• "Anstey works with passion, commitment and expertise to get results. I saw her, in just three sessions, turn a group of shy, hesitant schoolgirls into articulate confident speakers that inspired an audience of over 100 business women - amazing."

    Sylvia Ross, Head of Cultural Development, BDO LLP

  • "Anstey can tailor-make role plays and presentation skills courses to suit your specific needs and provide insightful feedback and support. She has a massive amount of diverse experience which makes any session you have with her invaluable!"

    Kaley Crossthwaite, Partner, Forensic Services, BDO LLP

  • "Anstey has a real gift for helping you to bring simplicity and clarity to your messages. With her help I was able to come to a real understanding of what I wanted to say and how I wanted to present myself."

    Julie Rice, Partner, Forensic Services, BDO LLP

  • "You gave me confidence in my presentation and particularly confidence to take time to pause, let things sink in and think about the point I want to convey next. You managed to give me confidence in myself, which in my books makes you a genius!"

    Martin Middleton, Audit Manager, BDO LLP

  • "The key is understanding the purpose of your presentation. Anstey showed me that when I know that, I needn't worry about the detail - it follows naturally."

    Fiona Fernie, Partner, Tax Investigations, BDO LLP

  • "Anstey is an excellent coach. She has worked with several of our managers and we have seen real improvement in their presentation and communication skills. Anstey brings a great mix of professionalism, experience and warmth to all her assignments."

    Anne Segall, Director, HR, Development & Training, BMT Group Ltd

  • "The script and acting were excellent, and the actors? ability to engage with the audience and draw out comments, allowing one of the scenes to be redirected by them was superb. The workshop provided high quality training and exceptional value for money. I have no hesitation in recommending them for future work."

    Kate Milton, Senior Equality and Human Rights Manager, NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly

  • "Anstey has terrific natural insight and a straightforward focus on keeping communication clear and conversational. As a result Anstey is able to help clients make subtle changes which profoundly improve their impact in presentations, meetings and general interaction. I have found Anstey's support and insights invaluable in meeting my development needs."

    Andrew Park, Tax Manager, BDO LLP

  • "From the first moment Anstey was a pleasure to work with. Flexible, reliable and 120% involved. Having decided for Anstey was the best choice to bring our message across ? the audience won?t forget her charm!"

    Gesa Michahelles, Retail Director GBU Central, Montblanc Simplo GMbH

  • "Anstey?s insight and advice helped me engage an audience of 200 plus people and give the most polished and natural presentation of my career."

    Diane Ivory, Retail Director, Mont Blanc

  • "At a time when all too many consultants and coaches resort to ever more esoteric theories and models presented using incomprehensible jargon it is refreshing to work with someone who is straight talking and who offers practical but effective guidance to assist people to reach their objectives. Anstey's enthusiasm is infectious and before you know it you already half way towards your goal"

    Andy Cottle, Partner, Forensic Services BDO LLP
e: info@ansteythomas.com p: 07950 550919

Role-play

1:1 role-play

Role-play is not acting or performing, it’s what you do naturally when you adapt to different people or situations. Yet we’re still afraid of it. As companies use role-play more and more for assessment and recruitment, it’s essential to be confident about how you approach it. Once you relax into role-play it can help you prepare for any number of situations - interviews, tenders, contentious meetings or negotiations - which will put you ahead of the competition. My aim is for you to feel natural in the role-plays, so that you can be yourself and excel in them. We’ll explore how you respond to challenges, which will give you greater control and self awareness in the future. It allows you to get things wrong and put them right in advance of the actual event. Think how often you’ve wished you’d had a second chance. Role-play gives you that chance.

Areas we’ll cover:

  • Explore how to deal with contentious and challenging situations in a safe environment
  • Prepare for interviews and bids
  • Improve negotiating skills and conflict resolution
  • Identify your strengths and developments needs
  • Have a strong voice in meetings and get your message across
  • How to cope with initial banter and niceties
  • Getting you tone and body language right

Corporate - forum theatre events, supplying role-play actors and scripts for training purposes

We use forum theatre to give clients the opportunity to explore and confront challenging situations in a safe and entertaining way, using actors to play out scenarios. This allows candidates to have a voice, redirect scenes and feel an integral part of the process without having to do the acting themselves.

We can also devise scripts for specific training needs and supply role-play actors.

What we offer:

  • Forum theatre events - devise scenarios and supply role-play actors
  • Supply facilitators
  • Script writing services
  • Supply role-play actors

Case Studies

Mont Blanc - Retail Director Conference Rome 2008

Gesa Michahelles, Retail Director GBU Central, Montblanc, asked me to ’bring to life’ examples of poor customer service for the Mont Blanc conference in Rome 2008. The scenarios she provided were from across the firm and from different countries, covering a range of issues from the breakdown in communication between departments to areas of poor delivery of service. Gesa wanted the scenarios to be played out in a forum theatre event, to get people talking and coming up with suggestions for change without it feeling like a ’slap on the wrist’.

I reworked the scenarios so they had a clear narrative and structure, creating a range of characters the audience could engage with, making sure they were entertaining and fun without diluting the key messages. Our aim was to make the event inclusive and positive, to challenge without pointing fingers or allowing blame. By using situation comedy it got people laughing, talking and taking ownership of the problems and finding meeting points. What could have been a contentious and difficult workshop became a memorable, enjoyable and inclusive event.

"From the first moment Anstey was a pleasure to work with. Flexible, reliable and 120% involved. Having decided for Anstey was the best choice to bring our message across - the audience won’t forget her charm!"

Gesa Michahelles, Retail Director GBU Central, Montblanc Simplo GMbH

NHS Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly - Equality and Diversity Workshop, November 2009

Kate Milton, Senior Equality and Human Rights Manager, approached me to write a script and provide actors for a workshop on how religion and belief affects a patient’s care, as part of the Equality and Diversity Conference held in November 2009. Kate wanted a forum theatre event that would challenge perceptions, personalise the issues and really get people involved and talking. After extensive research I wrote three short scenes that followed the developing relationship between a nurse and a patient, helping the audience see both sides of the story and empathise with both characters. The scenes were interactive allowing the delegates to talk to the characters, challenge their behaviour and redirect them.

Kate’s own words probably sum it up better than mine:
"The work involved researching care pathways, and consideration of different religions, and scripting a number of small scenes which allowed for considerable audience participation. The workshop ran five times, to a total audience of 100 at the conference. The workshop was also recorded and a training DVD produced from the day.

The script and acting were excellent, and the actor’s ability to engage with the audience and draw out comments, allowing one of the scenes to be redirected by them was superb.

The workshop provided high quality training and exceptional value for money and I have no hesitation in recommending them for future work."

Kate Milton, Senior Equality and Human Rights Manager