Confident Conversations & Social Etiquette

• Understand how you learnt to be shy and how you can unlearn it.
• Understand the fight, flight or freeze responses to fear and which one is yours.
• Recognise that shyness is very common and is actually an appealing characteristic.
• What it takes to be a good conversationalist.
• How to break the ice, start conversations, and keep them going.
• What questions to ask and which ones are too intrusive.
• How to answer the ‘How are you?’ question.
• Deal with bores and avoid being one yourself.
• The art and etiquette of mingling at a party or business function.
• Change the subject without offending.
• How to interrupt and get a word in.
• End a conversation gracefully.

Participants who apply the principles will gradually overcome their shyness and will become confident conversationalists. It needs you to take constant, small steps to overcome your fears and slowly develop into the friendly, outgoing person you dream of being.

Jacquie Wise has been in private practice as a psychotherapist for 40 years, specialising in self-esteem issues. She is the author of a number of personal development books. Her warm and lively workshops are designed to transform lives. Having once been agonisingly shy herself, she understands the anxiety that makes it so difficult to even think of what needs to be said. The techniques she teaches are those she developed to help herself.

Student endoresements:

• 'Last year I enrolled in your course Confident Conversations. You know what? This is the best course I have ever done. It is just fantastic! Every day I put into practice what I learned. I can converse better and be happy at functions. Cheers!' JVH

• 'I came to your course very tense and thought there's no way I'll be able to see this through. Hearing your story of how you overcame shyness and all your fears is an inspiration.  It gave me hope from the start. I felt my confidence rise every hour of your class as we practiced every technique. Since then I have remembered your courage and have pushed my way through my fears as you did. What a difference! I can't thank you enough.' RL

Please bring a note pad and pen and your list of questions and have ready the handouts that Jacquie will send you in advance of the class.

People who feel awkward and left out in conversations and who would like to be more comfortable making friends easily. Also useful for those who have to network professionally and need to know the etiquette of mingling.