(Your right to own space)
I was talking to a singer the other day about taking her time when breathing in and I found myself quoting myself.
Make Them Wait
We have a right to breathe. We know we do. We have a right to our turn to speak. We have a right to be heard. We have a right to speak.
No one’s voice matters more than anyone else’s, (call me a communist if you like.)
I spend my time working with people who have been told that they should be quiet and wait their turn. Often their turn didn’t come.
I also hear from people who have been told to hurry up and let someone else speak. As though they are taking too much time to say the thing they are saying.
How fast we speak to get our words out before someone else talks over us.
Your Right to Centre Stage
I ran a workshop where a really sweet woman, who does beautiful work, was too shy to address the group. She did, however, have the courage, (and it took immense courage), to run around the inside of the circle high fiving people as she went.
She took her moment of being the centre of attention and literally ran with it.
I hope that soon she will feel comfortable, and give herself permission to speak to a group from both a place of energy or a place of stillness, (whichever feels right to her at that time).
For a variety of reasons many of us, (perhaps most of us), are told to shut up. Some of us let that take hold of us and we lose our capacity to speak out.
We lose our ability to take ownership of our voice.
Perhaps we don’t speak in meetings. Perhaps we not only stop ourselves from saying what we really believe or want to say but rarely allow ourselves to speak out at all.
Authentic Voice
I’ve written about authentic voice1 before but it bears repeating. For so many people the way that they speak, (or sing), doesn’t feel truthful to them. They feel that their voice doesn’t represent how they see themselves.
One such example is that many younger girls in the family have a “youngest daughter” voice. Even if this person’s voice is rich and resonant when they sing, and even low in pitch when they speak, they speak in a high or bright tone. Being cute and young has become part of their identity.
One woman in a workshop I ran had been a teacher for many years. She felt that her presenting style was flat and not as interesting as it could be. In the workshop she connected with a time when she felt freer and wilder. Her voice was transformed.
Do You Want to Explore Your Right To Speak?
If so get in touch – Link to https://ownyourspokenvoice.com/get-in-touch
The next Own Your Spoken Voice Workshop is on 1 February in Alvechurch.
