Meg Heyworth...How Finding Her Voice Led To Her Vocation
Had
the phrase 'deferred success' been around when Meg Heyworth was a young
girl, then it would certainly have been attached to her. Dyslexia, the
real barrier to her achieving educational success, was not recognised
then. So Meg progressed through school, underachieving in both writing
and reading, none the wiser for the real, deep underlying reason for
this.
But as is so often the way with naturally gifted people,
an opportunity presents itself to really thrive. In Meg's case, she
found her voice, or to be more precise, she found the power in her
voice. It started inauspiciously, with Meg entering and winning her
school's regular public speaking competitions. So began what has now
turned into a lifelong passion for public speaking.
Speak-with-confidence
Fast
forward to 2005 and Meg's passion has now become a fully- fledged
business aptly named, Speak-With-Confidence. On the way to forming this
business, Meg has achieved an MBA from the Durham Business School. The
'mid-life crisis' that so many people encounter, was in fact a mid-life
opportunity for Meg. The MBA also enabled her to lay the ghosts of
those early years of schooling to rest. Meg's 50th birthday was
celebrated with her MBA certificate and official recognition that
dyslexia was at the root of her learning difficulties.
Hyde Park meets Thomas The Tank Engine!
Fuelled
with her MBA and her growing confidence for public speaking, Meg
embarked on a programme of self-development, a programme that included
attending the Brighton and Hove Toastmasters' Club. There she
progressed from a beginner to an advanced Toastmaster in just 14 months
(the norm is 36) In January 2007 Meg was awarded Gold status from
Toastmasters when she gave her 40th speech at the Brighton & Hove
Club.
In June 2004,
she was invited to present her thought provoking paper on 'original
thinking skills' to a rapt audience that included Edward De Bono. There
was also another achievement in that year for Meg, one that saw her
standing on the infamous soap- box at Hyde Park Corner, addressing the
bemused passers by, with a speech about Thomas The Tank Engine. Fresh
from this, Meg founded the Eastbourne Speakers Club. Today the club has chartered and has 20 members and a growing number of attendees.
Passing the message on
Profiting
from her passion for public speaking, by helping others to achieve
success, has been the final piece in the jigsaw of Meg Heyworth's life
to date. Speak-With-Confidence coaches a wide spectrum of business
people, from Directors who want to brush up on their skills and manage
their nerves more effectively, to newly promoted team leaders, now in a
position requiring effective public speaking and presentation skills.
Meg coaches on a one to one basis, in small groups and in seminar style
presentations to audiences that range in size from twenty people to two
hundred.
10 steps to speaking success
Meg
has developed a 10 step approach to public speaking where each
individual can identify the step they are currently on, and the step
that they would like to progress to. In her evening seminars, Meg
focuses on two steps at a time. Her approach is relaxed, informative
and interactive. Meg's background enables her to put every person that
she coaches at ease, in a matter of minutes. Once relaxed, they visibly
soak up everything that the session has to offer. Improvements are
noticeable in just two short sessions. The biggest confidence boosters
that delegates cite, after being coached by Meg are a big reduction in
their nerves, and a practical awareness of how to use vocal tone and
body language to maintain audience attention.
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