This three-week cohort takes place on 7, 14 and 21 September 2026. Open to anyone aged 18+, it is designed for individuals who want to develop their public speaking skills, build confidence and make a positive change in their lives.
Sign Up
Browse our upcoming events below and secure your spot in the next Spellbound cohort. We will review your details and send you a confirmation email. Full details, including your location, teachers, and session times, will be sent out two weeks before your first session. We'd love to have you in the room.
Upcoming
Events
The Business Pitching Masterclass equips participants with the skills to present business concepts and personal projects with confidence and persuasion. Supervised by Dawid Konotey-Ahulu. Available to Spellbound flagship programme alumni only.
FAQS
What is Spellbound?
Spellbound is a UK charity that helps people find their voice and use it with confidence. Founded by Dawid Konotey-Ahulu CBE DL, we are built on one belief: everyone has a story worth telling. We work with individuals, organisations, prison communities, and grassroots groups, helping people at every stage of life discover what they have to say, and the courage to say it.
Who is the programme for?
Our flagship programme is open to everyone. Whether you freeze at the thought of speaking in a room or you are ready to step up as a leader, you belong here. We also run programmes tailored to corporate offices, community spaces, and prisons. Whoever you are, there is a place for you at Spellbound.
What will I learn?
Across three weekly two-hour sessions, you will work through the Five Canons of Rhetoric: Invention, Arrangement, Style, Memory, and Delivery. Session 1 covers the Spellbound signature speech, memory techniques, and the foundations of confident communication. Session 2 applies expressive delivery to Barack Obama's inaugural address. Session 3 focuses on personal storytelling, vulnerability, and crafting a speech that is entirely your own. By the end, you will hold a room spellbound.
What skills will I walk away with?
You will leave with a command of the Five Canons of Rhetoric, a confident stage presence, and the ability to craft and deliver a personal story. You will develop our four core delivery techniques: stillness, triangulation, eye contact, and the pause, along with the skill to give and receive honest feedback. These are skills that transfer directly into careers, leadership, and life.
How much does it cost?
At Spellbound, our mission is to make powerful public speaking free for the people who most rarely get access to it. Free places on our flagship course are available if you are aged 25 or under, not in employment, education or training, have been released from prison within the last 12 months, or receive benefits such as Universal Credit or JSA. For everyone else, the full three-session course is £30, and that fee helps fund the free places at the heart of what we do. Beyond the course, our masterclass is £50 for individuals. Bespoke training for organisations, including group masterclasses, is priced separately. You can read more about both below.
Who teaches the programme?
Our flagship programme is taught by Spellbound teachers, many of whom are alumni who completed the course themselves and returned to help others find their voice. Our founder, Dawid Konotey-Ahulu CBE DL, personally leads our masterclasses.
Do you offer training for organisations?
Yes. Alongside our free and low-cost community programmes, we run bespoke training for companies, teams, and institutions, including group masterclasses, tailored to your people and your goals. Corporate programmes are priced separately, and every booking helps fund free places for the communities at the heart of our mission. To start a conversation, fill in our enquiry form and we will be in touch to discuss what you need.
How do I sign up for the next cohort?
Head to the sign-up section of our website to apply for a place. There is no audition and no experience required. We will review your details and send you confirmation. Full details, including your location, teachers, and session times, will be sent to you two weeks before your first session. New cohorts open regularly across London, and you will find the next available dates in the same place. If you have a question before you apply, get in touch and we will point you in the right direction.
Do I need any experience in public speaking to join?
None at all. Many of the people who join us have never spoken in front of a group in their lives. If the idea makes you nervous, that is not a problem to overcome before you start. It is exactly what the programme is built for. You do not need to arrive ready. You need only arrive willing.
Where are sessions held?
We deliver sessions across London, inside our corporate venue partners. Past hosts include Warner Bros., Westminster Abbey, Deloitte, Arrow Global, DLA Piper, and Baringa. We also work directly with prison communities, including HMP Swaleside, HMP Isis, and HMP Pentonville.
What is the Spellbound Masterclass?
The masterclass is our premium programme, led personally by founder Dawid Konotey-Ahulu CBE DL, priced at £50 for individuals. It is designed as the next step after the flagship course, for people ready to take a bigger idea further. You can also join the masterclass directly if you arrive with a big idea you want to develop, even if you haven't yet done the course. Most people who come to us this way go on to take the flagship course afterwards, to deepen the foundations behind the delivery. Organisations can book the masterclass for their teams at a bespoke rate.
I would like to collaborate with Spellbound. How do I get in touch?
We work with organisations, venues, and individuals who share our belief in the power of voice. There are several ways to get involved: hosting a programme in your community, partnering with us to reach people we could not reach alone, offering a venue, or supporting our work so we can keep places free for those who need them. If you have an idea, we want to hear it. Reach out through the contact form on our website and tell us what you have in mind.
What should I bring?
Just yourself. No preparation or materials are needed before your first session, and everything you need will be provided in the room. Come as you are.
Can I get a refund if I can no longer attend?
If your plans change, let us know as soon as you can. If you cancel more than seven days before your first session, we will refund your fee in full. After that, we are not able to offer a refund, but we will gladly move your place to a future cohort so you do not lose out. If something unexpected happens, get in touch and we will do what we can to help.
Will I have to share personal stories?
Session 3 explores personal storytelling, but you are always in control of what you share. A personal story can be anything that matters to you; it does not have to be private or painful. You decide what to bring, and you will never be pushed to go somewhere you are not ready to go.
Do I get a certificate at the end?
Yes. When you complete the three sessions, you will receive a Spellbound certificate of completion, marking a real achievement: you stood up, found your voice, and delivered. It is yours to keep, share, and add to your CV or LinkedIn profile.