One minute, we were hoping our local coffee shop hadn’t sold out of our favourite sandwich - and the next, we were faced with empty supermarket shelves and panic written across the news.

During these times of significant uncertainty, it can be all too easy to allow yourself to spiral: from thoughts that the world as we know it is ending to taking on more work than you know is good for you, sometimes it can feel like everything is an uphill battle.

In this practical online masterclass with cultural and social anthropologist Jean Smith, you will discover how to not only navigate change and uncertainty - but come through them with a positive and productive mindset. You will learn why stepping out of your comfort zone is imperative for building your confidence, and why cutting things out of your life is more essential to your well being than adding things in.

Based on research into the importance of micro-interactions, and building on Jean’s decades of experience, this course is for anyone who has felt themselves flounder during the past year or is hesitant about integrating back into society. You will come away feeling more comfortable, capable and far more you, than you have for a long time -with a new toolkit of skills for adjusting to an ever-changing world - and flourishing in it.

Course Content

Simple steps for rebuilding confidence
Why cutting out is more important than adding in
Laying the groundwork for easy interactions
The fundamentals of space, positioning and body language for reviving your social life
Using the ‘test and assess’ method when making social advances
How to have rewarding micro-interactions
How to stylishly retreat if a conversation isn’t going as planned

This course is for ...

Anyone feeling overwhelmed by change who wants to improve their resilience
Anyone looking to build confidence and grow their social skills

Tutor Profile

Jean Smith is a social and cultural anthropologist. She is the author of two books, an international speaker and a social intelligence coach. She has worked with a number of brands around the globe including American Express, Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, General Motors, Stella Artois and Unilever. While her clients include big names, her passion for building confidence, social skills and connectivity, means she enjoys sharing these teachings from individuals, to startups, and everyone in between. In addition to contributing to (and being featured in) The Times, The Telegraph, Australian Financial Review, Psychologies, and Marie Claire, among other publications, Jean makes frequent appearances in the media, including the BBC, Radio 4, Itv, Sky, Channel 4, and CBS America. She gives lectures at places such as: The Guardian, London Business School, The Royal Society of Medicine, and her TEDx talk has 7.2 million views.

Course Details

Date: Wednesday 7 July 2021
Time: 6pm-8.30pm (BST)

This masterclass is available globally. If you are joining us from outside the United Kingdom, please use this time zone converter to check your local live streaming time.

You will be sent a link to the webinar 1 hr before the start time. Please email masterclasses@theguardian.com if you have not received the access link within one hour of the scheduled start time.

All Guardian Masterclasses are fully accessible but please contact us at masterclasses@theguardian.com if you have any queries or concerns.

Full course and returns information on the Masterclasses website

Navigating‌ ‌change:‌ ‌How‌ ‌to‌ ‌flourish‌ ‌in‌ ‌times‌ ‌of‌ ‌uncertainty