Page Updated on February 9, 2023
Our ‘Imposter Syndrome in the Workplace’ training course materials are for corporate trainers to help their course participants deal with imposter syndrome at work, by recognizing its signs and helping staff to overcome it or limit its impact.
This training package provides content for a short (between 2 and 3 hours) but effective session and is:
- Fully customizable and editable
- US English & British English compatible
- Downloadable immediately
- Can also be adapted to use for online teaching and training in virtual classrooms.
- and you will own the rights to edit and reuse it for as many of ‘your own courses’ as you wish
Samples from the Training Course Materials
Click on the slides below to magnify
Why Is It Important to Deal with Imposter Syndrome at Work?
Imposter syndrome (also less commonly spelled impostor syndrome) can have several negative effects on individuals at work and on an organization as a whole.
Drs. Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes were the first experts to identify this psychological issue following their research on successful businesswomen, which they published in their 1978 paper ‘The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention’.
Clance and Imes used the expression imposter phenomenon. However, these days, the term imposter syndrome is more commonly used.
A person who suffers from this syndrome feels that they don’t deserve the success they have achieved, despite all evidence pointing to the contrary. They feel like a fraud and think that they are never really good enough.
Impostor syndrome is not an official diagnosis but it is a real psychological phenomenon, which can cause a great deal of stress.
Negative effects of this syndrome on individuals at work and on their careers can include:
- Stress and anxiety
- Low self-esteem
- Missing opportunities (for example, because they might feel they are not good enough to apply for a job for which they are, in fact, qualified)
- Burnout (as they always work too hard, so they can prove themselves)
- In extreme cases, depression
Furthermore, the negative effects are not limited to individuals. The organization as a whole might suffer if they don’t address the issue.
For example, an organization might experience:
- Lower performance (on the part of individuals who suffer from imposter syndrome because of the stress they are under)
- Higher absenteeism (due to diseases caused by stress)
- Higher staff turnover (for example, individuals may leave because they think that a high-profile role is not for them)
- A culture of burnout (leaders who suffer from impostor syndrome may push themselves too hard. As leaders act as role models for their team members, they may also think that overworking is necessary, which can lead to a domino effect of overworking, stress, and burnout)
Who can suffer from imposter syndrome? The answer is that everybody can, even though some categories of people tend to be more affected than others.
Usually, people from underrepresented groups in a certain field tend to suffer more often. For example, women who work in a male-dominated environment.
Also, high achievers and those in high-responsibility positions can suffer from imposter syndrome, as well as anyone who starts a new job, when they feel out of place and unworthy of the role.
These training course materials are designed for trainers to help organizations and their employees (managers and team members alike) identify and overcome imposter syndrome (or at least limit its impact) in the workplace.
Why Should You, as a Trainer, Provide Training on Overcoming Imposter Syndrome at Work?
Employers are becoming more aware of inclusivity and staff well-being issues. As a result, imposter syndrome is also becoming more relevant as part of this trend.
For staff, becoming aware of this syndrome (whether they suffer from it or need to support others who suffer from it) is important for their self-development. It also contributes to creating a more supportive and inclusive atmosphere at work, and lowering stress levels.
If you wish to, you can offer a workshop on this topic as part of a training series.
For example, imposter syndrome, could be part of a series of training sessions in any of these areas:
Why Buy Off-the-shelf Customizable Training Materials?
Whether you are running your training online or in person, there are several benefits of buying ready-to-use corporate training materials.
- You save a lot of time. We have already done the research, created a lesson plan with the activities, and designed the materials (such as PowerPoint slides and handouts).
- You can edit the materials as you like to adapt them to your audience and add your logo.
- The materials are yours to keep and use for your own courses as you wish.
- The training materials are available for you to download instantly as soon as you buy them.
- Our training materials can be adapted for teaching as an online course if needed, using platforms such as Adobe Connect or Zoom.
Who Are These Training Course Materials for?
These corporate training materials on overcoming impostor syndrome in the workplace are for corporate and freelance trainers to help staff and managers understand how to deal with imposter syndrome at work.
You may want to buy these course materials if you are:
- A self-employed or corporate trainer who wants to offer his/her customers a session on an emerging but very relevant topic.
- An HR department that has been asked to address the causes of stress and burnout at work.
Individuals who will benefit include:
- Managers and leaders (whether new to the role or not) who might suffer from imposter syndrome.
- Line managers to spot anyone in their team who might suffer from imposter syndrome, so they can support them.
- Any member of staff, at any level, who might suffer from this phenomenon.
- HR departments to help management set up a plan to address imposter syndrome at work.
- High-level managers to have an understanding of issues that might affect the organization from within.
Duration
2 to 3 hours (depending on the number of delegates and on how much time you want to spend on each discussion).
You might want to run this course as part of a series with other connected courses such as:
Level
Open level.
These course materials are for providing training to anyone who is new to the topic or who has heard about it but would like to learn more.
Training Materials Aims and Objectives
The aims of these training materials are to help participants:
- Become aware of imposter syndrome and its impact on individuals and organizations.
- Learn how to reduce imposter syndrome and its effects.
At the end of the course, your participants should be able to:
✔ Identify what imposter syndrome is.
✔ Identify the causes of imposter syndrome and its effects on individuals and organizations.
✔ Employ methods to reduce or eliminate imposter syndrome.
Delivery Method
The materials are designed for a trainer to deliver the course in a classroom setting (either in person or in a virtual classroom environment, using tools such as Zoom or MS Teams).
Even if the materials are designed to be trainer-led, however, they are planned in such a way as to allow as much interaction as possible with discussions, questions, and activities. This is to make the learning experience more effective for your learners.
Topics That Will Be Covered Include:
Identifying What Imposter Syndrome Is
- Imposter syndrome definition
- Who can suffer from it and when
Symptoms, Causes, and Effects of Imposter Syndrome
- Common causes of impostor syndrome
- Imposter syndrome possible origins
- Signs of imposter syndrome at work and how you know if you have it
- The impact of imposter syndrome
How to Reduce or Eliminate the Impact of Imposter Syndrome
- Overcoming imposter syndrome as an individual suffering from it
- How to deal with imposter syndrome in your team as a manager
- Things that an organization can do to limit imposter syndrome and reduce its impact on the workforce
With this Course, Instantly Download:
✔ 30 PowerPoint slide deck (includes tutor notes on each slide)
✔ 42-page Trainers notes
✔ Course documents (including sign-in sheet, course evaluation sheet, and course outline)
✔ Participants’ workbook, which includes a list of further readings.
✔ One handout (reframing exercise).
✔ Course certificate (printable to hand to participants)
✔ A PDF guide with suggestions on how to adapt the activities for teaching the course online, if you ever need to.
Documents are delivered using MS Word, PDF (in case you do not have MS Word), and PowerPoint.
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American & British English Compatible
Suitable for both American English & British English styles.
- We have avoided any words that can cause confusion between American and British English styles such as soccer/football.
- We have used terms that are common in both and we have used the American style for a few words where a ‘z’ rather than ‘s’ is used i.e. materialize.
Price
GBP £89 for the full trainer’s package, ready to download instantly!
Buy This Course
- To purchase click the “Buy Now” button below.
- You can choose to pay via PayPal or by Credit card.
- Once you have paid, you will immediately receive a digital link to download the zip file straight away.
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Dr Valeria (Lo Iacono) Symonds
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