My name’s Reena and last year, I decided to set up my own venture specialising in autism awareness and acceptance with a focus on Black, brown and ethnically diverse communities because as the parent of an Autistic child, I experienced barriers and a lack of understanding from my community and those around me. I deliver talks and workshops to organisations, charities, schools and run parent workshops where we explore themes such as analysing our cultural conditioning through to creating a home life that you love, with your Autistic child.
I knew about Sonal from the various posts I’d seen about her role as Toastmaster as well as the public speaking courses that she runs, mainly from the RecommendAsian and ProfessionalAsian Facebook groups. I was approached by the National Autism Show to deliver a talk on their main stage about the relevance of race and ethnicity to parenting an Autistic child, in London and Manchester. Never before had they hosted a talk on this subject. Having attended the show in the past, I knew it was a key date in the calendar for many Autism professionals, parents, carers and charities – and I didn’t want to let them down. I knew there was only one person to whom I could turn, to help me deliver the talk in the way that I wanted to. I knew I could write a good talk and stand behind a lectern to deliver it, safe in the knowledge that I could grip the sides of the lectern if I got nervous!
But in my heart I knew that this was a defence mechanism and the way I truly wanted to deliver the 40 minute talk would be without notes and speaking to the hearts of the audience members. I am an anxious person and a habitual note taker so in my own mind I questioned if this was even possible – but I thought I would at least ask the question.
I approached Sonal and she responded immediately. I explained my wish and asked if she could help and she was confident that she could, promptly sending the paperwork through for us to get going. I found her fees to be affordable and I knew that if I could deliver the talk in the way I wanted to, the gains would be far greater than what I had paid – it would set the bar for what I could go on to achieve in future talks. Sonal and I held a combination of in person and virtual sessions, both of which were immensely useful and packed with practical tips such as finding my ideal standing position, when to pause, how to breathe and where to add emphasis to particular points. In between sessions, I practised as much as I could and Sonal shared tips on how to move away from the script and into a place where it didn’t matter which order particular points fell into but that it was delivered comfortably and confidently.
It was a very enjoyable process and Sonal was attentive, kind and supportive throughout. Her belief in me propelled my own belief in myself. I’ve now learnt a series of techniques that I will be able to implement for any talks I deliver moving forwards.
So did I do it? Oh yes! And it was exactly as I wished it to be. The response from the audience was phenomenal and I made so many new connections that day with parents, carers and professionals who wanted to share their positive feedback or collaborate on projects. It was a resounding success on so many levels. Sonal also challenged me to post a live video on Instagram before I went on stage and I did so confidently; sharing my feelings of the talk I was about to deliver.
I would definitely recommend Sonal and not just if you are about to deliver an impactful talk on a national stage. There are techniques which we could all harness as business owners who are wanting to create a positive change in the world. Everyone’s voice is powerful but what Sonal does is show you how to harness that power and amplify it to achieve what you want to. Thank you Sonal for being an important part of my journey as an Autism speaker, trainer and advocate.
