Across the month of January, seven current members of Disability Shooting Great Britain’s World Class Programme squad took part in a 2-part public speaking workshop, funded by UK Sport.
The workshop, which took place at Stoke Mandeville Stadium, was designed to support the shooters to develop their ability to craft and deliver their story, and to increase their confidence to seek out and undertake public speaking opportunities.
The workshop co-ordinated by EIS Performance Lifestyle Advisor Emma Groome, was delivered by Sean Wilton. Sean a professional actor, who also works as a coaching and training consultant, has worked with a range of Olympic and Paralympic athletes on this topic.
Whilst the sessions took a ‘laugh and learn’ approach, they also involved everyone stepping truly beyond their comfort zone. In each session they had to deliver their story to their peer group, which allowed for expert and peer feedback. Each presentation was also filmed which allowed everyone to individually review their talk, and revise and improve it for the second session.
Lorraine Lambert, a podium potential shooter, said “The workshop has really boosted my confidence. It’s been great to get the assurance that we have stories that are worthwhile telling and to pick up some strategies and tips that we can use to tell them well”.
If you are interested in having an athlete attend and present at an upcoming event, please contact info@disabilityshooting-gb.org with your enquiry.