Public Speaking Fight Moves Workshop: Three Ways To Speak Up In Male-Dominated Industries

I still remember the night three businessmen propositioned me.

I was in graduate school, playing piano bar on the weekends.

Three thirty-somethings sat around the baby grand where I played and waited for my break:

“We have this friend who’s always complaining that no attractive women ever apply at his company. We’ll give you a hundred dollars if you’ll pretend to apply for a job there and go interview for him.”

Did I speak up and say, “That’s really sexist?”

No. I went.

I was focused on the hundred bucks. And I was flattered.

Thirty years later, I’ve come along way from that naive 23-year-old. And so has the world.

Or…has it?

Recall the slur leveled at U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez this past July on the steps of our nation’s Capitol by one male Republican Senator who openly called her an F-ing B!$ch.

We can use the example of AOC on the floor of Congress for so eloquently calling out that senator’s sexist behavior and for demonstrating her talent as a persuasive speaker and legislator.

She was prepared.

But many women are not.

Like AOC, women in male-dominated industries need to be ready in the moment to use their voices to combat gender bias and to advance their careers.

In this interactive workshop, we’ll explore specific strategies to hone your public speaking fight moves to speak up and stand out.

I look forward to seeing you each month for Public Speaking Fight Moves.

Sincerely,

Jenny Riddle