of attention, and speak in a conversational way rather than performing, so you make an authentic connection with the audience.
Most people who come have found public speaking hard, to say the least. I know you might be nervous about booking. Time and time again people say "I wish I had done this course ten years ago."
It works for beginners and for people who have been speaking for years and still find it hard. It's about learning the fundamentals and re-thinking what we actually need for public speaking. You'll practise what you learn on the first day and build on it on the second.
Beginners is a strange word here. Some people have been speaking for years, are doing the wrong stuff, and still feel grim. So it really means anyone who hasn't learnt the skills that make it easier, the fundamentals of public speaking confidence.
Course numbers: 6 minimum, 10 maximum
Course timings: Day 1, 9am - 5pm. Day 2, 9am - 4pm
On the course:
Learning to feel more comfortable in front of an audience, think on your feet and become more at ease when you speak.
Understanding what gets in the way when we speak, including how we misread what's actually happening in an audience. That's a key part of the course.
Learning public being, my term for the stage that usually gets skipped: changing what it means to be the centre of attention, to be looked at and to look, and simply to BE there so you get your brain back. These are the real fundamentals of public speaking.
Learning to re-think problematic thoughts and feelings so we can build more trust in ourselves, which is the building block of confidence.
On the second day we use what we've covered to find our own stories and who we are as speakers. Sometimes it's the first time someone can call themselves a public speaker. We focus more on content, always from a place of presence and inviting connection.
No previous experience required..
How I teach:
It’s an experiential course (learning through experience and discussion). The learning builds in very small steps, sometimes baby steps. We explore audiences and what currently gets in the way for us as public speakers. Most of the course focuses on learning new skills and the mindset shifts that make public speaking simpler.
We do this by:
Keeping the course numbers to 6-10 people so it’s a small enough course for individual attention and big enough to feel like public speaking
Individual coaching throughout the course
Pair work exercises
Group conversations and exercises, building confidence and changing what it means to be the centre of attention
Gentle public speaking practice that builds on what we are learning throughout the course
Using ground-rules to set up the learning space to be as safe as possible
Open to any questions throughout the course
Clear course materials
Additional help through coaching can be arranged before or after the course
Money Back Guarantee:
All courses come with a money back guarantee. Since 2000, only eleven people out of over 8,500 have asked for a refund.
Contact me:
You can contact me, John Dawson, by email on john@speaking-infront.co.uk, ring me on 07730 550842, or message me on WhatsApp. I can't always reply quickly if I'm running a course or coaching, but I will get back to you.