One of our favourite things is hearing from our members about how our program has helped them build their speaking confidence and achieve an important professional or personal speaking milestone, like being more vocal at work or delivering a big presentation.
That’s why, we created our Speaker Spotlight Series. To celebrate members who’ve participated in our training and have gone on to reach a speaking goal that – at one point, – felt virtually impossible due to the intense feelings of nervousness and anxiety they experienced while speaking.
Today’s Speaker Spotlight celebrates Cristina Donato 
.
[Transcript]
What do you do for work?
“I work for Best Buy as an IT Service Manager. You will usually see me dealing with problem management, change management, and incident management.”
Why is having strong communication skills so important in your role?
“You will usually find me in major incident calls, driving resolution where there would be at least 10 people on the call. And sometimes it could get even get into 100 or more folks joining.”
How has communication skills training changed your mindset at work?
“It definitely has changed my mindset. After understanding that the intention is to be able to relay the message, I wouldn’t say that fear has left. Fear will always I think, be there. But I think what’s driving me is the thoughts of how I deliver the message, and how the recipient will take the message.”
What recent successes have you experienced as a result of improving your communication skills?
“I recently moderated a speaking engagement about gender inequality! And I never thought that I would be comfortable. I’ve always thought that I would be nervous in front of a crowd. But the learnings that I was able to capture from joining the Speak for Success workshop actually helped me.
What advice do you have for people just starting to work on their communication skills?
“I would advise people to not be afraid to be in uncomfortable situations. And keep exploring those uncharted territories. I guess that’s the fun of having the adventure. It’s the excitement and the discovery of something new about yourself. So keep practicing and start from there and you will see your potential!”
Interested in becoming a member or partnering with Speak for Success for your team?
👩🏻💻 You can register today or book a call with one of our Learning Specialists to find out how we can support you or your team.
