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.

If you want to speak with confidence, then you can take the first step to achieving this by ringing Meg Heyworth today for an informal chat.