Business Speaking: Lessons from the Stage

We’re drawing inspiration from two extremes of performance—opera and stand-up comedy—where the spotlight exposes everything and there is nowhere to hide!

Catrin Woodruff, a classical soprano, and Toby Kheng, who stepped into stand-up comedy—and even professional wrestling—will share their very different structures and strategies, and show how real performance craft translates into practical tools for business speaking.

They’ll explore:
• vulnerability on stage
• voice modulation
• controlling nerves
• connecting with the audience
• expressing your personality
• storytelling
• and much more!
There will also be plenty of time for audience questions and sharing experiences—one of the best ways to grow as a speaker!

What You’ll Take Away:
• inspiration from different performance styles to develop your unique style
• confidence to express your personality on stage
• practical techniques to make your talks more impactful
• motivation to speak more often and unlock new business opportunities

Don't miss this event if you:
• feel fear of speaking is holding you back in your career
• are focusing on improving your speaking skills and intend to do more public speaking
• want to build stronger speaking skills to communicate more effectively as a leader or manager

Catrin Woodruff

Catrin is a Norwich-based Welsh soprano, performing demanding soloist roles such as Dido in Dido & Aeneas, Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, and Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro. She studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the Royal Northern College of Music. She is a certified strengths-focused ADHD coach and trained at the internationally recognised ADD Coach Academy. Her career blends creativity, education, and neurodivergent coaching, empowering individuals to achieve personal and artistic excellence.

Toby Kheng

As co-founder of Freeformers and an employee experience designer, Toby helps leaders and teams communicate with more clarity, confidence, and human connection. Alongside his work, he’s also performed stand-up comedy and even stepped into the world of professional wrestling under the alter-ego “Kheng Kong”, because apparently PowerPoint wasn’t theatrical enough! His performance skills have propelled him into international keynote speaking.

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Host or Publisher Norfolk Network