Last week I facilitated a public speaking workshop for the Rwanda Women Parliamentary Forum through a French interpreter. The Constitution of the Republic of Rwanda mandates that at least thirty (30%) of their parliament be women. They have exceeded those numbers with 49% of their members being women. President Paul Kagame is quoted as saying that “. . . women are indispensible in the reconstruction and collective effect to shape our country’s destiny.”
Since these are elected positions, the focus on the workshop was to assist these women on building credibility statements into their introductions and openings so that people will listen to them. They were given exercises to provide emotional and logical proof to the structure of their presentations. They had received training in the past for public speaking on technique, i.e., how to stand, what to wear, how to hold microphone, etc. They were delighted to receive training on content building and making sure that they are believed and heard. It was great fun to work with an ambitious group of women who are dedicated to serve their people as they rebuild their country.