After many years of silence, Monica Lewinsky – the former White House intern who became notorious for her affair with President Clinton – has decided to take back her narrative and give purpose to her past. She is determined to have a different ending to her story. We don’t all have a story like Monica’s – one in which the personal became political in a dramatic way – but we do all have a choice as to how we tell our story, and we can all repurpose our past.
By sharing your story of empowerment, you can inspire. You can be a servant-speaker. You can find meaning for yourself and for others. You can OWN YOUR STORY.
Monica has done this by delivering a powerful and courageous TED talk called The Price of Shame. She has repurposed her past by campaigning for a more compassionate internet and an end to the culture of humiliation. And that is a perfect example of forging meaning from adversity and rewriting your narrative in a more empowering way.
We have all overcome obstacles and bounced back from setbacks – and this is where the juice is when it comes to putting together an inspiring speech with a universal message. Digging into your timeline for the stories that define your life is not for the faint-hearted but there is treasure there.
It’s a journey we often can’t make on our own – and that’s where I come in, with the help of Yang-May Ooi. fellow storyteller and award-winning graduate of Ginger’s Inspiring Speakers Programme.
As co-facilitators we combine Yang-May’s wisdom as a novelist and story performer with my experience as a journalist and story archaeologist to help people dig for inspiring stories and tell them with passion and presence.
Our shared philosophy is that finding and telling a powerful story from your life will not only build your confidence and performance skills but also help you transform adversity into inspiration for others – just like Monica.
We believe that getting clear about the story you want to tell and learning how to deliver that story with impact and universal appeal will help you step into your leadership.
In January we ran a pilot version of our masterclass Own Your Story, Own The Room that was extremely well received and appealed to beginners as well as more experienced speakers and storytellers. And on May 16th we’re giving eight more people the chance to find, hone and deliver their stories.
We’ll be playing theatre games devised by Yang-May and going on a dig for treasure in your timeline, building to a finale where you get to tell a four-minute story and get some supportive feedback from the group and co-facilitators.
It’s a fun, engaging and life-affirming day – but don’t take my word for it.
Here’s what Lorraine, one of our beginners, said about the masterclass: “Beverley and Yang May were a great team with a lovely blend of demonstrating both the performance and structure of storytelling. They both provided exceptional feedback to the storytellers, which was very motivational, but also contained constructive developmental points to help people improve.”
Elaine, another award-winning graduate of the Inspiring Speakers Programme, said: “This is a workshop that enables you to take a leap forward in your public speaking and storytelling journey, wherever you are currently. Beverley and Yang-May are consummate professionals who understand their subject and present it in a very clear and entertaining manner, with plenty of time to put your learning into practice.”
We hope you can join us on May 16th for our one and only masterclass of 2015. Click here for more information and to book a place. Because we want to hear your story…
Beverley Glick has been telling stories for a living for 35 years – first as a music journalist and pop magazine editor, and subsequently as a features writer and commissioning editor for a variety of national newspapers. In 2013 she was voted People’s Choice at the gala finale of Ginger Training and Coaching’s Inspiring Speakers Programme and co-founded The Story Party with Mary Ann Mhina shortly afterwards. She is now part of the Ginger training team, as well as being its Public Speaking Story Telling Coach. She also combines her journalistic skills with a presence-based form of coaching as a story archaeologist – digging for the gold in personal stories. www.beverleyglick.com
Yang-May Ooi is a creative artist whose work explores the transformational power of personal narrative. Her bestselling novel The Flame Tree which outranked Ken Follett in the Malaysian bestseller charts. She is an award-winning speaker whose TEDx talk Rebel Heart was described as “one of the best and most moving talks at a TEDx event”. Her solo story performance inspired by stories from her life and family, Bound Feet Blues, showcased in London’s West End in Oct 2014 to 4+ Star reviews – “a truly fantastic performance” and “a powerful and empowering piece”. She is a trained Co-Active coach and a member of the Society of Authors and the Association for Coaching. www.StoryGuru.co.uk
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