Empowering Women in Public Speaking
Social Media guru JD Lasica interviewed me a few months back at Girls In Tech’s Santa Cruz retreat about the topic of women and public speaking. This is a subject near to my heart, and I’m on a mission to make sure women become more prominent players in the conference speaking circuit. So please enjoy, and if you think it’s helpful, pass it along!
JD’s blog is always filled with interesting interviews (I’m obviously the exception. 
), definitely worth bookmarking.
Cheers,
B
For over 15 years, Bronwyn Saglimbeni has worked with clients to improve their public speaking and media relations skills, challenging them to bring out more of themselves in their communications. Bronwyn is known for her playful, irreverent approach to coaching, combined with her knack for delivering "tough love" in a way that allows executives to achieve true breakthroughs.
My name is Duane Smith. I am a public speaking professor, and speech coach at Los Angeles Valley College. Not only do strong minority women make up the majority of our campus (60% female – 40% male), but I am blessed with not only a brilliant wife, Fleur, but four wonderful daughters, Sierra 6, Skylar 5, Savannah 3, and Scarlet 2! Women’s issues are of great importance to me.
During my undergraduate studies I was awarded a scholarship to Northern Arizona University for public speaking. While competing nationally and internationally for NAU, my two most successful speeches were focused on two of the greatest atrocities being faced by women still to this day. In 1994, while competing at the International Forensics Association (IFA) International Public Speaking Championship Tournament held in Munich Germany, I was awarded first place for persuasive speaking. I spoke about, “The Need to Officially Recognize Rape as a War Crime.” And in 1995, at the Interstate Oratory (U.S. National Championship Tournament for Persuasive Speaking), I placed 7th in the nation for a speech about a little known at the time disease called “HPV: Human Papillomavirus.”
Now as a father of four future women, I am even more vested in women’s issues.
There is no more empowering skill for women, no more empowering way to amplify women’s voices than solid, practical public speaking skills training.
I am a tenured, full time college professor. And I coach one of the most successful college speech teams in the United States. In 2008, my national championship claiming team’s roster mirrored the school’s gender stats with 6 young women, and 4 young men. I am also the CEO and founder of Empowering Speech. Additionally, I have over a decade of experience teaching public speaking to English-as-a-second-language-speakers. My history, services, and testimonies can be viewed at empoweringspeech.com. I am always looking for new challenges and opportunities to serve where there is a need.
Duane Smith
Hi Duane! Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments! As a mother of two daughters myself, I hear ya on all fronts. Also, I think we were at NAU at the same time!! Did you know Sarah Morris? She was on the debate/public speaking team as memory serves me!
Will definitely keep you in mind… I’ll be in LA the week of the 23rd, maybe we can connect.