Page 7 - BEQ Magazine Vol 4 Iss1

duardo Placer is a Social Impact ter to hold a workshop prior to the NGLCC mansplaining how to speak. What I can do
Entrepreneur, Public Speaking Conference where he coached attendees on is facilitate and help the story emerge, while
Coach, Keynote Speaker, an ac- their elevator pitches. giving the woman the tools to powerfully
Etor, a fan of hashtags and a story “NGLCC certification provided me with share their story with the world.”
doula. a network of other LGBTQIA business
That last sobriquet is one Placer invent- owners,” he says. “I’ve loved the events I get THE STORY DOULA
ed to describe his work teaching women to go to, and the collaborations with other An early cohort of women referred to
how to develop their public speaking skills queer business owners. I’m looking forward Placer as a “story doula”, a term he em-
to advance their careers, causes and pas- to leveraging certification moving forward.” braced and used to further develop his
sions. It’s a perfect alignment of experience, teaching style.
passion, talent and desire to make a differ- “WHERE MY LADIES AT?” “I’m about holding the space for the
ence in the world. Fearless Communicators offers training story to emerge, being the incubator, ask-
“My commitment is to service and social for individual clients crafting Keynotes and ing the questions and doing the work that
impact above everything,” Placer says. “I TED speeches, entrepreneurs developing calls that story forth to be present. We then
noticed that there was so much that I was effective elevator pitches, hacking the fear craft, form and mold that story so an audi-
passionate about and knew in my core that of public speaking and different types of ence can do something with it. I call that
I wasn’t the best equipped to speak about storytelling, but at its core is the signature ‘connaction’. Connection is nice, but conn-
all of it. However, I could work with those program, A Fearless Force: Public Speaking action is about an audience being in action
poised to make the biggest difference in ar- for Visionary Women Leaders. This six-day because of the connection. It’s a beautiful
eas I care about - health, peace, sustainabil- intensive course brings a cohort of up to six process and one that I take seriously.”
ity, equality - and elevate how they speak.” women together to craft an original TED Storytelling is at the heart of the Fear-
Placer founded Fearless Communica- Talk-length speech, then photograph and less method. Placer believes that all speech
tors to do just that: teach others how to not record them giving this speech in front of matters, that “there is no such thing as pri-
just become more comfortable with public an audience. vate speaking,” that whenever we speak, it
speaking but to refine and amplify their Placer and his team have presented this is for the public even if that public is just
message through radical authenticity. signature program 11 times so far, in loca- one person. Someone is listening. Make it
“As a gay, Latino man, I’m looking for tions as disparate as New York City, San count, he says.
more in a public speaking program,” Placer Francisco, Tel Aviv and Australia. The in- “Speaking, if it’s about you, is selfish.
says. “I want to feel safe. I want the freedom spiration for A Fearless Force came when However, if you’re crafting a message and
to be myself without apology. The most im- Placer attended public speaking confer- content because you want an audience to
portant quality for me to bring forth from ences and events and noticed that they were use it, to do something with it, then that’s
my speakers is authenticity. That is the se- dominated by white men. generous,” he says. “If you’ve ever wit-
cret ingredient of charisma. It’s what makes “It struck me that I was seeing an endless nessed someone speaking where the ego of
you stand out.” parade of people who don’t reflect me and the speaker disappears and they become a
Authenticity is key to Placer’s identity in who weren’t women, and especially not di- vessel and vehicle for a message, then you
business, too. He received NGLCC certifi- verse women. I thought, ‘Where my ladies have witnessed my goal for my clients. ”
cation as an LGBT-owned business in 2018, at?’,” Placer says.
a significant designation for him. He had already noticed that most of AMPLIFYING DIVERSE VOICES IN
“It’s important to me to identify as a gay Fearless Communicators’ early clients were THE WORKPLACE
man, for people to know that I’m a gay, Lat- women, so it was clear that the need existed Members of the Fearless Force, as
in man in business,” he says. “It’s tied to my for a program focused on helping women alumni are known, use words like “power-
brand of radical authenticity. I think peo- elevate their stories and amplify their voic- ful,” “exciting,” “healing”, “confronting”,
ple are hungry for real. They’re weary of es. Placer is quick to note his male privilege, “transformative” and “pure joy” when de-
staid, tired and cold when it comes to public how he uses it to benefit his female clients scribing their experience with the program.
speaking. That is so 1980s Public Speaking. and when it is necessary to set it aside. Although the workshop itself is intensive,
I’m here to bring change.” “I’m clear that I bring my privileges as Placer uses his background in theater and
Placer is also excited about how certi- a man into the spaces that I lead,” he says. improvisation to help attendees connect cre-
fication increases his potential to grow his “It is not lost on me that I am a man. I don’t atively with their message.
impact and business. Shortly after joining pretend to know what it’s like to be a wom- “For those of us crafting a serious mes-
NGLCC, he partnered with his local chap- an. The last thing women need is someone sage to create change in the world, it’s easy

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