Stepping into the spotlight - CWN members take the stage at RADA
On the 9th September, CWN members were invited to strike a power pose, find their voice and experience a small taster of RADA in Business’s skills development programme: Executive Presence for Women.
Led by RADA senior tutor Lisa Akesson, the audience were able to experience on a practical level how the course supports senior women in business to hold their space and make an impact.
Performing with confidence
92% of women recently surveyed expressed lack of confidence as being a major stumbling block for progression within their organizations. Combined with not being heard in meetings, spoken over and “manfirmation” (the owning of your idea by a male counterpart) many women have expressed frustration at seeing male peers outprogress them – despite not perceivably out-performing them.
Lisa took CWN members through a series of exercises to “power up” their voices, bodies and ultimately their physical presence in this short taster session.
Adopting the “power pose” for just a couple of minutes, based on Amy Cuddy’s research, has been proven to increase testosterone and decrease cortisol levels in our blood – significant factors in enabling us to perform with confidence. Our network had the opportunity to try these and other exercises out – and the effects were extraordinary.
Participants started to walk with greater confidence, speak at a more intense and powerful (though not necessarily loud!) level and command greater attention when introducing themselves.
All this in the George Bernard Shaw theatre at RADA – an appropriate backdrop as the playwright and socialist was dedicated to improving women’s standing and treatment in society.
Sustaining this impact in the workplace
RADA in business draws on the pedagogy from 111 years of the drama school to develop people to perform at their very best at work.
The Executive Presence for Women programme offers a unique approach for senior women to transform their performance in the workplace. By experimenting, learning and embodying the behaviours and skills needed to develop heightened presence and impact, the experience is profound and meaningful for each individual.
The experience enables the group to try out the multiple exercises, to practice in safe but exposed settings and to re embed the learnings via methods beyond just classroom training.