Empowering women to find their voice and speak confidently
WeSpeak seeks to inspire women to step up, stand up and speak up in meeting rooms, boardrooms, conference rooms or any room.
Why WeSpeak? Why now?
We understand that building public-speaking expertise is a journey and not a quick trip, but often, women get left behind. We aim to address this by providing coaching, learning resources and a range of opportunities for women across all industries to practise and enhance their oral communication and presentation skills, building confidence and leadership capabilities.
The WeSpeak concept has been activated by a number of women from Bermuda across several industries as a response to the increasing difficulty experienced in securing female speakers for various local and international events. WeSpeak’s goal is to equip women with the resources they need, giving them the confidence to project their voice in any room, whether it’s the meeting room, the boardroom or the ballroom as a panellist or keynote.
WeSpeak's goals
Our community's individual public-speaking needs are varied. Our supportive programmes align with specific development needs, offering tailored support on their public-speaking journey.
We aim to support women by:
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Speak With Impact
Enhancing women's abilities to speak with impact, whether in meeting rooms, boardrooms, conference rooms or the stage
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Creating Opportunities
Creating opportunities to improve speaking skills through coaching, practice and peer support
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Developing Leadership Skills
Developing leadership skills through coaching, improved presence and communications skills
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Strengthening Confidence
Strengthening confidence to speak publicly through practice and skill development
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Elevating Women's Profile
Elevating women's profile through access to public-speaking opportunities locally and internationally
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Expanding Networks
Connecting women to a wider peer group, expanding business and relationship networks
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Expanded Support
Providing a support system to women outside their organisation or industry
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Supporting Next Generation
Supporting the development of the next generation of women leaders through our WeSpeak Teen programme
Understanding the need
During the organisation's inception, WeSpeak conducted a survey of 220 women professionals in Bermuda to investigate how women felt about speaking publicly – and the results were staggering. The survey revealed that most women felt they had a lack of formal training, limited opportunities to practice, and little access to experienced peers or mentors. While most women recognised public-speaking as an integral part of their work, an overwhelming majority did not feel they were confident public speakers and felt ill-prepared to excel.
Survey respondents felt that they have:
Little or no formal training in effective public speaking
Lack of confidence when speaking publicly
Limited opportunity to practice public speaking in a safe environment
Very little access to peers/mentors to build confidence
With these findings in mind, WeSpeak set out to provide women with a supportive forum to develop and project their voices by offering coaching and training to build confidence. We do this by promoting education and cultivating an inspiring network for women to build presentation skills and confidence through coaching, training and access to public-speaking opportunities.
“When asked to speak, I would rather run for the hills, quit my job and hide.”
"Whenever I am asked to speak, I accept the opportunity but I have a lot of anxiety and nervousness leading up to it. I often regret accepting the opportunity."
"I put public speaking alongside other fears and phobias such as snakes and spiders."
"Whenever I am asked to speak, I accept the opportunity but I have a lot of anxiety and nervousness leading up to it. I often regret accepting the opportunity."
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Yes - 22% No - 78%
Number of women who feel confident speaking in public
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Yes - 86% No - 14%
Number of women who have not accepted public speaking opportunities due to fear, anxiety or nervousness
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Yes - 89% No - 10%
Number of women whose role requires public speaking
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80%
Number of women who said they would like a public-speaking coach
How WeSpeak is making an impact
(current as at Spring 2023)
Opportunities to Support WeSpeak
There are a number of ways you can support WeSpeak's mission and goals, giving companies an opportunity to make diversity and inclusion a priority as part of their corporate and social responsibility commitment. Many Bermuda companies have female employees that were raised in different geographies and socio-economic backgrounds, have varying levels of education, and speak different languages. By partnering with WeSpeak, organisations that have been developing and promoting diversity and inclusion strategies can make talking points actionable.
If you would like to learn more about supporting WeSpeak, get in touch.
Meet the Board
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Carolyn Myers
Global Client Relationship Leader, EY
(WeSpeak Chair) -
Kirsten Beasley
Head of Bermuda Office, Willis Towers Watson (WeSpeak Vice Chair)
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Tracey Berkeley
Interim CEO, Bermuda Tourism Authority
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Kendaree Burgess
Chief Operating Officer, Bermuda Business Development Agency
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Sarah Demerling
Partner, Corporate Finances & Funds Group Walkers Global
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Kathleen Faries
CEO, Artex Capital Solutions
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Gemma Godfrey
Chief Operating Officer, The Whitfield Group
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Fiona Luck
Non-Executive Director, Lloyd’s of London Franchise Board
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Tammy Richardson
Partner Corporate, Appleby
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Grainne Richmond
Executive Vice President, Head of Captives, Aon
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Jo Stanton
Head of Finance, Tangency Capital
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The Hon. Mrs. Justice Shade Subair Williams
Supreme Court of Bermuda
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Laura Taylor
President, Nephila Holdings Limited
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Malika Taylor
Managing Director, Expertise Group
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Suzanne Williams-Charles
Director of Policy & Regulation Association of Bermuda Insurers & Reinsurers (ABIR)
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![Purple WeSpeak quote icon]()
"Women Empowering Women"
“Women empowering Women. What more can I say; it’s very rare for that to happen in the current workplace as most people are out for themselves and make it competitive. I am glad that the committee has come together and made something so great! WeSpeak Bermuda is just the start of something so much bigger and even global!”
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![Purple WeSpeak quote icon]()
"Real Women Showing Up For Each Other"
“Real women showing up for each other in a safe, honest environment, fuelled by growth, support and encouragement to speak-up and speak-out. Thank you for helping me find my voice again.”
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"Engage with experts in public speaking"
“Great organized program that allow for networking as well as the opportunity to engage with experts in public speaking that share their experience and knowledge to provide guidance and support. I highly recommend it to others that were not able to attend. Well done to the organizers and coaches. Your time and effort is greatly appreciated.”
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"The Platform To Soar"
“Sometimes, I shake if I have to do something that I’ve never done before—maybe not noticeably, but inside. But I’ll do it, because I know it’s not an insurmountable task; I’ve done plenty of tasks in my life.” — Martha Stewart
This quote to me embodies the power of WeSpeak. Our collective why is the reasons we must push forward. Thx you for now giving us the platform to soar.”
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"Brilliant, Amazing & Inspiring"
“What a truly inspirational day. A huge thank you to the WeSpeak committee for making this a reality, it was brilliant, amazing, inspiring and hopefully just the beginning. It is not often that you attend an event and it far exceeds your expectations.”