"I’ve been wanting to do more lately, do something to give back and I think this has been good inspiration. I really enjoyed the fact that I could hear the students behind me whisper the answers and be correct. I found it endearing but also you realise that they need the encouragement to be able to speak out in these settings. I could see myself at 17 in the students and I learnt that whilst letting things happen for me naturally was great I do need to hold the steering wheel a bit more. I was talking to my mum and sister and I would love it if my old high school and my sisters sixth form could get the same talk!"

"Wow, excellent analysis and feedback. She was very excited after the session, could stop herself from smiling and going over the topic. She seemed confident, she did say the topics she chooses are more controversial. I was asking if she was given an opportunity to speak on a stage, how she would feel about, she said, she would be nervous, but she can find comfort sooner and she won’t tremble like she did at school when she had to talk in year 7 for form leader role"

"Good to get out there and just talk to students; It was really fun! What fear, challenges and concerns etc. they have on stepping out into the world? Students need guidance, inspiration, direction and advice. Having industry professionals who have been through what they are/or about to go through can only be useful"

"The interview was great, [Imran] was really nice and chill, I was nervous at first but I calmed down as I got into it.., as he helped me not feel anxious. He is a great interviewer and I would love to have practices with him again in the future"

"Such an amazing session delivered to our Year 10 cohort, Imran kept them focused and engaged for the duration of the session by using a nice level of audience participation.  Thank you for supporting our careers programme" 

"Even though I was only a part of the club for a short spell of time I definitely enjoyed my few classes. The highlights of the time I was here are when we gave each other a topic to thoroughly discuss, this was a chance for me to express my imagination"

"Amazing with the interview skills with students prompting them and digging deep, not just accepting 1st answer making them think further developing their interview skills! Thank you for the support"

"My first experience of an interview - I thought Imran gave me some great tips and it was very valuable to discuss possible pathways"

"I really enjoy it and it is nice to help other newcomers with their speaking skills. I think everyone's feedback was really helpful...they give lots of different views on my speech"

"He has been there my whole life and he is always reliable for any subject ...He rose my confidence and helped me not get so shake-ish that I feel sick"

"It is a real pleasure to learn with and from Imran. With his calm manner, he creates an open and trusting learning environment where his students can hone their skills. A real strength of Imran is to see in people where their skills are and then to build on that so they can go from strength to strength. Support in developing speaking skills in conjunction with support in researching topics of interest early on will help students build a schema that helps them to orient themselves in the world they are citizens in. And it gives them a voice. Youngsters have so much potential.  Allow them to Speak Up"

"[The seminar was] was entertaining, factual, funny, inclusive, informal and engaging. It was informative and broke the stereotypes based around certain jobs which I used to believe, gives information about careers, what employers look for when hiring, something I never considered or knew anything about. [Imran] was charismatic and interactive / very talkative with other students / helped [them] keep focused"

"When I think of Imran I think of someone of whom I can talk to without feeling embarrassed but relaxed. Imran is there as a teacher and as a mentor. He makes life feel easy but teaches you to accept difficult times in life where you just have to wait and be patient. If I were to describe him in one word it would be 'calm'"

"Great to meet other volunteers, support a good cause and practice doing something that scares me. The talks seemed to be well received. It was a good mix of listening and participation for the audience. I would recommend [to other schools]"

"I found the information about degrees and career paths [helpful]. If you would like to work in a corporate job it could of given you an idea to different roles you could go into and it involved people from the world of work, gave lots of useful advice"

"I had my Year 12 interview with Imran, he asked some great questions that really made me think about my answers.  He then gave me feedback and some pointers on what I could do to improve my interview technique"

"It went very well - I found how the interview was structured very useful. It was useful to find out how I communicated with someone I didn't know in a new scenario"

"I thought the interview went quite well...Didn't really realise that sort of elevator pitch introduction was needed, I can now think about that for the future"

"I think the criteria for the speeches are really good. It's very clear what to say and include. After speaking [the] feedback is always detailed and specific for everyone"

"...lessons so far have been amazing and I still think that you are the best person for the job...I look forward to [sessions] each week"

"I really appreciate the feedback and I think this will help me a lot with my interviews in the future. The interview was very well structured, and the feedback was clear. I also felt that the interview was very professional and I thought it was challenging how the interviewer changed his character as we practiced. This helps me be more prepared for different interview experiences. During the session I also felt very listened to as I was doing the interview. This was very helpful. I felt it was very helpful and I learnt a lot"

"The atmosphere is really relaxed so I don't feel too nervous anymore when I give my speeches.
I definitely couldn't have done my English GSCE speaking exam without this club!
I quite like how you have organised it so that the more experienced speakers go towards the end, because it's quite hard for someone who hasn't been speaking for quite as long to go after someone who's finished all the assignments"

"I found the assembly really interesting especially when we got to get involved by guessing the logos for different employers. I feel like I found out so much about working in a corporate career thanks to Imran and the workshop today"

"I felt it went well...I learnt a lot and believe I answered the questions well. Helped me understand how to prepare, what to do when I enter the room - it also felt like an actual interview and was very efficient"

"[Imran] was grand, [he] included everyone, was talkative and inviting, everything was well explained. 
[I liked] hearing about the personal experiences and different perspectives on office life and how interactive they were with the audience"

"The interview was very helpful and also encouraging. The whole process was helpful and the feedback was very useful. It has also led to me being more comfortable about interviews"

"Nervous in the beginning but after some review I was quite confident by the end. Doing the interview with someone I had never met before made it very realistic"

"I am very, very grateful for you putting time and effort into Speaking Club...informing us about some 'vital' life skills. I also enjoy all the fun we had and I am hoping it will always be like this"

"I think the interview went well. I was a little nervous but grew more confident as the interview progressed"