Sharleen Clarke Curah believes in the power of using your voice to influence positive change.
After moving to Lady Lake from Miami in February, she is working to continue her passion of empowering people by strengthening their confidence and sense of self through interview coaching and public speaking training for organizations and individuals.
On Aug. 11, the motivational speaker, who is the author of “The Five Organizational Sins” and founder of HR Management DTi, hosted the “So You Think You Can Speak” presentation and book signing event at the Fruitland Park Library. She previously held a book signing July 17 at the Lady Lake Public Library.
During the educational session, she reviewed speaking techniques and how to discover the power of one’s voice.
“We have learned to speak, but it’s different from speaking with a purpose,” Clarke Curah said. “Sometimes we are afraid to share our stories, but others who are going through the same thing or something similar will be appreciative of your words. You may be afraid people will laugh or that your story is too unique, but there may be someone who says, ‘I understand’ or ‘I know someone who went through the same thing.’”
Clarke Curah, who has a masters degree in communication for social and behavior change and serves as president of Visionary Orators Inspiring Change Everywhere (V.O.I.C.E) Masters, a global community of speakers focused on leadership, advocacy, and transformation through public, said her goal is to create a long-lasting impact among those looking to improve their speech power.
“People often feel others aren’t listening to them or that they are up against a brick wall in terms of public speaking,” she said. “After taking the training, people realize it’s not what you’re doing, but how it’s done.”
Whether a person is presenting to two people or 100, she wants people to know that failure is part of success.
“It’s important to not be afraid of failure — everything connects,” she said. “At the end of the training, I want people to become more productive, more determined and confident. Once you participate, there’s no way you are going to remain the same person.”
During the presentation, she gave information about “The Art of Effective Communication.”
The information is beneficial for anyone from people sharing the information to anyone who is afraid of public speaking, she said.
“If you grew up believing your voice doesn’t matter, then you become mute,” she said. “The reasons we believe we cannot speak are usually created in our own mind or based on notions people have shared with us. There is a fear of judgement, embarrassment or maybe a fear of making a mistake.”
One has to become a master of masking their nervousness, she said.
“A speaker rarely ever remembers to a T what they practiced,” she said. “If you’re flexible about what you’ve practiced, you can adjust. You also have to be able to laugh at yourself, because embarrassment only goes as far as you allow it.”
She explained that confidence in how to speak with conviction comes with repetition.
“Confidence isn’t the absence of fear, but taking action against your fears creates confidence,” she said. “Stop comparing yourself to others, because you will never truly be like any other person and you’re only breaking your spirits. Instead, calculate the steps needed on your journey from where you are to where you want to go. Action creates confidence, so the more times you practice, the better you will become.”
The five simple speaking techniques people should keep in mind are: breathe, slow down, smile and make meaningful eye contact. She also emphasized that exuding strong body language — from standing tall to keeping your shoulders relaxed — can help create a sense of confidence.
“Your voice matters,” she said. “People remember stories, authenticity and passion. Your experiences that you’ve been through give you grounds and knowledge to speak and share your story. There are misconceptions today that you have to be famous for your voice to have value, but it has nothing to do with how powerful or famous you are. You with all your knowledge, wisdom and experience is what it takes — not titles.”
Andrea Adams, V.O.I.C.E Masters financial controller, said Clarke Curah has been a lucrative part of the team in teaching people how to reach their full potential.
“What we’ve been able to do is help people gain confidence in speaking,” Adams said. “A lot of people don’t understand the importance of learning this skill. Anyone can master purposeful speaking, but it takes preparation. Over the years, I’ve seen Sharleen work with children and adults and she has helped move people from being shy to speaking with confidence. She’s very passionate about helping people.”
Clarke Curah is determined to continue inspiring change one person at a time.
“This is an introductory training to wet your appetite, then we take it further with virtual public speaking training based on the need,” she said. “In this training, I told you what you need to do, but I didn’t fully walk you through the how. How you speak is how you connect and engage, so I want to help people learn how to improve their ability to connect based on what they share.”
For more information, visit voicemasters.biz or designed toinspire.biz.
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com.
