Get out of your head
Use play and improvisation to let go of getting everything right. Listen, respond, adapt and practise thinking on your feet.
PRACTICAL COMMUNICATION TRAINING
Everyone has
a stage.
A meeting. A presentation. An interview. A classroom. A camera. A pitch. A conversation where you need to speak up.
Take the Stage helps you communicate when it matters.
Practical communication training using drama, improvisation, storytelling and performance techniques to help people communicate with greater confidence, clarity and impact.
Explore Take the StageORGANISATIONS • EDUCATION • INDIVIDUALS
COMMUNICATION IS SOMETHING WE USE EVERY DAY.
But using it every day doesn’t mean it always comes easily.
You can know exactly what you mean and still struggle to say it.
You can overthink the words. Rely on a script. Go blank when you’re put on the spot. Shrink when it’s time to speak up. Know your subject inside out and still struggle to communicate it with confidence.
And the same is true collectively. A room can be full of capable people who haven’t necessarily learned how to listen, respond, collaborate and communicate effectively with one another.
Communication isn’t only about knowing the right words. It’s being able to use them when it matters.
That’s what we practise at Take the Stage.
LESS SITTING AND LISTENING. MORE SPEAKING AND DOING.
You don’t become a better communicator by only learning about communication.
Communication is a skill. Skills need practice.
Being told to “communicate with confidence” isn’t enough. Neither is watching another presentation about communication. People need somewhere to try it for themselves.
That’s why Take the Stage is practical by design.
We use techniques drawn from drama, improvisation, storytelling, voice and performance to give people opportunities to actually practise the skills they’re developing.
Speaking. Listening. Responding.
Trying something. Getting it wrong.
Trying it differently. Thinking on your feet.
And doing it again.
Because communication is something you do. So that’s how we teach it.
THE TAKE THE STAGE METHOD
From overthinking to taking the stage.
Find your voice
Explore voice, body language and presence. Practise speaking up and communicating without hiding behind perfect wording.
Tell your story
Understand what you really want to say. Shape your message, find the story and communicate it without becoming dependent on a script.
Take the stage
Put it into practice. Speak. Present. Record. Pitch. Share. Be seen and heard. Keep going when it isn’t perfect.
KNOW YOUR MESSAGE.
NOT YOUR SCRIPT.
WHAT CAN WE WORK ON?
Communication shows up everywhere.
Communication skillsPublic speakingPresentation skillsStorytellingListeningTeamwork & collaborationThinking on your feetConfidence & presenceBody languageInterview skillsSpeaking to cameraCommunicating ideas clearly
Every room is different. Training can be tailored around the people taking part, the context they’re working in and the communication skills they need to develop.
Talk to us about trainingCHOOSE YOUR STAGE
Where do you need communication to work better?
What happens when you take the stage?
“I learnt how to stop relying on a script and to speak boldly.”Public training participant
“I can be seen without needing to be perfect.”Public training participant
“I cannot believe how much I've grown in a couple of hours.”Public training participant
ROOM TO TRY. ROOM TO GROW.
“It was a safe, freeing space.”Public training participant
“Stop relying on a script and speak from my heart, trusting myself that I know what I want to communicate.”Public training participant
“It is fun and it is a safe place to try out new ideas with like minded people.”Public training participant
Genuine participant feedback from Take the Stage public training.
MEET THE FOUNDER
Hi, I’m Zanya.
For nearly 20 years, I’ve been helping people find their voice. That work began long before I called it communication training.
My career began in theatre. Straight out of university, I established PALS (Positive Attitude for Life) and went on to run a drama school working across Kent.
The work extended beyond weekly drama classes. PALS worked within schools and communities and secured work with local authorities and councils. It also received local recognition, including visits from the Mayor.
But even then, it was never only about performing.
Through drama, I saw what happened when people were given somewhere to practise using their voice. They learnt to listen. Respond. Think on their feet. Tell stories. Take up space. Recover when things didn’t go exactly to plan. Stand in front of other people and trust that they had something worth saying.
My career then took me further into education.
I’ve worked as a teacher, was an Early Years Lead and also led Early Years across the schools within the academy trust. Today, I work as an Early Years Advisor within local government.
Across those roles, teaching, facilitating, communication and understanding how people learn have remained central to my work.
Then business gave me another stage.
Building businesses and communicating online meant presenting ideas, speaking to camera, telling stories, facilitating rooms, marketing a message and learning how to communicate in a way that connects with other people.
And I realised something.
The skills helping me do that were the same skills I’d started teaching through drama nearly two decades earlier.
They weren’t just theatre skills. They were communication skills. And they matter everywhere.
In a classroom. An interview. A meeting. A presentation. A pitch. A camera. A conversation where you need to speak up.
That’s why I created Take the Stage.
Because being told to “communicate with confidence” isn’t enough. Communication is a skill. Skills become stronger when we have somewhere to practise them.
Take the Stage gives people that place.
A place to get out of their head. Find their voice. Tell their story. And practise communicating when it matters.
YOUR NEXT STAGE
Ready to Take the Stage?
Whether you’re looking for training for your organisation, an education setting or yourself, tell us what you’re looking for. We’d also love to hear from you if you have something more specific in mind.
We’d love to hear what you need and explore what Take the Stage could look like for you.
Start a conversation