Imagine someone else deciding what is cool for you to wear, what music you should listen to, or even what you should be studying. Unfortunately, this is a reality for too many girls. Sometimes we feel like our opinions do not matter, and we don't want to speak up. Often we feel this way because we are told by families and friends to keep quiet, be soft-spoken, and gentle.

However, I'm here to tell you that you can be gentle and friendly and still speak your mind. In fact, girls already have the skills needed to speak up in public, they just need a little encouragement.

First things first, girls have opinions!

While many girls are talkative amongst themselves, they find it challenging to speak up in public. Too often, we are afraid of stating our opinions in public because we fear being ridiculed. However, it’s important to offer people different perspectives, and who knows: you may change someone's mind. The key thing is to know what you are going to say, and why you want to say it.

Fake it till you make it

Speaking up in public requires some confidence, but this is not always easy. However, you can always act like you have confidence, even if you don’t. No one can read your mind so they won’t know, and all they’ll see is someone willing to speak up. Also the more you 'fake it' the easier it becomes to speak out. You'll find yourself getting more and more confident!

Practice makes perfect

The more you do something, the better you will get at it. So don’t be discouraged if you get nervous or forget what you wanted to say the first time you speak up. It will get easier with time.

Remember, there are so many things that us girls do every day that demonstrate our strength. So, while public speaking may seem hard, you have the strength to go through with it.