Discovering Yourself Through Speaking Out

While speaking to others we also speak to ourselves and might tell ourselves something we haven’t thought about before. Thinking and speaking are different, as is writing. Hear your voice and learn about ourselves.

I have been having regular sessions with the same coach for 19 years now. Originally, the catalyst was when I, as an apparel store manager, decided to host a seminar for managers as a side job for the first time. To ensure the success of that seminar, it was suggested that I should be coached by a coach with extensive seminar experience, and that’s how I ended up getting a coach.

First, during the orientation, I had the opportunity to have my coach listen to my story. While being questioned by the coach, I shared, for the first time with someone else, what I had done as an apparel store manager and how I had achieved success. The coach’s attentive listening and specific feedback gave me a sense of confidence that welled up from within. These simple exchanges of just talking have become the space that shapes my future.

Recently, I had the opportunity to address the concerns of a client who was trying to maintain her passion for writing while raising children overseas. I suggested the value of speaking about it. because it is more casual and ideas can be formed more quickly than through writing. However, she was afraid that speaking might inadvertently hurt someone or make them feel uncomfortable, and she felt anxious about speaking spontaneously.

Therefore, I proposed a Zoom hosting event within my community. In this event, participants can speak freely for 30 minutes. There is no need to prepare documents or to conclude the spoken content. They simply talk and share their experiences.

On the day of the event, which took place in the morning, I and others who were off work became the audience. The viewers kept their audio off, silently reacting and nodding as they watched.

She vividly described her childbirth experience abroad in chronological order. Overcoming language barriers and cultural differences, she learned new medical terms and a new language while repeatedly watching childbirth videos on YouTube for mental training. The experience of giving birth in a foreign country was twice as adventurous because of the language barrier. At the end of her hospital stay, it seemed she had prepared some words of advice for the doctor, but ended up getting sidetracked. (laughs)

She did more than just share her experiences; she likely realized the power of articulating them. The immediate empathy and understanding that speaking can provide are elements that writing alone cannot achieve.

The 30 minutes passed in a flash. Each experience, when shared, creates additional value. Even a story without a clear ending leaves a deep emotional aftertaste for the audience, much like a movie. Like the protagonists of documentary films, each of us can become the hero of our own story through self-expression.

Going forward, I hope to continue providing a space where people can enrich their lives by sharing their experiences. Our stories gain greater meaning and impact when they are shared.