Speaking up: Rethinking Confidence and Being Heard
Confidence is not one-size-fits-all. It can be quiet or loud, direct or reflective, visible or understated and can often be judged very differently depending on gender, context and workplace culture. This session explores the many facets of confidence, how stereotypes shape perceptions of authority, and what organisations can do to create environments where more people can contribute.
Through an engaging panel conversation, we’ll explore the idea of confidence as a fixed trait versus how it is shaped by culture, leadership behaviours, life stage and working environment.
The session will balance personal stories with practical insights, offering attendees a safe space to reflect on their own experiences, definitions of confidence and consider how they and their organisations can support more inclusive expressions of confidence and authority.
Discussion points:
- How confidence shows up in different ways and how each can have impact.
- How gendered and cultural stereotypes influence whether someone is seen as confident, bossy, “too much” or invisible.
- The role of language, tone and framing in shaping perceptions of authority and credibility.
- What organisational practices, leadership behaviours and culture can either build or knock confidence
- What individuals and workplaces can do to create conditions where more people feel able to speak up and contribute with impact.
About the Speakers:
Claire Pattison is Senior Lecturer and Growth Academic lead at Manchester Metropolitan University Business School, where she works across a series of programmes to support leadership, innovation, business growth, and entrepreneurship.
Claire has extensive teaching and learning experience, programme design and development, business support, project management and delivery, and higher education experience. She is currently undertaking a PhD in gender and entrepreneurial identity.
Kate Cocker wants you to be heard.
Kate specialises in helping businesses and business leaders speak their brand to engage new & existing clients.
She has 20+ years of experience working with broadcasters, business owners and high performers to get them to be great presenters. From public speaker training for business leaders and corporations; to coaching broadcasters, to training online trainers to be comfortable and confident on camera, Kate is passionate about helping people tell their stories so they can change their corner of the world.
Kate’s wrap-around approach means in recent times she and her team have helped her clients to perform on conference stages across the globe, steer them through virtual speaking (both with tech and speaking skills), supported change makers to hone their messaging, coached C-Suite executives in Board presentations and has supported many leaders to land their key messages on international media outlets.
She is co-founder of the podcast production company “Purposeful Podcasts”, is an Alumni of the DCMS Audio Content Fund Panel and is also the voice behind British Podcast Award winning daily podcast: “Everyday Positivity”. Kate is a qualified NLP Practitioner and Coach, has an ILM5 in Leadership and is an iMA Strategies Practitioner.
Louise is a pragmatic professional development specialist, passionate about unlocking potential and driving meaningful change through robust selection and development solutions. With over 20 years of experience spanning blue-chip corporations, education, the military, emergency services, healthcare, and SMEs, she has worked with thousands of individuals and teams to build confidence, enhance performance, and enable progress.
A qualified coach and accredited psychometric practitioner, Louise uses tools such as OPQ, MBTI, FIRO and Lego Serious Play to deepen self-awareness and empower professionals at all levels. She has also designed and delivered high-impact leadership initiatives and business conferences that bring together leaders to share knowledge and drive regional success.
Victoria Cronquist is the Head of Smart Works Greater Manchester, a charity dedicated to empowering unemployed women with confidence and skills to succeed on their employment journey, through delivering transformative interview coaching and high-quality clothing services to help unemployed women secure jobs. Victoria joined the charity in 2020, during the pandemic, and faced the challenge of adapting operations to continue supporting women remotely. Since then, she has overseen the charity’s growth, led the opening of a second centre in Manchester city, supporting over 1,000 women annually from across all 10 Greater Manchester boroughs.
With a professional background in the third sector and not-for-profit organisations, Victoria brings valuable experience and insight to her role leading a small yet passionate all-female team, and dedicated volunteer community of over 60 volunteers. Victoria’s work reflects her commitment to uplifting women and fostering financial independence, she is an advocate for the unemployed women the charity supports, ensuring their voices are heard and their needs are met. Working alongside other stakeholders within Greater Manchester, Victoria strives to create fair and equitable employment opportunities for all.
Limara is a Senior Associate in the Finance Disputes and Regulatory team at DWF based in Manchester. She regularly advises and represents major financial institutions, including banks, funders, and corporates, on a range of complex and contentious matters that are central to the finance sector. Her experience spans both regulated and unregulated finance, and her core expertise includes asset finance disputes, banking disputes, recovery actions, defending mis-selling claims and consumer credit disputes.
Beyond her client work, Limara is deeply committed to fostering positive change in the regional business community. She serves as a Diversity Driver on the North West Business Leadership Team, where she collaborates with senior leaders to advance inclusive practices. Additionally, she is a committee member for the Black Solicitors Network North, allowing her to actively champion diversity, inclusion, and representation within the legal profession.
Nichola sits on the National Executive Committee of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers (“FOIL”) and is a FOIL’s representative on the Law Society Council and on the Law Society Civil Justice Committee.
She has been involved with pro-manchester for a number of years and very much enjoys her involvement on the Committees she sits on and is also the Chair of the pro-women group which forms part of the pro-manchester EDI committee.
Interested In The Event?
If you’re interested in attending, you can book online here.
For any further enquires about this event, contact [email protected]
