SpeakersBank

SpeakersBank© 1 (http://speakersbank.co.uk) is a national network of professional trainers, speakers and facilitators operating within the UK. SpeakersBank is a company limited by guarantee and registered in England under no. 6740655 and is the training arm of the charity Speakers Trust registered charity no: 296823. SpeakersBank has trained over 70,000 individuals ranging from young children to professional adults 2 with a focus on building self-confidence and communication skills. SpeakersBank was founded by Sue Warner in 2002 at the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund offices.

Overview

SpeakersBank is a provider of public speaking and communication training in the UK and works with people from all walks of life. Most of its programmes are delivered in partnership with education establishments, the voluntary and community sector and the public sector. SpeakersBank aims at making high quality professional communication training accessible to all.

SpeakersBank seeks to serve the not-for-profit sectors in which it operates – Its mission: to find the best trainers who share SpeakersBank ethos and seek to help build communications skills in others.

SpeakersBank programs are aimed at small groups (5-25 students). The training seminars focus on building confidence through practice, using the associates skills to help encourage and guide speakers to self-improvement. Participants learn by doing and enjoy the mix of speeches, impromptu speaking sessions, communication games and learning to give constructive detailed feedback.

History

• 1998/9 - Sue Warner's vision
• 2001 - UN International Year of Volunteers – Speak Up! Speak Out! (SUSO) becomes a central part of the theme, in England. Home Office secondee appointed.
• 2002 - SpeakersBank launch at the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund offices. Millennium Commission contract commissioned to run national training programme.
• 2003 - SW receives Individual National Training Award. The start of the education programme in Islington - “Find a Voice Find a Job”.
• 2004 - National Exemplar Fund grant from the Home Office. First part-time Programme co-ordinator appointed, Dale Rees-Bevan.
  • 35 Associates and 40+ potential associates in place. Close to 10,000 trained.
• 2006 - Jack Petchey Foundation grant received to take training into London secondary schools.
  • SpeakersBank Australia launched.
  • SpeakersBank and Speakers Trust merger.

Sue Warner is the founding director of SpeakersBank, and has worked in the voluntary and not-for-profit sectors for over 20 years 4. She headed training and regional development for the National Centre for Volunteering. She also coordinated volunteer training for the Directory of Social Change and led the ‘People: a Force for Change’ conference.

Her own fears drove her belief in personal development through speaking: “I lacked confidence. I died speaking - couldn’t face an audience. At meetings I stayed silent even if I had a point of view” 5. Her first visit to a SpeakersClub changed everything “But it’s a long time to wait until your 40’s to find you have a voice. I resolved there and then that everyone has something to say and to devote time to giving a voice to the silent - to promote active citizenship” 6. The result was that she founded the Speak Up! Speak Out! initiative, from which grew SpeakersBank.

Ethos

SpeakersBank built its SUSO (Speak Up! Speak Out!) program on the fundamental belief that in order to get a charity’s message across, each member must be regarded as an ambassador, capable of conveying the message of the organization with clarity and poise. Whether in accounts, administration, project management or hands on running projects – each team member needs to be equipped to both communicate in the workplace and be encouraged to be an ambassador for what is achieved together. The objectives of the Voluntary and Community Sector can be supported by providing service users with excellent training to both improve self-esteem, help with employability and equip individuals to be active and engage in their communities.

The SUSO programme is particularly effective in the voluntary and community Sectors because it:

• Promotes active citizenship
• Feeds into civic renewal strategies and representation
• Helps identify and support community leaders
• Encourages volunteer involvement and community engagement
• Empowers socially excluded or vulnerable people whose views are rarely heard

Particular focus of the training is working with:

• Service users
• Charity fund-raisers
• Team building days
• Speak Up! Speak Out! for staff teams and trustee boards
• Capacity building and community engagement programmes

SUSO programmes contain three levels of training: § SUSO Introductory Public Speaking Skills - SUSO Level 1 § SUSO Intermediate Public Speaking Skills - SUSO Level 2 § SUSO Advanced Public Speaking Skills - SUSO Level 3

Work With Young People

SpeakersBank school training programmes directly link into:

• Speaking & Listening component of GCSE English
• Compulsory Citizenship courses at Key Stage 4
• Enterprise component of GCSE Business Studies
• Sixth form or further education interviews
• Presentation, performance and evaluation for GCSE Drama
• Duke of Edinburgh modules

Each programme boosts confidence and self-esteem as pupils learn how to speak with clarity and impact. The training helps students become better communicators which improves their education and employment prospects. SpeakersBank training is suitable for all young people and is adapted to address students at each of the primary, secondary and further education levels. SpeakersBank is proud to be running the world's biggest youth speaking event: Jack Petchey's "Speak Out" Challenge! 7

Community Impact/In the News

• 'Pupils to be taught to speak properly amid growing 'word poverty' -TimesOnline April 29, 20098
• Who is Britain's best young public speaker? BBC Two is to begin a new series inspired by the world's largest youth speaking event, (designed and delivered by SpeakersBank) Jack Petchey's "Speak Out" Challenge!, to find out. Winner of the Hammersmith Regional Final 2008 Benedict Townsend, president of the Speakers Trust Lord Digby Jones discuss if young people should be encouraged to take part. Listen to Radio 4's Today Programme interview with John Humphries.9
• 'Public Speaking Competition inspires the BBC to invest millions to find Britain’s best young speaker. Jack Petchey's “Speak Out” Challenge, the UK’s largest public speaking competition has been the inspiration behind The Speaker, a new landmark series for BBC2. Over the past three years over 45,000 teenagers have learnt to be better speakers and communicators through Jack Petchey's “Speak Out” Challenge'. 10
• Revealed: The Best Young Speaker, BBC 14 July, 2009 11