BROADCASTS.com

Speaking up for ourselves, others, our ideas, and important issues can feel pretty uncomfortable, if not downright scary.\xa0Speaking up is a skill, that takes practice - like a muscle that must be built and strengthened over time.\xa0\xa0\nIn this Greatest Hits episode, I share about an event where I spoke a couple of years ago.\xa0After my session, there was time for Q&A and the question folks kept circling back to was, \u201cHow do I start to speak up so I can play a bigger game?\u201d\xa0\nA number of attendees noted they were so in the habit of not speaking up that they didn\u2019t know where or how to start using their voices.\xa0\xa0\nBecause women have been socialized to stay small and quiet, if can take extra effort (and bravery!) to actually use our voices.\xa0\xa0\n\nI gave these women three simple, low-risk steps to start practicing speaking up:\n\nPractice stating your preferences out loud\xa0\n\nPractice stating your needs out loud\n\nPractice sharing opposing opinions in neutral ways\xa0\n\n\nThese steps are intended to be practiced over time, in this order.\xa0Start out with low-risk/low exposure steps.\xa0The stakes are typically pretty low when you\u2019re stating a preference: \u201cI prefer pepperoni pizza to sausage & mushroom.\u201d\xa0Or, \u201cI would prefer to watch Movie ABC vs Movie XYZ this evening.\u201d\nOnce you\u2019ve practiced this a few times, try to share a need with a loved one: \u201cI need some time to myself, so I\u2019m going to take myself to lunch and a movie this weekend.\u201d\xa0Practice this a few times.\xa0\xa0\nOnce you\u2019ve practiced these lower-stakes ways of speaking up, you can start to test higher-stakes ways of speaking up.\xa0This is where you can start to practice sharing an opposing opinion in a neutral way, \u201cThank you for sharing your opinion/experience.\xa0That hasn\u2019t been my experience.\u201d\xa0Or, \u201cThank you for sharing your opinion/experience.\xa0I see it differently.\u201d\xa0Make sure to listen in to the episode to learn how to do #3 safely, this part is important!\nThe goal is to build your \u201cSpeak Up muscle\u201d and then continually strengthen it over time.\xa0The outcomes you can expect include: feeling seen and heard, experiencing a stronger sense of power and autonomy, realizing your voice matters and can impact others and inspire change, and enjoying a sense of freedom over owning and honoring your voice.\xa0While speaking up can feel scary, I promise it is well worth it!\nWe love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor\nInterested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices