When words penned in such a manner
May never be undone
To craft manipulation of another mind
To blind someone with diction
To suffocate a human thought
Seducing it with sentiment
Like a vintage wine uncorked.
Hazel explained that if you were to unpick that poem line by line, you would realise that it is not about understanding but having things forced upon you – which is everything that WEN is not.
The first guest speaker for the evening, Sue Ross (founder of Lifegeta) spoke of her journey from when she suffered her stroke to her founding Lifegeta. She was coached and mentored by Eileen and is now a trustee of HCMA. One of her most powerful words was her own resolution to fight as opposed to giving up and turning to alcohol. It was her resolve to do something positive with her life that led her to where she is now, in a position to support and help others dealing with difficult emotional issues such as an acquired disability.
Her inspirational words was followed by an equally excellent talk given by Elaine Connolly (who had also attended one of HCMA's courses on presentation skills) who spoke about presenting yourself, be it in a presentation or in an interview situation. In her all-inclusive style, she asked all the ladies to break into small groups and discuss what is important about presenting yourself in any situation.
Many key points were brought back which included preparing well; making a good first impression by smiling warmly and shaking the interviewer’s hand; and to take a few calming breaths before you begin. One of her key messages was “What three things do you want the audience to remember about you?”. So, know in your mind what those three things are and get these three points across to the audience.
The evening concluded with an exercise presented by Eileen with the aim of finding out what the ladies would like to gain from attending these WEN Forums and also what the ladies could bring to the Forums.
Once again, we were pleased with the number of ladies who attended the evening and the feedback we continue to receive from them. We are looking forward to the next WEN forum during when we will be exploring the theme of starting a business.
