Speak up with more courage and ease

 
 

Giving feedback is part of your job.

 

But speaking your truth can be hard to do, even when you know it would make you more impactful and helpful at work…

 
 MAYBE:

  • you’re looking to lead more courageously and authentically.

  • your boss or colleagues have mentioned they wish you’d speak up more.

  • you worry about jeopardizing your credibility or relationships by saying the wrong thing.

  • you struggle to give feedback, worrying that you will upset the other person or even worse, they might lash back at you.

  • you made a team member cry once, and now you are afraid to give them feedback.

  • you keep opinions to yourself and get increasingly frustrated with issues that need addressing.

  • you realize you’ve been short-changing colleagues by not sharing your thoughts.

  • you’re longing to have better relationships with colleagues so that work feels easier.

 

You can learn to speak your truth with confidence and ease.

 
 

Speaking From The Heart is a small group coaching program (between 6-12 participants) to help team members, managers and coaches lead with more authenticity so they can have a greater impact within their organization, better serve the people on their teams, and take the dread out of giving feedback and speaking up.

 

I know how uncomfortable giving feedback can be.

As a manager delivering tough performance feedback, as a coach summarizing themes gathered through interviews, and also sharing unpopular perspectives to senior leaders or fellow board members, I’ve been there plenty of times.

I created Speaking From The Heart to help you identify what’s getting in your way, and to provide powerful tools and group support that help you more comfortably communicate what matters.

 
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WHAT WE’LL BE EXPLORING

Throughout this uniquely designed program, learning builds from one session to the next, while participants support and learn from one another.

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BY THE END OF THE PROGRAM, YOU’LL:

  • be able to speak your truth with more confidence and ease.

  • strengthen your ability to be present and empathic in difficult conversations.

  • increase your effectiveness with offering feedback that sparks less resistance and defensiveness in others. 

  • find it easier to make clear suggestions and requests that lead to positive outcomes.

  • have learned with and from others who are also wanting to lead with more heart.

 THE PROGRAM INCLUDES:

Eight 2-hour virtual sessions.

We will meet every 2-3 week on Thursdays from 1-3pm for four months. Upcoming session dates for 2022 will likely launch in May and September.

While attending the group sessions real-time is ideal, sessions will be recorded to help you stay connected to the content and cohort. In each session, a topic will be introduced, we will practice a specific supportive meditation, and share what we are learning. Sessions also include time for individual reflection, group dialogue, and practice to help solidify the learning and build confidence.

Session Topics

  1. Getting Started - Creating our Goals and Development Container

  2. Working with the “Parts” of us that Get in our Way

  3. What is True… Really? - Distinguishing Observations and Judgments

  4. Tuning In - Working Skillfully with Feelings

  5. Leading with Heart - Clarifying Values and Setting Intentions

  6. Speaking with Heart - Making Requests and Taking Stands

  7. Self-Compassion and Working with our Critical Parts

  8. Putting it all Together - Curiosity and Coaching

Leadership Competencies addressed in this program include: Courageous Authenticity, Integrity, Composure, Caring Connection, Mentoring and Developing, Interpersonal Intelligence, and Community Concern. 

Homework.

In between sessions, there will be assignments that include reading (about a chapter, no more than two), practice and reflection activities, optional Ted talks or podcasts, and the option to practice the specific meditation that supports the topic.  Estimate between 1-2 hours per week outside of class.  

Coaching.

Participants get three 1:1 coaching sessions to help personalize the program, enhance its impact, apply the learning in a targeted way, and explore real work challenges.

INVESTMENT: $1275
ADDITIONAL COACHING SESSIONS AVAILABLE FOR $175/HOUR

FAQs...

How will we do this?

  • During this course we will explore what gets in the way of you offering meaningful feedback or speaking up and work with it directly, skillfully and with compassion.  

  • We will apply a powerful and agile coaching method to work with the “parts” of us (i.e our inner critic, our part that keeps us quiet, our part that keeps us being too nice) so that they can soften and we can more easily speak our truth.

  • We will leverage distinctions from the book Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg and apply them in practical and meaningful ways alongside other feedback models you are already familiar with.

  • We will practice a specific meditation each session, chosen to help build supportive capacity related to each topic. 

Why meditation?  

While meditation is often seen as a way to relax or calm, it is also a way to wake up!  Targeted meditation practices act as a powerful accelerator to help build our capacity to be present in the moment, with ourselves and with others, with more curiosity and compassion.  If you choose to incorporate the meditation practices into your daily rhythm, you will likely notice you are better able to navigate difficult situations at work.  Taking up a meditation practice is an invitation, an offer, not a requirement.  

Which Leadership Competencies are addressed?

In this course, we help develop the following: Courageous Authenticity, Integrity, Composure, Caring Connection, Mentoring and Developing, Interpersonal Intelligence, and Community Concern.

What makes this different than anything else offered around feedback/communication?  

We aren’t here to offer another model.  We ARE going to look inward and see what makes giving feedback and speaking up hard for each unique individual, and then work with that directly.  We will explore our experiences with curiosity and compassion, deepening our connection to ourselves and ultimately with others, which can lead to more skillful and honest ways of communicating.  Basically, we start with how we talk to ourselves and then apply those same ideas to talking with others.  

Why is this spread out over 4 months?

In my experience, people make LASTING change over TIME and in COMMUNITY.  Sustained transformation takes time and support.

  • Lasting change - There are lots of books and courses about communication, giving feedback, and speaking up.  People read them and maybe they help, maybe they don’t, it depends on whether the reader decides to put ideas into practice.  They are impersonal and don’t usually lead to lasting or transformational change.  

  • Over Time - The 5-month program offers time for lots of self-exploration about what makes giving feedback hard, and turning towards those direct experiences to harness and learn from the wisdom within you.  It also allows for time to test out new ideas and see what works for you and what is still hard, time for reflection and deciding to try again or a different way, and having 1:1 coaching support to work through challenges.  The timeframe helps you keep your attention on the topic for longer than just a short course or book might. 

  • In Community - When in a collective conversation with others who share similar struggles, we are reminded that these struggles are a normal part of being human at work.  Sometimes seeing others try new things, and hearing about their experiences, gives us the courage to try something new as well.  When we share our experiences across a group, everybody learns more.  And best of all you get to feel seen along the way, to be celebrated for your victories, and feel empathy for your challenges.  

What can I do to prepare ahead or get the most out of this course?  

Block out the time on your calendar now for attending the course.  And do your best to bring with you a mood of curiosity, compassion, and the courage to experiment.

Can I schedule additional coaching sessions if I want more 1:1 support?  

Yes, there are three sessions included in the program, to be used during the program or within the three months following the program.  Additional coaching sessions can be added at $175/hour for the year following the program. 

 Ready to give feedback with less fear?