Speaking

Breaking Through Barriers to Voice, Visibility and Influence

Your voice is one of the most powerful tools you have for influence.

When you speak with confidence, express your thoughts clearly, and share your ideas with conviction, your ability to lead and inspire others expands. You gain the presence to make meaningful change, communicate with impact, and contribute at a higher level.

But for many smart, capable women, speaking up isn’t always easy.

Whether it’s in presentations, meetings, or moments where someone holds more perceived power, internal barriers like self-doubt, overthinking, and fear of judgment can keep your voice quiet — and your potential unrealised.

In this compelling keynote, Sharon Natoli unpacks the real reasons why smart women often hesitate to speak up. She reveals the hidden patterns that hold them back — and shares practical, science-based strategies to overcome them.

Audiences will walk away with:

• Greater awareness of the internal barriers to confident communication

• Tools to strengthen voice, presence and self-leadership

• Renewed clarity on how to speak up, be seen, and step forward with impact

Ideal for: communication, leadership, and women’s advancement events.

Categories: self-leadership, personal growth, influence, gender equity

Speaking up, sharing your thoughts and ideas, and speaking to be heard are essential ingredients for making the difference you were born to make, bringing your best self to work, home and relationships, and providing the inspiration to lead others to greatness.

To speak up with confidence and deliver your message with conviction, not only do you need a supportive and conducive external environment, you need an encouraging and compassionate internal environment.

Research by Stanford University however shows 80% of people live in a state where their mind is acting more frequently as their enemy, rather than their friend.

In this presentation, Sharon describes how to assess and improve the balance between the undermining effects of your inner critics and the elevating influence of your inner companions.

As a result of this presentation, participants will gain the tools to begin unleashing the power of their voice by mastering their inner dialogue, in turn helping them speak up with greater confidence, presence and influence.

Ideal for teams, innovation days, leadership. 

Category – self leadership, personal development. 

In this practical and interactive presentation Sharon covers the challenges of speaking up in an online environment.

If informal conversation and ideation has given way to the challenges of technology, muted microphones and chat boxes, this keynote will help your team unmute themselves and enhance their contribution.

In this presentation Sharon shares:

• Why it can be hard to unmute yourself in online meetings

• The barriers that hold you back in an online environment

• How to build confidence before you speak

• Maintaining calm and starting off strong when speaking in the online spotlight

• Maintaining presence and power as you speak

As a result of this presentation, participants will come away with useful and practical insights and exercises to help them not only unmute but speak up to be heard in an online environment.

Ideal for team development and team building.

Category – workplace culture, innovation.

When people feel safe and supported to speak up, performance doesn’t just improve — it multiplies.

This keynote explores how creating a workplace where every voice is heard and valued leads to stronger leadership, better decisions, and higher engagement. You'll discover why some voices go unheard, the cost of silence, and how to build a culture where clarity, confidence and contribution thrive.

Because when every voice matters, performance soars.