What We're Playing At
Our work is always customised, always highly interactive –
and always fun!
We solve problems and explore issues like these:
(click a topic to find out more – or read our Case Studies)
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Performance Management
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Influencing and Negotiating
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Leadership
I'll play with it first and tell you what it is later.
Miles Davis
Seriously...
We work with our clients to make sure everyone follows Covid-safe best practice.
We love to be in the room with you, but we can design and deliver sessions for virtual platforms like Zoom, Teams, or any others you prefer.
We design and deliver:
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Zoom or In The Room sessions
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stand-alone training programmes
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experiential group workshops
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1:1 sessions
Problems with Presentation Skills?
All the world’s a stage and most of us are desperately unrehearsed.
Sean O’Casey
Play4Real knows all about the kind of problems you face when you have to stand and deliver to an audience.
"I need to make a presentation – but…
…I lack confidence.”
…I can’t control my nerves.”
…I don’t know what to do with my hands.”
…they tell me I’m wooden and monotonous.”
…I can’t be heard at the back.”
…I’m scared of forgetting what I want to say.”
Sound familiar? Keep scrolling to find out how we can help.
Play4Real helps you
Play to the Gallery
Private 1:1s or small group workshops,
on Zoom or In The Room, tailor-made to…
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BOOST YOUR CONFIDENCE
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CALM YOUR NERVES
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GET YOUR BODY LANGUAGE TO TELL THE RIGHT STORY
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GIVE YOU REAL PRESENCE
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DEVELOP YOUR VOCAL SKILLS
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ENABLE YOU TO BE INSPIRED AND INSPIRING
You’ll also be able to...
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think more creatively about presentations
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present equally well to audiences large or small
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deliver a message that stands out from the rest
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use PowerPoint and other visual aids more effectively
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feel well-prepared for interviews and appraisals
Individuals and groups we’ve helped ‘Play to the Gallery’ include
senior managers and staff from:
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MARS GROUP
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NHBC
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COMPASS GROUP
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F L SMIDTH
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BEIERSDORF
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PFIZER
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UNILEVER
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SGAM
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HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS
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HENLEY BUSINESS SCHOOL
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DfES
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DoH
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2TG
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VARIOUS SMEs
National House Building Council
Department for Education & Skills
Société Générale Asset Management
Department of Health
2 Temple Gardens Barristers Chambers
PARTICIPANTS SAID:
The session has made a true difference to our managers. Lin stretched our delegates to enable them to maximise impact in their presentations through a true understanding of voice, presence and confidence. It really works.
Mary Noble
Divisional Training Manager
Compass Group
Made me feel ten times more confident. It’ll be great to step up and offer to present, rather than always shying away from it. Really brought me out of my shell and into the room.
Rachel VinceOps Co-ordinator
NHBC
Lin’s energy and creativity are infectious and she inspires you to be playful, adventurous and generally more comfortable in your own skin and with the sound of your own voice.
Melanie JonesExecutive Coach
My vocal technique has improved dramatically and I now have the skills to communicate much more effectively and confidently in everyday situations.
Eleanor White
British Library
Personal Impact Giving a Bad Impression?
He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot,
but don’t let that fool you – he really is an idiot.
Groucho Marx
"I need to make a good impression – but…
…I can’t seem to get the response I want.”
…I worry about how I’m coming across - especially on Zoom."
…I can’t project or control my voice the way I’d like to.”
…I lack authority, especially when I need to say ‘no’.”
…I seem to rub some people up the wrong way.”
Sound familiar? Keep scrolling to find out how we can help.
We know that your ‘personal impact’ – the way you
come across to others – and the way you think you
come across can be two different things.
Play4Real helps you
Play with Feeling
Private 1:1s or small group workshops,
on Zoom or In The Room, that equip you to…
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MAKE THE IMPACT YOU WANT IN THE WAY YOU INTEND
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MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR OWN PERSONAL STYLE
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DEVELOP YOUR EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
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ESTABLISH REAL PRESENCE IN EVERY SITUATION
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ENGAGE RAPPORT WITH ANYONE YOU MEET
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DEVELOP YOUR ALL-ROUND INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
You’ll also be able to...
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make small changes – for a big difference
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overcome your personal ‘nightmare scenarios’
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influence others more effectively
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understand more about body language
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take more creative approaches to making the right impact
People we’ve helped to ‘Play with Feeling’ include senior managers
and staff from:
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MARS GROUP
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NHBC
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COMPASS GROUP
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F L SMIDTH
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BEIERSDORF
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PFIZER
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UNILEVER
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SGAM
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HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS
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HENLEY BUSINESS SCHOOL
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DfES
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DoH
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2TG
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VARIOUS SMEs
National House Building Council
Société Générale Asset Management
Department for Education & Skills
Department of Health
2 Temple Gardens Barristers' Chambers
PARTICIPANTS SAID:
Lin led a workshop at our global conference and in 2 hours completely won over many participants who were reluctant to acknowledge the value of “soft skills” training. Many felt it was transformative, and were eager for more.
Patricia EggertSenior Director
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
The course was brilliant. Exercises were so much fun. You got it right in understanding my feelings and suggested the perfect way to overcome or improve a situation. I learnt an awful lot about myself.
Rishi GhoseBusiness intelligence Analyst
Data Intelligence
Working with groups, often from diverse cultures and countries, Lin enables leaders to find their personal power, and communicate with clarity and conviction. Our participants report with gratitude the positive – sometimes transformative – difference her coaching has helped them to make.
Helen PriceAssociate Client Director
Henley Business School
I have just heard that I have been promoted and wanted to say a huge ‘thank you’ – I couldn’t have done it without you.
Senior Civil ServantDepartment for Education & Skills
Every one of us was made to feel important and special and worthwhile – a really genuine interest in us. Fantastic – never had so much informed and articulated attention.
Sue Milne
Digital Channel Manager
NHBC
Allows you to recognise your strengths/weaknesses and understand others’ – prepares you to be flexible and ready to adapt. Keeps it real and above all else, allows you to put some fun and enjoyment into your worklife.
Mark Scranney
Key Account Manager
British Sugar
Société Générale Asset Management
People Behaving Badly in Meetings?
Every time you suppress some part of yourself or allow others to play you small, you are ignoring the owner’s manual your creator gave you and destroying your design.
Oprah Winfrey
We know all about meetings that everyone finds a drag.
"Our meetings are all work and no play because…
…people aren’t engaged so they don’t contribute.”
…no-one listens properly to anyone else.”
…no-one seems to know why we’re having a meeting anyway.”
…we drag on for hours and achieve little.”
…I never open my mouth in case I say something stupid.”
…people hijack proceedings to suit their own agenda."
Sound familiar? Keep scrolling to find out how we can help.
Play4Real helps
Everyone Play Nicely
Fly-on-the-wall observation, feedback and coaching
that will equip you to…
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KEEP EVERYONE IN THE MEETING ENGAGED THROUGHOUT
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LISTEN MORE EFFECTIVELY
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ENSURE THE MEETING IS FOCUSED AND WORTHWHILE
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SET AND MAINTAIN REALISTIC AGENDAS
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RESPOND CONFIDENTLY, EVEN WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW
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KEEP THE MEETING ON TRACK
You’ll also be able to...
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understand the games people play in meetings
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have your say – and be heard
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improve the way everyone relates to everyone else
Organisations that have asked us for help with meetings behaviours include:
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MARS FOOD EUROPE
In association with CI:Creative intelligence:
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ZURICH INSURANCE
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THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
In association with Arts & Business:
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THE HOUSING CORPORATION
In association with the MAP Consortium:
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UNILEVER
In association with Spoken Word:
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STATOIL
PARTICIPANTS SAID:
"I'll be able to attend more meetings and enjoy them rather than finding them a chore… I have had the best course ever – this is what I needed… Lin made it seem so easy. I felt I drew on her confidence – she made me feel I could believe in myself… Very well put together and facilitated. Good mix of theory and having a go… It’s opened my eyes to different types of behaviours within a meeting and looking at ways to manage these behaviours.
Delegates fromThe Housing Corporation
So many different things to take away and try! I have a whole list – and I’ll begin by getting rid of the tables and sitting in a circle whenever I hold a meeting!
Andres Romann
European Quality Manager
Invacare
Training Days, Conferences, and Special Events
in need of 'The Wow Factor'?
When your event needs a major ‘wow’ factor, Play4Real
knows just where you’re coming from.
“We want to get real about our future – so let’s play ‘what if’ in order to…
…celebrate our successes.”
…see where we are now and where we’re going.”
…look at our mistakes and learn how to turn them into best practice.”
…create a buzz that kickstarts a new initiative.”
…generate ownership by everyone of the new challenges we face.”
…inspire and re-motivate people in a new direction.”
…give our event a focus and impact that won’t easily be forgotten.”
Sound familiar? Keep scrolling to find out how we can help.
My play was a complete success.
The audience was a failure.
Anon
With Play4Real, ‘The Play’s the Thing’
We'll write you a customised play: specially scripted to
dramatise your business story, performed live by our
professional cast, and - if you like - presented as Forum Theatre
(see FAQ), enabling you to…
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SEE BIG DIFFERENCES MADE BY SMALL CHANGES
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ENGAGE ALL STAFF IN A STORY THEY RECOGNISE
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GET BUY-IN FOR A NEW IDEA
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INSPIRE EVERYONE WITH COMMON VALUES AND VISION
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MOTIVATE EVERYONE TO TAKE OWNERSHIP
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PLAN FOR THE FUTURE MORE CONFIDENTLY
You’ll also be able to…
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entertain and involve all delegates
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reflect on company culture and values
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explore best practice
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get people to try out new ways of doing things
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create a talking point that has lasting value
We’ve written and performed customised plays and Forum Theatre pieces for:
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NHBC
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MRC
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ZURICH FINANCIAL SERVICES
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ORACLE
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CHIM
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HEE
In association with MAP Consortium:
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UNILEVER
In association with RADA in Business:
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THURROCK COUNCIL
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UTTLESFORD COUNCIL
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NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNCIL
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IDeA
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UBS
In association with Central School Bespoke & Business:
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WEA
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DfT
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SWINDON BOROUGH COUNCIL
In association with Arts & Business:
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PFIZER
Medical Research Council
National House Building Council
Capital House Investment Management
Health Education England
Improvement & Development Agency
United Bank of Switzerland
Welsh Environment Agency
Department for Transport
PARTICIPANTS SAID:
"The forum theatre was a very useful, practical experience; I’m now able to take specific techniques back to the workplace and communicate more effectively with people of all grades; also able to tackle workplace issues.
K. Guberg
Laboratory Analyst
MRC
Amusing, different way of dealing with a potentially dull topic… I saw perceptions that had not occurred to me previously… Good that it was live – more interactive, more personal; I would not have got so involved if it was a video…
Delegates from Pfizer and
Quintiles Clinical Research
Just wanted to reinforce my thanks for the work you did in pulling together the launch. I was delighted with the result and have had some really positive feedback.
Tom Denyard
Marketing
Unilever
