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News
Volunteers at RAF Mildenhall learn to "Find their Pitch" and "What it takes to become a good leader!" 29th November 2011 The AWAG UK Area Conference was held on RAF Mildenhall where Teresa Dukes of Dukes Consultancy assisted volunteers in how to perfect their networking skills in order to land that perfect client meeting for future business. Not only did they take away the perfect template for their perfect pitch they were also treated Teresa's top 10 attributes of being a good Leader. One of the attendees stated that he "...was so impressed with the technique Teresa uses when working with delegates that it doesn't even feel like you are working! Fun and enthusiastic!"
Cranfield School of Management goes back to school with Dukes Consultancy on Leadership 9th August 2011 Teresa Dukes of Dukes Consultancy shows students how to deal with 'life at the top' Moving from an educational environment into the unforgiving world of work is not for the feint-hearted. Dealing with and leading other people is often the hardest part of professional life. University students at Cranfield School of Management got a point in the right direction this week when Teresa Dukes, founder of Dukes Consultancy, presented a workshop on effective leadership. Whilst most schools and colleges have packed up for summer, one group of students at Cranfield University near Milton Keynes assembled for a final lesson at their end of course conference. The 2-day event gave students a chance to showcase their learning and take in a few final tips from prestigious guest speakers before they enter the workplace. Teresa presented alongside speakers from Adnams Brewery, Siemens and the Royal Marines also presented to the students. Teresa drew on her 16 years of public speaking and leadership experience to walk the students through key elements of successful leadership including how to be more approachable, how to inspire people to get on board by being that Servant Leader and the importance of patience.
Quote from student Matt Wilkinson - 'Our MBA course taught us about different types of leaders. Teresa helped us realize that we as leaders will have different styles in which we communicate. She touched on 4 styles associating them with a Compass : North the Go-getter; South the Nurturer; East the Visionary; West the Analyst. Simplistically, we as leaders will need to be able to communicate with all four styles. I will definitely take this away and use it to gauge how I approach and engage with people in the future. It was a brilliant way to end my MBA course.' Teresa has just completed a year's term as the UK and Ireland District Governor for Toastmasters International. Her leadership saw the district grow by 22 clubs and to be ranked 6th in the world out of 82 districts. Production increased by 25% - the largest increase in 16 years. She will attend the annual Toastmasters conference in Las Vegas later this month to collect the District's trophy for this amazing achievement. Teresa said 'It is so important to invest in our young professionals and give them the tools they need to be successful and take this country forward. I was thrilled to work with the Cranfield students and pass on some of what I have learnt so that their career path can be a smooth one'.
Dukes Consultancy shakes up volunteers at AWAG Germany Conference 16-17th May 2011 The 55th Annual Conference was a 'working' conference whereby the attendees were booked solidly from the minute they arrived to the minute they departed. To fill some of their time Terea took with her four workshops to shake up the learning with her interactive approach in Germany. It was a great opportunity for the volunteers Find their Voice; Find their Confidence; Networking Made Fun ; and Strictly Speaking with Teresa Q&A session.
Some of the quotes during the week were:
'Great skills all needed to practice and remember.' 'Great activity to do in a large group setting for networking.' 'Teresa is a lovely speaker and the class benefited a lot! Thanks!' 'Needed more time, great motivational speaker with awesome info!' 'Great Class! Would love to take more public speaking classes with her!' 'She is amazing! Thank you AWAG for the opportunity to meet Teresa. : )'
Customer Service - Assertive v Aggressive with Nick Pandolfi on Town 102 28th April 2011
Click here to listen to Nick Pandolfi interview Teresa
Magical MERLIN workshop with Teresa 25th March 2011
Teresa was invited to run her "Communication is Key" workshop for a second year running at the BT hosted "MERLIN Working in the City" event on 25th March 2011. It is the sixth year that BT has hosted this event and by adding Teresa's workshop into the mix it helped improve the flow and outcome of the day for the students. Twenty-five students from five schools took part in the workshop: Oasis Acaemy Shirly Park from Croydon; St Michael and All Angels from Southwark; St Matthew's Academy from Lewisham; Southfields Community College from Wandsworth; and Queen's Park Community College from Brent. The highlights for the students and the teachers were the interview activities and Teresa's "Communication is Key" workshop. It got them all involved and helped to realise that the more effective you are at communicating the more effective you will be in life. The one thing that Teresa asked them to try and do in the future to confront their fear of speaking was to say 'YES' to every opportunity they are given - you never know where that opportunity will take you! Teresa the Dragon on ICR 8th February 2011
On this day I felt privileged to be asked to come in and act as a Dragon for a student from the School of Social Entrepreneurs in Ipswich. The student, Lisa, was asked to 'pitch' her project to me and it was my job to ask her the hard financial questions as if I were Duncan Bannatyne! It was a brilliant interview and Lisa was very confident in her answers because the topic - A better support system for Carers - was very personal to her. This is what makes a great speaker - speaking on a topic which you have a connection with. By having personal experiences that you can share helps the audience relate to you and your cause. Lisa did a great job and I know her project will be a success!
Strictly Speaking with Social Entrepreneurs - Lee McQueen 25th January 2011
Dukes Consultancy was asked to come along and deliver a workshop specifically around finding your confidence to speak in public. Many of us find it difficult to speak in front of people we know so when we have to speak infront of those we don't know this can be very unnerving. "Strictly Speaking with Teresa" is all about finding your confidence based around six elements which will help you in everyday situations to appear more confident. These 6 elements are:
Body language Everyone wants to be improve their performance and one way to do this is through positive evaluation. Teresa had the chance to speak with Lee McQueen and gave him feedback on his keynote presentation at the conference. Lee's reponse was "Thank you for your note - it was good to meet you too! Your feedback is great and I will deffo take it on board!" Take every chance you get to speak to new people, jump out of your comfort zone and discover how easy it is to make that first step - SMILE! A smile will ensure that you are welcoming and willing to connect with those you come into contact with.
Town 102 Nick Pandolfi interviews Professor Chatter 20th January 2011
Some tips to help you feel better about yourself when you walk into a room full of new people 1 - Take a deep breath so that your first word and sentence is clear and positive; Click here to listen to Nick Pandolfi interview Teresa
Dukes Consultancy approached by AWAG! 19th November 2010 Even today we have volunteers who support our armed forces and AWAG is just one of these groups. It stands for Always Working Always Growing and their membership is mainly comprised of spouses of active duty service members. The need for strong volunteers grows more and more each year and it is imperative that education and networking opportunities are offered to these volunteers as well as enrichment sessions to enhance the strength in them. Teresa Dukes of Dukes Consultancy was asked to speak at the UK AWAG Area Conference in November specifically on Confidently Speaking. A session designed to build your confidence levels in order to be a more effective communicator in their role as a volunteer. Over 100 delegates attended the conference and benefited from the training provided. Future engagement to be keynote speaker in Germany at the Annual AWAG Conference is being negotiated!
AWAG - Always Working Always Growing - seeks to accomplish its mission through leadership development training, promoting volunteerism, and fostering relationships between American community members and their local national neighbors. Each person who belongs to a registered club or organizations that supports AWAG is entitled to its services.
Mr Speaker and Strictly Speaking 2nd November 2010
In November The Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow, firmly endorsed the work of Speakers Trust as they celebrate training over 100,000 people in their innovative public speaking programme.
Teresa Dukes of Dukes Consultancy and District Governor of Toastmasters International was invited to be a part of this event to celebrate the efforts of the Speakers Trust and their involvement with schools, charities and community groups.
Mr. Speaker of the House of Commons hosted the evening reception bringing together guests from across the charity sector, funders, beneficiaries of the programmes and figures from across the political and speaking world.
The evening celebrated not only a number but also the thousands of stories and achievements for adults and young people and the impact that being able to effectively communicate a message can have.
The Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, commented on the importance of the work of the Trust with the ability to communicate effectively being a crucial part of citizenship and a key life skill as all people should be able to communicate clearly, competently and confidently.
Teresa Dukes, founder of Suffolk Based Dukes Consultancy, also commented that strictly speaking, in todays world it is imperative that we are able to get our message across clearly. The earlier we are able to do this the more effective we will be not only in our personal lives but also our professional lives. It truly is a life skill!
Published in the East Anglian Daily Times:
An electifying orator is toasting her success after she was appointed to a leading role within a national speaking organisation.
Suffolk entrepeneur Teresa Dukes will be responsible for inspiring and leading over 225 speaking clubs in the UK and Ireland, as district governor. Ms Dukes, who is based in Ipswich, was elected to the top office within Toastmasters International at its Annual Business Meeting in Sligo, Ireland.
"This is the pinnacle of my career within Toastmasters, to be honest," said Ms Dukes, who is American-born but settled in Suffolk after arriving here with her American Airforce husband in 1987. She joined Ipswich Electifiers in 1999 and started a sister club, Speak Easy @ Martlesham, in 2004, after the original club became so big a second club was needed. Both clubs now have more than 25 members, and Ms Dukes, 49, remains an active member of the Martlesham group.
She now runs her own firm, Dukes Consultancy, specialising in effective communication, leadership and speaking skills.
At the end of each year the Apprentices and Graduates within BT pull together a one day workshop that will enable them to think about the next steps they will be taking along their career path.
Dukes Consultancy was brought in to carry out 2 workshops surrounding Confidently Communicating. Each session dealt with the six fundamental elements required to build your confidence and thereby enabling you to become a more effective communicator. The elements covered Gestures, Eye Contact, Language, Intuition, Enthusiasm, Fearlessness. A truly inspirational event for 150 attendees.
IDEA Ltd, the joint venture between BT, Cisco, University College London, University of East Anglia, University of Essex, University Campus Suffolk and Suffolk New College inducts 10 new apprentices in March.
Dukes Consultancy was invited to participate with the Induction day to enable the 16-22 year olds to find their voice by finding their confidence. Teresa Dukes of Dukes Consultancy worked with the apprentices on her BELIEF system to empower them to jump out of their comfort zone and learn how to express themselves with confidence and respect in any situation they may encounter with their new role.
The apprentices worked through a 2 hour workshop developing their techniques for interview questions as well as dealing with impromptu questions from future managers. They learned how to quickly formulate their ideas into a comprehensive 1 minute speech after spending 5 minutes getting to know their neighbour. They all rose to the challenge and carried out the exercises spectacularly.
The Centre for Design Innovation, a School of Arts and Humanitites at University Campus Suffolk, invited Dukes Consultancy to their Wednesday evening class to encourage them to be Passionate about Design through speaking and communicating confidently. The students are all working towards their MA degree in which they are utilising their analytical and research skills to question commonly held conventions and assumptions around design, fitness for purpose and social context.
The workshop on 17th February enabled them to look at structure, content and delivery when it is time for them to present their ideas in front of their peers and professors. Many of them found the workshop very useful in helping them with breathing techniques, eye contact and how to express their ideas in a very focussed and easily structured manner.
Quote:
IDEA Ltd, the joint venture between BT, Cisco, University College London, University of East Anglia, University of Essex, University Campus Suffolk and Suffolk New College inducts 15 new apprentices in January
Dukes Consultancy was invited to participate with the Induction week to enable the 16-22 year olds to find their voice by finding their confidence. Teresa Dukes of Dukes Consultancy worked with the apprentices on her BELIEF system to empower them to jump out of their comfort zone and learn how to express themselves with confidence and respect in any situation they may encounter with their new role.
The apprentices also had to prepare and particpate in 2 Dragons Dens and in the second one Teresa Dukes was one of the Dragons they had to impress. They had to promote and sell their product to the three Dragons in order to show that they had put into practice the presentation skills and confidence learned at the beginning of the week. They did spectacularly and the improvement rate of their skills showed in their final presentation and their handling of the Q&A session.
If you want to learn more about the scheme you can go to their website at: www.ideawebsite.co.uk
Communication is not optional! It is a skill that we all need in order to be effective at work, home and at play. Confidence adds to our ability to communicate more effectively and when that happens we are in control of our own journey! Teresa has developed a programme based on finding your confidence through six elements based around communication. She delivered a quick tutorial on these 6 elements to give BTWN the opportunity to take more control over their journey. B E L I E F - These six elements can be applied to any situation in your lives enabling you to find the confidence to accomplish your goals and progress your careers down the path you choose to follow.
University Campus Suffolk invited Teresa Dukes of Dukes Consultancy to deliver a presentation on Communicating with Confidence to the Leadership & Management Class on 10th November 2009. Teresa was able to reach out to 17 students in this class helping them realise the importance of self-belief, respect and understanding your intuition! Her BELIEF system focussed on how to build your confidence in order to be an effective communicator.
Business in the Community (BITC) invited Dukes Consultancy to contribute a workshop on Confidence for the MERLIN Ethnic Role Model Programme which brought 22 students to BTs Headquarters in London on 9th November. There were three different schools that came along with young people aged 14-16 for the exposure of what it is like to work with a large corporation. (www.bitc.org.uk/merlin)
Teresa Dukes, founder of Dukes Consultancy, introduced the 14-16 year olds to her BELIEF system which focusses on how to build your confidence in order to be an effective communicator. With a lot of interaction, audience participation and volunteers Teresa managed to help them understand the importance of self-belief and respect.
Quotes:
"Felt Teresa of Dukes Consultancy to be inspiring and very open/helpful."
To mark the first birthday of the Apprentice Alumni launched by BT to help apprentices develop after they graduate a Master Class in Innovation and Confidence was held at Adastral Park, BT's home of Innovation. This enabled the apprentices, alumni and some graduates to experience the world of innovation as well as look at their futures in a positive and confident manner. Teresa Dukes of Dukes Consultancy was one of the invited presenters asked to participate in the day and deliver a workshop on how to communicate innovation with confidence.
Teresa Dukes delivered a programme entitled BELIEF, which is her concept of stepping out of your comfort zone and into uncharted territory. Teresa believes six personal elements can be applied to your everyday lives to achieve this. You either jump off the cliff and fly, or you nest and hide.
Apprentice Chris Jones, who attended the day, said "Teresa helped me feel more confident in my ability to present and the advice she gave really hit home. In particular I have always hated how speeches can sound pre-prepared and over rehearsed if delivered incorrectly. I plan to take her advice by making my future presentations more personal, and let my passion shine through about my belief in the modern apprenticeship."
Teresa said, "I believe that everyone has the ability to apply these six elements of BELIEF in every aspect of their lives which will help them find the confidence to accomplish their goals and progress their careers down the path they choose to follow."
Click here to find out more about the 6-step BELIEF system.
Dukes Consultancy took six speakers on stage to Whitechapel Gallerys Guernica exhibition in London on 16th September 2009. Having a fantastic backdrop of Pablo Picassos Guernica and a live audience to practice their up and coming speeches put these six participants at the height of their game.
The workshop dealt with topics such as a Nudist Colony, How to Get a Man, The Financial Crisis and How to campaign for more Bikes in your town! The participants speeches varied in style and content giving Teresa Dukes, of Dukes Consultancy, a real challenge in coaching them. Teresa states, Delivering a speech in front of an audience and receiving immediate feedback on your performance is one of the best forms of practice a speaker can use.
Richard Stacey, a member of Early Bird Toastmasters Speakers, was practicing his speech for a Humourous Speech Contest. After participating in the workshop Richard had this to say: I just wanted to let you know that I won my club contest today with my speech about the nudist colony. I'd like to thank you for the opportunity that you made available at the Whitechapel Gallery last week. It was extremely valuable, and it gave me the confidence to really go for it in the contest.
Ipswich based Dukes Consultancy, which specialises in confident speech coaching ran a workshop on Martha's Vineyard which allowed the company to open its services to a US audience. Tilting Lily Events Production contacted Dukes Consultancy to arrange a workshop tailored to professional business women on the island. Company founder Teresa Dukes took up the challenge and held a masterclass in "Finding Your Voice". The event focussed on overcoming nerves, impromtu speaking, speech planning and structure. Ms Dukes said: "I am to help everyday people like these business women enhance their speaking skills so that they too can be just as effective at communicating as Mr Obama is".
Dukes Consultancy is proud to announce that they are now an affiliate member of ISIS Consortium. As an integrated business service consultancy, ISIS provides business support, design, marketing and project management services. Dukes Consultancy was approached by the one of the consortium's directors, Ron Curry, and asked to bring a new dimension to the group as their mentoring expert.
To read more about ISIS Consortium, visit their website: www.isis-consortium.co.uk
Over 100 businesses from across East Anglia attended the Suffolk Business Exhibition at Ipswich's Trinity Park yesterday. Amongst the visitors was Teresa from Dukes Consultancy. The event was a great opportunity to connect with like-minded businesses and renew relationships from past work initiatives. One of the most exciting opportunities was reconnecting with Adam Baker, who is the Suffolk project manager for the London 2012 games. Small businesses have a very important part to play in this global scale event and we intend to make the most of it!
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Town 102's Nick Pandolfi invited Teresa Dukes to appear on his breakfast show to talk about positivity and confidence when dealing with customer service agents. The day before the Royal Wedding a little something to think about when you have to confront that shop keeper or sales person when returning an item that just isn't right. Teresa believes that by being more assertive and fully prepared rather than aggressive before going back into the shop will reap you the reward you are looking for.
I never thought I would be classified as a Dragon! But on this occasion I was pleased with the descriiption! Ipswich Community Radio (ICR) have a show that runs on Tuesday mornings called Working Lives where the presenter, Nick Boulter, highlights different aspects of the working world for his listeners. 
Students from University Campus Suffolk organised a Social Entrepreneurship and Enterprise conference inviting Lee McQueen, 2008 The Apprentice Winner, as their keynote speaker. The conference was aimed at giving an insight into social enterprise, and covered areas such as entrepreneurship, social media, sustainability and effective communication. 
