Public Speaking Courses in Manchester to build confidence
A two day course in central Manchester for people who don’t like public speaking
With my different approach to public speaking training, you can learn to take your place in the world
Would you like to speak in front of an audience with confidence and ease? And if that was possible, what would you do with your life?
“The course with John was excellent, so much more than just public speaking and a lot more than I expected. John's approach was absolutely perfect and it has given me the confidence to feel much more at ease both in personal and work life. …”
Mark Pitchford who attended a Manchester Course.
Since 2000
26 years
Over 8500
people helped
6-10 people
small group size
No quibble
guarantee
Just one
trainer
Dates for my Manchester 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 Manchester public speaking course - Taking your place in the world
Manchester Venue
Cross Street Chapel, Cross Street, Manchester M2 1NL
Central Manchester, only 15 minutes walk from Piccadilly Train Station
More information about the Manchester Venue and area below. Scroll down or use this linkCourse Times
Day 1, 9am - 5pm
Day 2, 9am - 4pm
Course numbers: 6 people min - 10 people maxDress code: smart casual
Access: level floor, ramped access, disabled toilet
The trainer: I’m John Dawson with 26 years’ experience of running public speaking classes and in Manchester since 2013. It’s just me who teaches.
For more on my experience click hereTravel
By train: Manchester Piccadilly is about 15 minutes walk. Manchester Victoria is about 10 minutes.
By tram: The nearest Metrolink stops are St Peter's Square (walk through to Albert Square and along Cross Street) or Market Street (walk towards Marks & Spencer, then left into Cross Street).
By car: Several car parks within half a mile, but parking in central Manchester is very very expensive - people have paid £45 a day. Worth considering parking on the outskirts and coming in by tram.
There is a useful journey planner for Greater Manchester at http://www.tfgm.com
Still not sure?
If you want to talk to me, John Dawson for free for 10 minutes, to see if it’s right for you.
Book here
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 also very happy to invoice organisations, just let me know the dates you want and the people coming etc. Please note - I’ve learnt to have no more than two people coming from the same organisation. Email me, John Dawson
Two rates to choose from
Solo rate - a reduced rate if you're paying for yourself.
Standard rate - if your employer or organisation is paying, in full or in part, including if they reimburse you afterwards.Money Back Guarantee
All my public speaking courses come with a simple no quibble guarantee.
Full details hereCancellation policy
You can cancel up to 14 days and get your money back. Details here
Other Cities
What they say - Manchester people talking about the course
"A complete surprise, I was expecting quite general or generic types of presentation training with prescriptive techniques and this thankfully could not have been further than that. Seeing my own confidence shift in real time and having the opportunity to explore and be open to reflective thinking and self-kindness was a truly incredible experience. Vanessa Webster
This was nothing short of life changing, I went from being in my head and consumed to what people think to realising that this was never the case, my brain was just holding me back through fear based decisions . I have a totally different outlook on public speaking now after this wonderful course. This was the best investment in myself I could have possibly made.
Andy Keavney
So much more than a course about public speaking. The content covered will genuinely change your life if you let it. I’d recommend this course to everyone, but especially to anyone who has ever doubted themselves or their worth. Greg Barr-Smith
I couldn't recommend John's course more. I came out the course with a new found confidence and have noticed the difference in my work and personal life. One of the best things I've ever done, thank you John!
Alice Fisher
I was hesitant in attending this course as I am terrified of public speaking. I had a speech coming up that I really felt I had to do for my club. I was so pleased with how I felt after attending John’s course. John put everything in perspective, resolved a lot of my fears and has given me the confidence to speak publicly for the first time in my life. Worth every penny. Thank you John.
Joy Read
I've been putting this off for years, I'm getting married next year, so it was now or never, I am so glad I did, not only do we get to speak unscripted without anxiety, but the spin off benefits of a calmer mind and generally more confidence in daily life are amazing gifts.
Dougie Millward
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. And avoiding isn’t helping in the long run.
A sniff of impostor 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 or even makes it worse.
Roughly 60% of people who come see themselves as perfectionists or in that ballpark. We often put way too much pressure on ourselves. The more pressure, the less bandwidth we have for doing the actual task.
Thinking everyone else has it sorted when it comes to public speaking. You have a special form of anxiety (or that’s how it feels).
Dreading it for weeks beforehand, then replaying it critically afterwards. Not just once but over and over.
Wanting your brain back when all eyes are on you. Or just to somehow magically disappear…
It's 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, you will find that we're all working on very similar things on the course. Take a look at what other anxious speakers thought about before they came here
And read Abbie’s feedback
I’ve been on a programme with work focused on “stepping up in your career.” The course finished in November, and as part of the final stage, I had to deliver a 10-minute presentation on everything I’d learned and how I’d grown personally and professionally over the months. Back in February, the thought of doing that presentation filled me with dread, pulling a sicky had already crossed my mind! But by September, after completing your course John, my mindset had completely shifted. I didn’t overthink it like I would have before, my physical anxiety symptoms were far less intense, and - dare I say - I actually felt myself relaxing and even slightly enjoying the experience.
Abbie, who came on the course Manchester
More? look at the full course reviews here
What's different with this public speaking course?
Public being
This Manchester public speaking workshop is for you whether you are a beginner or have been speaking for a long time. Despite what you often hear, practice doesn't always help. Sometimes all you are practising is being anxious, which is miserable. We need to learn different skills because we often get in our own way.
An 85 year old farmer came on one of my Manchester courses, the oldest man ever on my course. He had a lifetime achievement award to collect for his work with a rare breed, and he was anxious about the speech - how many farmers do speeches? On the second afternoon he turned to me and said, in a very broad Lancastrian accent, "Do you know what, John? I'm like a handbrake on my own life."
My course is about changing how we see public speaking and presenting and letting that handbrake off.
It's about the psychology not powerpoint. I call my approach public being. Part of it is learning to dethreat (my coinage) many of the things that make public speaking feel threatening, such as audiences, pauses and being 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.
So what do I actually teach?
As well as thinking about the psychology of public speaking, the core of the course is learning the real fundamentals of public speaking. Not tips. Not tricks. Not techniques for looking confident.
Before we do public speaking, we need to learn to be in public. That's the public being part, and it's often the missing stage.
The things that genuinely make someone good to listen to - and, rather usefully, help you get your brain back when you're speaking in front of people:
Being present, rather than somewhere else in your own head
Slowing down
Being comfortable with pauses
Being authentic, rather than putting on a version of yourself
Being comfortable as the centre of attention
Getting out of your own way
Connecting naturally with an audience
Speaking, rather than performing
If you're reading this list thinking those are precisely the things you can't do, that's the point.
Nobody arrives able to do them.
They're built in very small steps, over two days, and that's the work we do together.
I loved how it was more than a course on how to speak in public, it's a course on being comfortable with public being and confidence building which affects all areas of life. They go hand in hand so it's tackling the foundational issues so that public speaking itself is much easier.
Jess, a participant on a Manchester course
Its about learning how to be you in front of other people.
More about public being
What actually happens…
It's a two day course with 6 to 10 people.
Nothing on the course is compulsory.
We start slowly, laying out the ground and creating strong ground rules, so the group feels safe to be in.
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.
“My main takeaway is that to be at ease at public speaking, you need to be at ease at being you.”
Helene, a course participant
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 chunks 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.
I've taught this for 26 years, ten people at a time, to over 8,500 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 - four shifts most people notice on the course and beyond
Quieten the harsh inner voice that catastrophises.
Deal with the problematic thoughts that surface while preparing a talk and during your presentation.
You’ll have a very different relationship with the audience, away from the harsh, judging version to a friendlier, easier one.
Develop a confidence practice in the everyday world that builds confidence for public speaking.
still feeling unsure…
All exercises are optional. Nobody is made to do anything, and you're always in control.
Everyone who comes is in the same boat, disliking public speaking and being the centre of attention. It becomes a very supportive course as we start to understand that this is very human and not just you.
You'll get individual attention throughout, and questions are welcome any time, including in the breaks.
Coaching is available before or after the course if you want extra support.
If you are anxious about coming I’ve written a page just for you which answers questions about What if it's too much? What if everyone else is MORE confident? in words from previous participants who were scared of coming.
If you want a fuller sense of what it's actually like, I've published long-form feedback going back five years from people who probably hated public speaking before they came on the course. Read the feedback
Manchester venue and area
Cross Street Chapel, Cross Street, Manchester M2 1NL
The first thing to know about Cross Street Chapel is that it doesn't look like a chapel as you can see in the picture above. The current building is the first two floors of a modern office block, about halfway along Cross Street between Market Street and Albert Square, almost opposite St Ann's Street. Chapel Walks, a pedestrian way, runs alongside it. Look out for my poster “Public Speaking Courses” on the door. It's a calm, unhurried space, and it suits the course well.
Cross Street Chapel has been a place of independent thinking since 1694. It was the original Dissenters' Meeting House - one of the oldest non-conformist buildings in the country. Its members were active in the aftermath of Peterloo. They defended the reformers, and one of the congregation - John Edward Taylor - founded the Manchester Guardian in 1821 in direct response to it.
I love that connection with The Guardian! I was the founding editor of The Spark, an independent magazine in Bristol that ran for 25 years. I'm not claiming it was anything like the Manchester Guardian - but I love that tiny echo.
The chapel also has a literary connection: the novelist Elizabeth Gaskell was married to its minister for over fifty years, and the congregation stood by the couple through the controversy some of her books caused at the time.
The area
Albert Square is at the end of Cross Street. The Town Hall there has stood in for the Houses of Parliament so many times in films and TV that you may well recognise it - Sherlock Holmes, The Iron Lady, and plenty more. The real Parliament apparently doesn't let film crews in. Manchester just gets on with it.
Cross Street has somehow become Manchester's chocolate quarter. Knoops at number 68 does hot chocolate in over twenty varieties. Hotel Chocolat at number 1 has a two-floor café with molten chocolate on tap. If you're arriving the evening before, there are worse ways to spend an hour.
Almost opposite the chapel is one of only two Patagonia shops in Britain. If you're a walker, you can go in and marvel at the equipment, their sustainability wizardry and their prices. Every three years or so you might save up enough to buy a jacket. I have a deep winter one to keep me toasty warm for my winter walks to Piccadilly Station and beyond!
If you have a few minutes, take a short walk down Back Pool Fold, the alley just off Cross Street. There's a blue plaque on the wall commemorating the Women of Back Pool Fold - women who, in medieval times, held opinions that rocked the patriarchal boat and were accused of witchcraft for it. Put there in 2022. Worth a minute of your time. It's a narrow alley so you have to be slightly brave - but don't let that put you off.
The Royal Exchange Theatre is almost opposite. Even if you're not seeing a show, if you get the chance to step inside and look at the structure, do it. It's one of the most remarkable theatre spaces in the country. My wife used to be an usher there when she was a student, and she turned down a date with Hugh Grant.
Google Map link
https://maps.app.goo.gl/7Bhk2isPUBmcwGZHA
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Hotel
I usually stay at Motel One Manchester Royal Exchange. It's the shortest walk from hotel to venue I have anywhere. I can leave at 8am and be there at 8.01am. But be careful as Motel one has other hotels in the city and I have booked the wrong one twice!
If you arrive really early
There is a Pret a Manger opposite the venue.
Lunch
Sainsbury's, Pret, and Greggs are all a short hop. Marks and Spencers just a bit further. Plenty of other cafes and restaurants nearby if you want to explore. We often share lunch together but you are free to do whatever you want.
A note about the chapel
If you're wondering what it means to spend two days in a chapel, this is what Cross Street says about itself: "Unitarians are non-credal, and there is a wide diversity of belief at Cross Street. Some believe in God, some don't. Some believe in life after death, some don't. It doesn't matter. We are bound together by love and respect, not a shared creed."
My own work is not based on any religion - but on respect, care, and the belief that people can change. The space reflects that.
https://cross-street-chapel.org.uk
The room
On day one we meet in the chapel itself - a circular room. It's a beautiful space and it works well for the course.
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. Including some three-hour ones from Piccadilly to Bristol Temple Meads - an orthopaedic surgeon, an author and a landscape gardener spring to mind. But the best one so far was a 15 minute one but you’ll have to ask me about that on a course!
I've been teaching in Manchester for 13 years now, and at the end of a course day I'll sometimes wander around the centre or the Northern Quarter for some street photography
I live in Bath with my lovely wife Clare. We were both born in the same hospital in Huddersfield, a few years apart, and met years later in Bristol. We are both Northerners who live in the soft south. Had I been a generation or three before me, I well may have been a sheep farmer in Nidderdale in North Yorkshire which we did on Mum’s side for over 500 years!
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, 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 use the booking panel right here on the page.
Or if you want longer I have an initial hour of coaching for £45 (normally £95)
Book here
Frequently asked questions about the Manchester course
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Cross Street Chapel, Cross Street, Manchester M2 1NL
It’s close to Albert Square and the Arndale Centre. -
Prices start from £475 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. In 2027 the courses will be run every 6 weeks.
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Yes. They're designed for people who are anxious around public speaking and being the centre of attention. 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 5th September ·• Early Bird Solo £475 (usually £561.60) • Early Bird Standard £648 (usually £750)