For many of us the fear of public speaking is one of our most excruciating and painful sources of anxiety and dread. We are rarely prepared for it and often have little or no sense of natural self-confidence when we find ourselves in the role of speaking from ‘the one to the many.’

However, what if the practice of public speaking can eventually- through slow and patient practice- become a source of total joy, affirmation and even a route towards wholeness and inner balance?

That’s the vision of Speak from your Heart. That by connecting more and more to the truth of your own being and learning to free up more of your authentic self, then speaking in front of others becomes easier and easier

So if you suffer from:

• Nerves in front of an audience
• Lack of confidence and charisma
• Fear of making mistakes in front of a group
• Feelings of inadequacy
• Confusion about your message or central point

Then this course could be a good fit for you

We will work through an array of experiential exercises based on a number of public speaking archetypes- from the Actor, to the Lawyer, to the Preacher, to the Guru, to the Comedian and more. Each one has a particular quality or skill that we can learn to activate within ourselves - presence, passion, connection, clarity, honesty, friendliness and more.

Now I am not going to bullshit you and say the this can be learnt in a day, a week, month or even a year. It’s a life long craft, but one that will bear fruit from the very start. It’s like learning a language. The more you master the basics, the easier it gets. Until you can eventually flow and speak in that language

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Here’s a little outline of the how the day might go

10.30- Check-in and opening circle. Sharing where we are at as individuals. Listening to the common themes of the group

11.00- BODY: Understanding the fear. Experiential exercises to understand the physiology of the fear, the adrenaline, the cortisol and what it does to your body, mind and emotions when you have to stand up and be seen. Relaxation exercises to mitigate this fear

12.15- MIND- Clarifying your message. Whenever we have to stand up and speak, there is always an underlying message. Learning how to distill this down to a simple sentence that a 7-year old can understand will give you an invisible thread throughout your whole presentation or performance from which you never need to deviate. This thread will be your inner mantra or guide rope.

1.30 -Communal lunch

2.30- HEART -Finding your passion, presence and personality by playfully exploring the skills of ‘showmanship.’ This is done by looking at the archetypes of the Actor, the Preacher and the Comedian who all teach us how to warm up our audience.

3.45 - SOUL- Sharing your Sincerity. Permitting your vulnerability, your authenticity and your pure connection to the audience be there without any bullshit, showmanship or bluff. Learning to be you with as little effort as possible through the archetypes of the Guru, the Clown, the Priest

5.00- Checkout- sharing our experience. Integrating. Next steps

I hope this leaves you curious or interested to join us. We will be a maximum of 8 people for a focussed group

"What a day!! I knew I would be out of my comfort zone since I tend to avoid any public speaking. However, I really appreciate the way Ailon was able to hold a safe space for us to explore our different fears around this topic. I have since done a public speaking event that was very successful, and I did not feel the big dread that would usually terrify me. The workshop really helped bring some clarity on what I needed to focus on. The humour and the laughs helped as well!!'

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PS Before I go, here’s a final secret that I’ve learned about exploring the craft of public speaking...

It’s not just a path about this ’external craft.’

It’s actually a very profound journey of self-knowledge and discovery wherein each of the obstacles and blocks you discover along the way is something that was simply waiting to be melted and dissolved. Public speaking is actually a path of personal development that can guide you to become the most relaxed, easy and natural version of yourself.

Isn’t that what we all want? Just to be ourselves....

About Ailon Freedman

Growing up I was one of the shyest, most introverted and often bullied young men around.I had zero self-esteem, very low social confidence and little or no gift of the gab.

For the last 35 years however, life has taken me on a journey where I’ve ended up being front and centre in a wide range of situations - initially as a yoga teacher, then as a corporate facilitator and since then as an entertainer, comedian, clown and storyteller.

Ironically, spending most of my professional life with lots of people’s eyes and ears resting on me, often leaves me feeling more at home, more in contact with my inner self than if I’m twiddling my thumbs doing bugger all. I love it and find it to be a great gift.

If you'd like to see an example of me 'speaking from my heart" - have a look at this YouTube clip of a recent storytelling performance https://youtu.be/suQ3WN_6YYs