Speaking Out

Join us for this 3 day Online Masterclass that will have you standing up and speaking out with courage, impact and authenticity, whether it is a planned talk or a spontaneous moment of rising up.

With Kanada Elizabeth Gorla, Deborah Antoinette Ward and special guests Bayo Akomolafe and Anu Omideyi.

Now more than ever, we are being called to stand up and speak out for what we believe. In times of uncertainty and rapid change, in the liminal, fertile and creative space that we are in as a society, between the pre-COVID world and the next world waiting to emerge, we have the chance to speak our truth and have it matter.

Is this for you?

This is for all those who wish to speak their truth in any setting – at work, at home or on the streets.

The challenges most people experience while speaking to an audience have their roots in complex issues connected to self worth. Speaking Out (gently) invites you to begin to look at the underlying issues that have inhibited your full and free self-expression. It will equip you with practical skills, helpful techniques and useful approaches to support you to meet your deep intention, be authentic and develop stronger self-esteem ( or: develop a stronger sense of the immense value of what only you can share / what you share).

You will be called to explore the ground you stand on, your values, beliefs and assumptions, the very source and subject of your passion to communicate. You will be coached at multiple levels – energetically, vocally, physically, creatively and emotionally – as you hone your voice and develop a new and exciting relationship to speaking out in the world.

Speaking Out is for you if you wish to become a confident, competent public speaker whether in formal or informal settings.

What will you get from this course?

Expect a mix of discussion, group work and practical exercises with our coaches and facilitators Kanada Gorla and Deborah Ward who are joined by special guests to inspire you with the way that they are speaking out in the world at this moment in history.

Key information:

DATES:
22 – 24 January 2021

TIMES: London GMT

Friday 22nd: 7 – 9pm
Saturday 23rd: 2pm – 5pm + Online Debate 7pm – 8:30pm
Sunday 24th: 2pm – 5pm

LOCATION:
Online via Zoom – A recording will be available to participants afterwards, and those in different time zones

FEE:
£130 – low income
£165 – regular fee
£200 – help someone else to attend fee

Facilitators

Kanada Elizabeth Gorla

Kanada develops conscious leadership to connect with what is truly important, supporting individuals & organisations to become forces of nature for nature. She brings an embodied presence to create space-between, with an openness to the emergent in both groups & individuals, revealing blockages & dynamics that get in the way. Kanada has contributed to Embercombe from the beginning, from the early days of dreaming in the Council to her current work of Catalyst, Speaking Out and On Purpose. She has 25+ years experience in leadership/culture, developing purpose-led leaders and changemakers, facilitating transformative change, building individual & collective resilience, and cultivating connection with self, others & nature. Her approach is intuitive and pragmatic, holistic and results-oriented.

Clients range from young people to senior executives, from social enterprises to NGOs & multinationals and her current projects include leading a whole systems transformation with Riverford Organic Farmers (2017-2021), acting as an executive coach on Common Purpose’s MAVA Leaders for Nature Academy with senior leaders in the global conservation movement, and the co-founding Kin, a CIO whose purpose is to build capacity in community-making in place based towns and cities. To learn more or to contact Kanada go to <shine.squarespace.com>

Deborah Antoinette Ward

Deborah’s passion is how playfulness leads to creative acts whether on stage or in life. For her this work starts with body-connection, nurturing imagination and being willing to be bold. After graduating from London International School of Performance Art, LISPA, in 2011, she has worked as an actress, storyteller, performance poet, assistant director, casting director, director and independent producer. Including performances at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Theatre Des Carmes – Avignon, Keochang International Festival of Theatre – Korea, The Cube & The Wardrobe – Bristol. She has also directed shows at the Space theatre – London and The Warren – Brighton Fringe. With SynaesTheatre she facilitates workshops at Hamilton House, Bristol, in Storytelling, Clown, and Mask, in partnership with Coexist & CoResist Collective. She associate produce shows with Ed Littlewood and with CoResist – Transformative Arts Programme. She is an independent creative consultant for solo artists and small companies.

Bayo Akomolafe

Bayo Akomolafe (PhD) is the father of Alethea Aanya and Kyah Abayomi and life-partner to Ije. He is a teacher, lecturer, speaker and an author of books such These Wilds Beyond our Fences: Letters to My Daughter on Humanity’s Search for Home and We Will Tell our Own Stories! He is the Chief Curator and Director of The Emergence Network.

bayoakomolafe.net / course.bayoakomolafe.net / emergencenetwork.org

Anu Omideyi

Anu is the award-winning choir director and manager of the award-winning The Reapers Choir, a gospel choir that was a finalist in BBC1’s Gospel Choir of the Year 2014 and has performed in venues including 10 Downing Street for the Prime Minister, Kensington Palace, the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, and the London African Music Festival 2015 and several local venues too numerous to mention. The vocal ability of this unique singing collective has been recognised nationally and internationally, with the gospel outfit winning “Best Music Video by a UK Choir or Group” at the JUMP Music Video Awards 2017 for their track “The Only One (Okan Soso)”, London UK; and both “Choir of the Year” and “Choir Director of the Year” (Anu Omideyi), in the Zeta Gospel Music Awards, Tennessee, USA, in October 2015. The choir has also been nominated for “Best Group/Choir” in the Praisetek Awards 2019, “Best Gospel Act” in the Urban Music Awards 2017, Premier Gospel Award “Choir of The Year 2017″, Choir of the Year 2016” and the British Gospel Music Alliance Industry (GMIA) award for “Best Music Video by a UK Choir/Group” (JUMP Music Video Awards) in 2014. The choir has performed at the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Festival Hall alongside many other events including the Christian Resource Exhibition at the ExCel Centre. Please click thereaperschoir.co.uk to go to the choir’s website for more details