Confidence coaching and inspirational new ideas for librarians working with older children and adults.

‘HELP! There are thirty 11 year-olds coming in for a session. They’ve been before, so I can’t do what I usually do. They’re too old for picture books and finger puppets, easily bored and I’ll have to hold their attention for 45 minutes.’

‘HELP! I’ve been asked to do an afternoon book session for adults. I am supposed to recommend a few books, read extracts, talk about themes… I don’t know where to begin and I hate standing up in front of adults.’

Many librarians feel confident doing Story Time with little ones, but find older children and adults MUCH more daunting!

HOW OLD ARE THEY?! is a three-hour workshop specially designed to give librarians greater confidence in this challenging area of their work.

Workshop participants will benefit from:

• Increased confidence as a public speaker
• Improved vocal technique and audience awareness
• Polished presentations with greater clarity (useful for staff meetings too!)
• Strengthened creativity when preparing for school visits
• ‘Tricks of the trade’ from a hugely experienced professional speaker

The workshop will include:

• Book & story games and activities. Instant ideas to use with children aged 7+. Practical and fun spelling games, book quizzes and storymaking techniques to encourage reading and make the time fly by.
• ‘Selling’ a book. How to choose and prepare book extracts. Synopses, themes and characters explained. How to make listeners want to read your book.
• Confidence coaching. How to face adult audiences. How to hold attention and keep discipline with older school groups.
• Vocal work. How to use your voice more effectively to bring vivacity and authority to your presentations.
• Q & A. A chance to exchange and gather useful information on all aspects of working with the public in presentation mode.

Practical information

A HOW OLD ARE THEY?! workshop generally takes 2.5 – 3 hours, including a 30 minute tea break. In a full day, Cat can do TWO workshops, am and pm, with a maximum of 20 participants in each. Full day £350 / half day £200. This usually includes travel. Cat can also offer full day training sessions (5 hours/£350).

• Gain and hold attention
• Add colour to a storytelling session with the use of puppets, toys, props and musical instruments
• Remember and tell stories rather than reading from a book
• Keep discipline with young children – and their accompanying adults!
• Spontaneously tell stories

She can also consider practical things, like organising a story session, setting out the room, meeting and greeting etc. The sessions always include action rhymes and infant dance (trousers are recommended) and an opportunity for Q & A.

Words for the songs and rhymes are provided free of charge.

Fees: Full day (4 hours teaching time plus breaks) £350. Half day (2 hours) £200. Maximum 20 participants.

Flying Start staff training workshop evaluation comments

‘Cat is an excellent trainer; very enthusiastic’

‘The training was absolutely fantastic; full of ideas, stimulation and ideas were extremely relevant for my work’

‘Plenty of good ideas to aid a successful storytelling session’

Family stories can be personal, unique and true. They can help children find their place within the family, establish their own identity and feel special.

Storytelling exposes children to words. The amount of words a child is exposed to between birth and eight years is the main predictor of their later social, emotional and cognitive success in life.

Best of all, story telling is FUN!  So why don’t people do it?!

Perhaps they lack the confidence to try. Perhaps they dislike reading and think stories can only be found in books. Perhaps they never had stories as a child and simply don’t know what they’re missing. Whatever the reason, Cat can help.

Cat’s family storytelling workshops are all about BUILDING CONFIDENCE and INSPIRING people to give storytelling a go.  She looks at –

• Reading stories from books
• Making up magical new ones
• Spinning stories from everyday objects like dolls, shoes and vegetables
• Bedtime stories
• Celebration stories
• Family stories to treasure and pass on
• Using stories to heal and soothe.

The workshops are friendly, interactive and great fun. They generally last two hours (with tea & chat in the middle!) They are primarily aimed at mums, dads and carers with children aged 2 – 7.

Fee: £200 including travel. If this is genuinely beyond your budget, please contact Cat anyway. She is always happy to talk!

Please contact her to discuss your plans and ideas.