Meet the Cast': An ethnographic exploration of creative self-awareness exercises combined with how performance-inspired practical tools can be used to increase confidence with public speaking

Context The study explored whether an increase in self-awareness coupled with an awareness of relevant practical tools can lead to an increase in confidence with public speaking. A package of four personcentred wellbeing sessions were constructed to include creative and performance-inspired practical exercises and an Episodic Simulation of a positive public speaking experience. Approach Creative exercises were inspired by the foundational principles of Richard Schwartz’s Internal Family Systems (IFS) approach and were designed to increase self-awareness by identifying and separating parts of the ‘self’ involved in perceptions of public speaking, before compassionately accepting these parts and transforming perceptions. Each session, which involved breathwork, muscle relaxation and guided visualisation, took place in participants’ imaginary ‘Inner Stage’ which they were guided to create as an internal workspace. These drama-inspired workshop exercises allowed participants to develop a practical toolkit for use in real-life settings. Findings As a result of the study, all nine participants experienced an increase in self-awareness and selfconfidence as evidenced by ethnographic reflections and quantitative assessment tools, thus enhancing everyday lived experience in the workplace and beyond. The study concluded that an increase in self-awareness achieved using IFS-inspired creative exercises, alongside the development of performance-inspired practical skills, can lead to an increase in confidence with public speaking. As a result of the study, some criticisms levelled at IFS have been addressed by providing evidence of its effectiveness.