As ADM embarks on another Outspoken Women Masterclass in Canberra, we sat down with Louise Pascale and LJ Loch, the two women behind Outspoken Women to find out a bit more about them and what they offer.
How did Outspoken Women begin?
Our paths crossed about 3 years ago as a result of our work with Women in Media (an industry networking group setup by the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance). As soon as we met, we had a natural synergy and shared vision for creating a space for women to develop their public speaking and professional skills. The timing was right. There was a lot of change around and women were wanting to have more of a say in what was going on in their worlds both professionally and personally.
How has your past experiences influenced the development of Outspoken Women?
We have experience in journalism, media consultancy and running our own businesses. All of those roles required us to be Outspoken Women. However, it was our work in providing media and presentation training over the years that gave us an insight into the fact that way too many talented women lacked the confidence and techniques to put themselves forward. So, providing training in a women-only space was obvious.
Then there are our personal experiences, both good and bad. We also share these experiences in our workshops and how we used those lessons to take our professional careers to the next level by strengthening our influence and impact skills.
Why should women consider this kind of training?
We call this foundational training. Quite often workplaces are running programs that are encouraging women to take leadership roles or to step up to a new level. However, for some women they feel they can’t do this because they are still missing some fundamental skills like controlling their nerves when giving a presentation or structuring an effective pitch, they may need tips on body language and networking. Often leadership training skips these types of skills.
We believe in every woman who walks into our workshop. We know they have the skills and capacity to be better heard in the workplace. These are women who are ready to take the next step in their career and who are looking for how to do that in the smartest way. We are their cheer squad not just for the day but post training. We give them space and time to refine their skills, giving feedback and backing them all the way.
How can your workshops help women with the transition into leadership roles?
Workplaces need leaders who are both men and women; that cognitive diversity is important both in terms of positive social and business outcomes. Each brings their own set of skills and perspectives to the role, but sadly there are still many sectors where women are struggling to find a foothold in leadership roles.
Our workshops provide a space to explore and build career strengths while learning how to manage the many different elements, real and perceived, that can hold women back in the workplace. The women who have benefited from our training consistently talk to us about the transformational impact of Outspoken Women for themselves and their teams – we love that and we love the wonderfully diverse women we have the privilege of working with around the nation.
ADM Comment: Despite the better part of 10 years of conference presenting, I attended the first Outspoken Women Masterclass in Canberra last year as a ‘brush up’. I have to say that I was blown away not just by the course, where I learned how to sharpen my own skills but by the other women in the session. The difference between them at the beginning of the day and at the end was amazing to watch. The growth in confidence and honing their own speaking style was brilliant.