Women in Defence UK (WiD) is another new partnership for us and one we’re really pleased to be involved with. Created in 2011, WiD aims to make Defence a better place for women to work and to celebrate and recognise the achievements of individuals, teams and organisations working in the Defence sector of our nation. The vision is to improve gender balance in the Defence sector and support the development and growth of women by providing fair opportunities for women to succeed at all levels.
Last month, we teamed up with Women in Defence and the Royal Academy of the Dramatic Arts (RADA) to take part in a number of virtual masterclasses hosted by actors. They shared their techniques on how to discover and practice the skills needed to perform and communicate with authority, authenticity and impact.
The two sessions were entitled ‘Step into the Spotlight’ and ‘Take the Stage’ and five women from the Defence contract and the wider Amey business were delighted to be invited to take part.
Hannah Govier, a Business Graduate, joined the ‘Take to the Stage’ session which was tailored for women who are in the early stages of their career. It looked at vocal and physical presence and how to increase impact when communicating with others.
Hannah said: “The masterclass provided a great opportunity to think about my communication style both face to face and on video calls. It reminded me that sometimes it’s the small changes that can have a big impact. For example, the importance of pauses - ensuring you have the best step up for virtual communication - and that ‘less is more’ when communicating important messages.”
Angela Owen, Founder, Women in Defence UK, said: “We believe in equality of opportunity in Defence and part of that means giving women the confidence and skills to be authentically themselves. The sell-out RADA masterclasses plays a key role in this. Our immense thanks to our Development Partners, Amey, who made the four sessions possible.”
If you are from the Armed Forces community and would like to find out more about careers at Amey please visit: https://www.amey.co.uk/letsjoinforces.