Dubai Women Establishment recently concluded another successful Professional Development Session with the aim of enhancing participants' public speaking skills through invaluable insight into the renowned TED style talks.

On the occasion, Shamsa Saleh, CEO of Dubai Women Establishment said, "We are delighted to host a successful PD session with the aim of providing rare opportunities for Emirati Women to expand their scope of knowledge to international-standards of learning and experiences. In today's technological era that is predominated with quality digital content, it is important to understand and adopt international best-practices of public speaking so that you can bring your message to a wider audience more effectively."

She added, "To achieve this goal, DWE has partnered with a Tedx curator in order to explore the internationally-renowned Ted-style public speaking format. The resultant value from this program is to enable the attendees identify their own voice and style and nurture it, - understand the principles of effective storytelling, performance, rehearsal and managing anxiety. It is heartening to witness the progress each participant has made allowing them to feel more confident and in control onstage, thereby eliminating any limitations to relaying their message of inspirations to the greater audience."
The 4-day workshop was attended by 13 ladies from the local professional and entrepreneurial sectors, in The H Hotel. The lecture was hosted by Natascia Radice, filmmaker, TEDxDubai curator and social entrepreneur, who has curated TEDxDubai since 2009 and is one of the 12 selected TEDxChange heroes that the Gates Foundation has appointed for the implementation of the TEDxChange Pilot.

Natascia Radice, workshop trainer and esteemed TEDxDubai Curator commented, "It has always been a core mission of TEDxDubai to showcase gender equality on the main stage, and its been achieved every year with a 50/50 line up. We want more Emirati women to take the stage with confidence and sharing the great work they are involved in. The past few days have been an incredibly eye opening experience, not only meeting the 15 power forces that are working at various government levels but witnessing their passion, their determination to take control of their voice and vision to inspire more women in their footsteps. They are fierce, knowledgeable, kind hearted and understanding and you will hear from them more and more on public stages, I now look forward to the opportunity to see them speak live."

She continued, "I would also like to thank and commend Dubai Women Establishment for inviting me into this collaboration and for the effort they put in supporting the personal, professional and emotional growth of Emirati Women. Nobody will be a guru at the end of this workshop, but they will all have a toolkit from which to choose the best approach and strategy for what will be an ongoing work-in- progress, because nobody is ever really there, its about the journey."

The course was designed to provide support to corporate professionals, and assist in their career development by opening doors to new opportunities for the participants by networking, sharing and learning the experiences of accomplished professionals; where participants were able to develop their personal and professional aptitudes through the strengthening of their social, leadership and management skills.

Moreover, owing to the positive feedback and immense demand received of participation, interested participants can look forward to the next batch for the course from 9th to 12th November 2015.

The workshop, which consisted of 13 female senior officials from government and private sectors, taught the participants the principles of effective storytelling, presentation techniques and delivery methods to achieve such standards. The principles were then tailored around the individual needs of each participant, and the feedback, advice and mentorship set to their specific goals.

Dubai Women Establishment has continuously strived to launch initiatives that will strengthen the role of UAE women in business and professional fields. Our various training programs and initiatives have one overarching mission - to ensure that Emirati women pursue an aggressive growth agenda that positively impacts the UAE economy, and the overall Gulf region; through the nurturing and development of women leaders, as well as establishing an international representation of Arab women in positions of leadership.

In line with the DWE's strategic goal to promote leadership qualities among working women and include activities and training aimed at enhancing individual performance and the career development of women, these PD sessions serve as a critical pillar in empowering individuals by offering hands-on training that helps them gain stronger insights.