We were recently invited by Rotary International to prepare seven physicians and IT engineers for their keynote speeches at a combined Rotary/WHO event in Geneva. The speeches were delivered virtually, in the presence of the Director General of the WHO, Dr Tedros Adhanom, and included a globally diverse virtual audience.

Over the weeks leading up to the Presidential Conference, we worked closely with the speakers as they distilled their life-saving projects of gynecological and obstetrical support for women and children in Sub-Sahara Africa, Mexico, India and Bolivia, into high impact five-minute presentations.

First, we explored the unique challenges posed by a five-minute speech, including effective structure, harnessing the power of storytelling, and the need to showcase rather than summarise. Next, we edited these speeches, in collaboration with the speakers. And finally, we devoted a training session to effective presentation delivery techniques.

The feedback of one speaker lingers in the mind:

“Thank you very much Susan. You made possible what I thought was impossible…”

Geneva Peace Week is a leading annual forum in the international peacebuilding calendar and we were honoured to be invited to deliver our flagship storytelling workshop for women working on the frontlines of global peace and security. We were also delighted to collaborate with our partner at the Geneva Peace Building Platform, Dr Claudia Seymour.

The workshop complemented the Geneva Peace Week 2020 theme of “galvinising leadership, building trust and contributing to transforming international cooperation in the wake of Covid-19”. Now, more than ever, women in peace across the globe need to enhance their leadership profiles so that they can assert their authority, credibility and impact when sitting at negotiating tables whether in conflict resolution, peace-making or peace-building.

In the context of its contribution to peacebuilding, the workshop addressed a vital area that remains so sensitive in this 20th anniversary of UN Resolution 1325: The number of women in the peace sector still does not reflect the ambitious goals of the resolution.

Indeed, if there was one powerful message that delegates took away from the workshop room it was awareness that they do have the power to increase their authority in the sector by enhancing their communication repertoires, learning to advocate for their careers more effectively and asserting their voices with greater confidence and presence.

It was our great pleasure to meet such inspiring women, to hear their shared stories from the frontlines and, above all, to offer practical strategies to increase their impact as leaders, or leaders in waiting, in the peace sector.

Furthermore, how do you distil your key achievements so that an audience is totally engaged by an inspiring narrative that showcases rather than highlights your platform?

Above all, how do you motivate an audience of 900-plus to invest, emotionally and professionally, in your work?

This was our brief when invited to support Rotary Day at the United Nations in New York. We are very proud of our relationship with Rotary International and Dr Susan Laverick was delighted to once again support Rotary Day at the United Nations.

Throughout Rotary’s 75-year history with the United Nations, Rotarians have helped people displaced by war, famine and climate disaster. This year, Rotary recognised six humanitarians as Rotary’s People of Action for outstanding projects that are devising community-based solutions to the global refugee crisis.

The honorees and their projects included:

• Dr Bernd Fischer – the integration of refugee women into German society.
• Vanderlei Lima Santana – humanitarian aid to Venezuelan refugees.
• Hasina Rahman – nutrition services for starving Rohingya children in Bangladesh.
• Ace Robin – disaster relief and housing for people displaced by earthquakes in Lombok, Indonesia.
• Ilge Karancak-Splane – education and integration project in Turkey for Syrian refugee children.
• Lucienne Heyworth – delivering education curriculum in times of emergency, Middle East.

House of Beaufort has developed a strong relationship with the British Chamber of Commerce in Slovakia and is delighted to partner with them in the delivery of our successful Storytelling Workshop on 19 September 2019, aimed at women business leaders and entrepreneurs across the Republic.

Time and time again, from petroleum organisations in the Middle East to leading financial institutions in London, we have seen the transformative potential of this workshop to  encourage and empower  a group of professional women to think differently about how they approach particular career challenges, including what might be holding them back and what can drive them forward as leaders, or leaders in waiting.

Not only do the individual women themselves benefit, but L&D who frequently attend our sessions, also gain critical insights into the pressures and obstacles that women are facing in developing their careers to the next level. With the feedback we collate after each workshop, L&D can subsequently integrate coaching and training opportunities to address issues raised during the workshop and ultimately build stronger talent pipelines for their businesses. 

Testimonials from our most recent workshops include:

National oil company:

“Thank you for delivering such a hugely impactful seminar” (Female Board Member)

“Excellent seminar and workshop. A unique way to share stories and insights into career obstacles. Now I know that I am not alone in areas that I feel less confident – talking about my achievements – and have some strategies to move myself forward at appraisal time” (Female Engineer and Analyst)

International Asset-Management company:

“This is the best workshop I have ever attended at this organization. It made us think and reflect, in a safe environment, about which soft skills are key to developing our confidence and advance our careers. Thank you Lizzy and Susan” (Female Analyst)

“I am an introvert and yet not once felt intimidated in sharing my experiences with colleagues. Thank you for giving us such excellent strategies to develop more authoritative voices.” (Fund Manager)

“The discussion around developing personal presence was fascinating, insightful and so helpful. What is presence? Now we know and I can start thinking about the training that will develop this essential quality” (Recent joiner)

In recent months, House of Beaufort has developed a strong relationship with the British Chamber of Commerce in Slovak Republic, so we were delighted to be invited as a guest speaker at the annual British Chambers of Commerce in Central Europe’s Business Ladies Day on 11 October 2018, a forum that united over a hundred senior women from the Slovakian business community.

The panel discussion focused on key challenges that senior women leaders have faced in forging their careers and included, amongst others, the Head of HR at Jaguar Landrover Slovakia and the MD of G4S, a global security firm.  It was interesting, of course, from our perspective as trainers and executive coaches, to note how frequently issues of confidence and self-belief had informed key points of their professional journeys.

Slovakia is one of the EU’s great success stories with a rapidly expanding economy and the movement of many women into corporate sectors, so we were happy to share both our expertise and global platform for the professional empowerment of women. We look forward to returning to Slovakia and deepening our relationship with the excellent British Chamber of Commerce in Slovak Republic. Ďakujem, Denisa, Eva and Nikoleta!