Training on public speaking to empower Kuwaiti Women
Date:
A practical workshop on public speaking was conducted within the framework of the 8th Annual Conference on Women and Leadership convened between October 22 and 25 in Kuwait City.
The training is part of a 2-year project to accelerate the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality and women’s empowerment in Kuwait, implemented by the Women’s Research and Studies Center (WRSC) at Kuwait University, in partnership with the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development, UNDP Kuwait and the UN Women Regional Office for the Arab States.
Facilitated by gender and development specialist Sally El Mahdy, the workshop provided Kuwaiti women leaders and political aspirants with theoretical and practical background and tools to engage effectively with their constituencies. It covered practical methodologies to prepare for public speaking, proper body language techniques and effective utilization of facial expressions, voice tone and eye contact.
“For women leaders and political aspirants, having demonstrated public speaking skills is considered one of the prime factors for success.” said El Mahdy. “Being able to lead is totally different than being able to manage: it is the ability to inspire others to change! For every woman who pursues a career in leadership or politics, being able to introduce positive changes is very critical to demonstrate credibility to their constituencies” she added.
“This training is very important because women are very new to the political arena in Kuwait. We faced multiple challenges since 2005 when we got access to voting rights. In addition to new rules and laws, women need to be empowered with the right tools to enter the political scene in Kuwait,” said Ghada Khalaf, director of an investment company in Kuwait, who participated in the training.
For entrepreneur and business-owner Asrar Hayat, “this training was very important because it provided us with the right skills to use in politics or in leadership positions, including how to prepare your message, how to present yourself, body language and overall public speaking.”
Aseel Alawadhi, a government official from the Ministry of Public Works said “women in Kuwait need to be empowered. We have a lot of potential and we need to get it out. This training is giving us the skills to articulate our messages and improving the way we communicate. With these tools we will be more empowered to assume leadership positions”.