Find Your Voice: Building Confidence Through Public Speaking
This signature program empowers women of all ages to find, define and embrace their voices, and use them in their roles as leaders in their homes, communities and workplaces.
Your words are valuable – you are valuable. Whatever the reason that brought you here to read these words, please know this: finding your unique voice is an everyday journey and a gift that you not only give yourself, but you give to the world.
FYV will support you in that journey. It can be scary to speak up. You may feel as if no one cares what you say or what you say won’t make a difference. I get that feeling. I need you to trust that people do care and that your words matter. There are layers to personal growth. And change doesn’t happen all at once. But taking a first step, making a small shift, and opening yourself up to possibility will get you started.
I developed Find Your Voice in 2012 as a way, in all honesty, to find my own voice in my work and in my life. I didn’t expect the real, immediate impact the workshop had on the lives of the women who participated.
From the first workshop it was clear that empowering women to use their voices moved them forward in their lives towards getting what they want, having what they need and living their truth. In the years since launching FYV, it’s become even more evident that using our individual voices can change our lives and using our collective voices can change the world.
What is a FYV Workshop?
FYV has a flexible format that can be presented as a multi-week, half-day or full day interactive workshop.
The workshop is designed to be a small, intimate experience that offers an insulated space to share our fears, challenges, and successes. We discuss what holds us back, moves us forward and connects us to others. Whether you want to improve your communication one-on-one or amplify your message to many, this is your place to explore that. Standing up in front of the group during the last portion of the workshop and presenting your thoughts can be life-changing and incredibly validating.
Do I have to talk in front of other people?
Simply, yes.
I understand that public speaking terrifies most people. Even speaking in a small group can be paralyzing. But I know that you wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t want to move through that fear. Courage is doing something even though you’re afraid. And fear is sometimes that voice in our head telling us we shouldn’t leave our comfort zone.
FYV workshops are a comfort zone. You won’t be forced to speak in the group – you will be encouraged as you do it. You won’t be dragged to front of the room to talk – you will be lifted by a newfound confidence and the positive energy of caring people who are right there with you.
I make no promises that you won’t feel nervous about speaking during the workshop. I will promise that we’ll talk about how to deal with feeling nervous. And the best way to deal with anything is to face it, head on. So, let’s do this together.
Find your voice. Share it with the world. Create the change you want. Live your life as you design it.
Next Steps
I hope that you have the opportunity to join me at a Find Your Voice workshop. Whether you are a seasoned public speaker or an introvert who avoids speaking up at all costs, discovering yourself through your voice is a journey that you will never regret taking.
Connect to learn about upcoming Find Your Voice workshops or to bring one to your organization or business.
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS:
There are no upcoming workshops at this time. Please reach out to me if this is a topic you would like support with – I love finding creative solutions.
PAST WORKSHOPS:
State College PA: September 24, 2019 – October 15 (four weeks)
A few years ago I had the extraordinary opportunity to be part of a class called Brave New Year, developed by Chris Brogan. At some point Chris asked us to write essays on our experiences being brave. The compilation of essays, written by the amazing people of BNY, were encapsulated in the book, What We Know About Bravery: A Lesson Book from the Front Lines.
Below is an essay I wrote for the book about using your voice. (Check out my blog to read some others.) I hadn’t read it in a while before digging it up to post here. I feel even more strongly today than ever that your voice is one the most important tools you have.
We are living in an unprecedented time and, while there is much blocked discourse and avoided conversations, I have never seen so many people, women especially, standing up, speaking out and creating change.
Each of us has a message. Whether we share it near or far, it is imperative that you share it. Your story matters. Your voice matters. You matter.
~ Sara
LESSONS ABOUT USING YOUR VOICE
When I was very young I got the message that what I had to say didn’t have value. For many years when I would be in a situation in which using my voice would have been appropriate, I didn’t know how to do it. I didn’t believe that anyone would listen or the words would have an impact. The result for me was this crazy building up of words in my head and then when I couldn’t hold them in anymore they would fly out of my mouth usually with great force and little consideration for those in their path. It was a cycle that took years to break.
I believed that it was one of my personal communication styles and therefore I felt as if I had to change a lot of my natural tendencies in order to stop verbally barraging people when I had reached my limit with them emotionally. What I realized was, after years of being completely ineffective at communicating when I was emotionally overwhelmed, that it had little to do with my communication style and everything to do with my confidence that what I was thinking and feeling had value. When we receive the message enough times, whether directly or indirectly, that what we have to say doesn’t matter or doesn’t carry weight we start to believe it. I believed it for years. This belief formed habits and the habits created barriers. It wasn’t until I started speaking in public that I began to realize that what I had to say did matter. I wasn’t initially speaking about deep emotional topics, however the effect that the experience of speaking in front of people had on me was profound. Suddenly I had an audience who were listening to my words, finding value in what I had to share and the result was amazing. My confidence began to grow. My ability to share my thoughts with those around me, in a way that they could hear me, improved.Your voice is one of the most important tools that you have. Whether you speak or write or sing, you have something to say. It takes a lot of courage to open your mouth and let the words flow, but it’s important. Your words have value because you have value. Finding my avenue to share my voice was key to building my confidence in myself and trusting that my thoughts matter. It’s one of the tenets that I have built my business around. I help others find their voices and build their confidence to create the life they want. If I did that, imagine what you can do if you use your voice.