Your Story, Your Terms
Nancy Hardcastle, MA | September 24 | 11:45 AM-12:45 PM
Topic: Conceptual | Knowledge Level: Beginner
Survivors of human trafficking have plenty of compelling reasons for telling their story. They may hope to educate allies about how trafficking works, help others avoid the same fate, or take back their power by speaking for themselves in their own words. But figuring out how to tell these stories can be difficult. Survivor speakers realize they cannot fit everything that happened to them into one presentation but, at the same time, they find it hard to decide what to include and what to leave out. They may also struggle with questions about organizing everything, using statistics and other data, dealing with difficult or intrusive questions from the audience, and where, oh where, to start? This session is designed for survivors who are interested in telling their story and would like some professional guidance. Nancy Hardcastle, a public speaking coach who specializes in the anti-trafficking field, will focus on three areas that are crucial to a successful “survivor story” presentation. She’ll explain how to: 1) prioritize self-care throughout the presentation process so that each phase is empowering rather than exploitive, 2) choose the organizational format that is best suited to a survivor’s experience, and which will guide them in deciding what to discuss, and 3) use presentation techniques that will capture and maintain an audience’s attention. Following this session, survivors will have tools to help them create engaging and informative presentations based on their stories, and they’ll also feel more confident to assert themselves through each stage of the event.
Presentation Objectives:
· Discuss how survivors can prioritize self-care throughout the presentation process so that each phase is empowering rather than exploitive
· Explain different ways survivors can organize their story and how to choose the organizational format best suited to their experience
· Demonstrate techniques suitable for both virtual and in-person events that will help survivors capture and maintain their audience’s attention