Dubai, 14 September, 2015: Have you been gripped by the fear of speaking in public? Or do you doubt your abilities at work? Media trainer and former BBC producer Lea Sellers will be conducting several workshops at the Dubai International Writers’ Centre to help working professionals find their voice. Her tips and tricks have helped many gain their much-needed confidence.

‘We are very excited to have Lea Sellers at the Writers’ Centre,’ said Isobel Abulhoul, CEO and Trustee of the Emirates Literature Foundation and Festival Director of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. ‘She has conducted amazing workshops at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature for several years and now she’ll be sharing her experiences through her public-speaking workshops at the Writers’ Centre. These sessions will be very beneficial not just for professionals but for anyone who is required to speak in public.’

Sellers, who set-up the organisation ‘Media Skills for Women’ with her working partner Rosalind Adler, is dedicated to encouraging women to develop their voices in today’s working environment. She is renowned for helping people regain their confidence and overcome anxieties to become comfortable with the demands of their professions.

The first of her sessions at the Writers’ Centre, ‘Making the Most of Media Interviews’¸ will give working professionals the essential tools to engage with media. The workshop, to be held on 28 September, will include training and preparation for the uncertainty of an interview.

Sellers will also reprise her sold-out session from the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, ‘Speaking Women’, on 29 September. The workshop is tailored exclusively for women to help them unlock their potential in giving presentations and speaking with confidence.

Later that day, Sellers will also hold a session on identifying the traits of ‘Imposter Syndrome’. The syndrome is a form of anxiety found among working professionals. It affects both men and women, and is symptomatic of poor self-confidence and negative thinking. The focus of the session will be recognising the syndrome and possible ways of overcoming it.

The last of the sessions, on 3 October, will hold particular interest for writers in the city. ‘How to Pitch Your Novel Idea’ is a workshop that will focus on what publishers look for in a pitch. It is an ideal accompaniment for all the aspiring writers hoping to pitch their stories at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature Quick Pitch sessions with Luigi Bonomi to be held from 8-12 March, or those who wish to enter their first novels in the Montegrappa Writing Prize competition.

The workshops are open exclusively to adults only. Places are limited to 15 people for the workshops, though the ‘Imposter Syndrome’ and ‘How to Pitch Your Novel Idea’ sessions are open to a maximum of 40 guests. For more details visit diwc.ae/find-your-voice-with-lea-sellers

The Dubai International Writers’ Centre (DIWC) is part of the Emirates Literature Foundation and an associate organisation of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. The DIWC was officially launched in November, 2014 and will hold events around the year catering to the multicultural and multinational communities living in the region.