Permission to Speak
How to Change What Power Sounds Like, Starting with You
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
Use your voice to lead us to a better future with this game-changing guide to redefining what power and authority sound like—from a speech expert who’s worked with Hollywood’s biggest stars, political powerhouses, and businesspeople shaking up the status quo.
“I love this book—funny, surprising, stirring, and so important! What a beautiful accomplishment and gift to put into the world.”—Rachel McAdams
Getting heard is a tricky business: It’s what you say and how you show up, filtered through your audience’s assumptions and biases—and maybe even your own. For women, people of color, immigrants, and queer folks, there’s often a dissonance between how you speak and how we collectively think powerful people should speak: like the wealthy white men who’ve historically been in charge. But, fortunately, the sound of power is changing.
Permission to Speak is your tool kit for making that change. In this revolutionary take on how to use your voice to get what you want, sought-after speech coach Samara Bay offers a fresh perspective on public speaking and a new definition of what power sounds like: namely, you. Blending anecdotes with eye-opening research in leadership, linguistics, and social science, Permission to Speak shows you how to strike the right balance of strength and warmth to land your message; exactly what to do before a high-stakes scenario so that your voice, your mind, and your spirit are ready; and how to turn habits like vocal fry and upspeak into tools. Most important, you’ll discover your voice story: why you talk the way you do, what’s wonderful about it, and what you’ve outgrown.
Fiery, fun, and truly profound, Permission to Speak is a personal and cultural reckoning with what speaking in public is and what it can be. This book meets the moment and offers this provocation: When we change what power sounds like, we change who has it.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Speech coach Bay helps women more effectively use their voices in this savvy debut. Too many women, Bay posits, speak in unnatural ways because they're too critical of themselves. The problem, she writes, is externally imposed: society is conditioned to equate authority with the speech of (often white) male leaders—think JFK or Steve Jobs. To that end, Bay sets out to help women "own" their voices and communicate confidently. She breaks down breathing, pitch, and tone, blending practical tips with emotional insight. One chapter, for example, outlines ways for readers to find their "natural rhythm of diaphragmatic breathing" and explains "the better we breathe, the more powerful we feel." Elsewhere, Bay discusses managing one's voice (and self-confidence) in stressful situations like job interviews. The principles that can improve one's speech, Bay makes clear, double as personal polestars—embracing imperfections, harnessing gratitude, and summoning confidence: "It's hard to believe how much bravery is required to take up space," but in doing so, women can "become the new sound of power." Bay's tone is spirited and encouraging, and there's no shortage of takeaways for curious readers. Anyone looking to sharpen their speaking skills will want to give this a go.
