It’s a wrap! As we wave goodbye to International Women’s month for 2022, I’d like to thank the many clients and audience members who made this such a special month for me.

I got to speak for some amazing companies in front of audience members from across the globe, and even managed to squeeze in a trip to San Diego to meet with some of my U.S.-based clients and enjoy a few days of downtime.

This year, my themed speech for IWD was ‘Break the Bias with Powerful Communication’.

By far the most popular content I shared during this interactive keynote was about the difference between Calling Out vs Calling In. We also explored some sentence starters and scenarios to help participants approach these, often difficult, interactions.

For example:

Call out – when you need to stop the person in their tracks or prevent further harm, when you’re deeply offended/upset and it’s time for the conversation to just end. The risk: you sever your relationship, cause offence or put yourself in a difficult position with clients, bosses etc.

Call in – when you want to preserve the relationship, are open to a conversation based on curiosity and a growth mindset, you feel uncomfortable calling out, etc.

Don’t let anybody tell you that it’s one-size fits all. Context, your personality, and your relationship with the speaker play a role here too.

Thank you Ramona Friese (she/her), Jennifer Watson, HOLLY BRISTOW, Eleanor MacCannell, Beatrice Vicart, Jessica Batt, Jade To, Alberto Bautista, Wendy Chang Smith, Maureen Gibbons, Denise van Wijk, Beverly Parraz, Anna Almasiova, Sonya Towers for your faith in me, and thanks to all the awesome attendees who helped make these sessions into conversations by sharing your experiences during or after the events.

And if you need a practical, tools-based keynote to empower your people to fight bias, along with some concrete steps you can take at the organisational level, please get in touch!

See the post on LinkedIn

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Hi, I’m Shola and I help you create a people-first culture. My work sits at the intersection of Inclusion, Communication & Emotional Intelligence.

My keynote talks and workshops help your leaders and employees create high-performing work environments where people feel a sense of belonging and psychological safety. Sessions are high energy, interactive, and every participant walks away with at least one practical framework for connecting and collaborating more effectively.

Sound good to you? Please reach out and let’s discuss your next event! 🙂🎤✨