Stellar Communication - Successfully Speaking

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal and business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Lynda Katz Wilner, Founder of Successfully Speaking, located in Owings Mills, MD, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Do you want to speak with confidence and clarity? Successfully Speaking is a communication consulting company that works with all individuals or organizations to help them speak, sound, and look like leaders. Our clients include native and non-native English-speaking professionals in the fields of healthcare, pharmacology, IT, clergy, business, law, interpreting, accounting/finance, and more. Entrepreneurs and emerging leaders require stellar communication skills to be successful. As a professional speaker, I also speak at conferences, associations, and retreats.

Tell us about yourself

I've always had a passion for helping people communicate, which led me to become a Speech and Language Pathologist. Experience with communication disorders helped me see the need for effective communication in social and professional settings. The issues are related to public speaking anxiety, executive and leadership presence, and regional dialect /foreign accent modification.

As founder and CEO of Successfully Speaking, I work with companies and individuals in small group & individual training formats. We address:
• Voice improvement
• Public speaking/presentation skills training
• Listening skills development
• Foreign accent/regional dialect modification
• Communication strategies to encourage inclusion in a diverse workplace
My clinical experience provides me with a technical foundation to address these issues and make the maximum impact on their leadership communication skills.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My business started in 1983, and it continues to grow. My biggest accomplishment is that I speak with people all over the world and help them gain confidence in their communication. Every day is a "virtual visit" to Europe, Africa, Asia, the USA, and more. I absolutely love what I do!

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Setting limits is crucial. As a business owner, you can work 24/7. Although tempting, that is not the best way to run your business over a long period of time.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Make sure you are passionate about what you are doing or selling.
Delegate tasks to experts and focus on what you do best.
Connect with people and build your network.

I have written and published numerous training materials for professional speaking and accent modification in the workplace and in the healthcare setting.

Books include:

RULES
Medically Speaking RULES
Medically Speaking: Accent Modification for the Medical Profession
Medically Speaking Idioms
RULES by the Sound

Online Learning Platforms include:

Miss Persnickety's Guide to Everyday Misspeaks (book and platform)
SPEAK, SOUND, and Look Like a Leader (online self-study course)
Master the American Accent Video Tutorials
Learn the American Accent: Communication Skills for the Courtroom Interpreter

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://successfully-speaking.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successspeaking
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lyndawilner/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lyndawilner
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyndakatzwilner/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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