I returned a different person
By Mike Corbett

Although I was very uncertain about the value of the BSA conference to me before going, it was brilliant, and I returned inspired, on an emotional high and wanting to tell everyone about it. I felt very confident and good about myself, and had a large amount of reading and reference material to research, which I am really looking forward to. I have never been to a function with so many genuinely nice people who all wanted to share their thoughts and feelings on how to improve and move forward.

The keynote speech by Lee Reeves was a showstopper. He retains a slight blocking stammer and is an excellent speaker who gave an enthralling speech on his experiences over many years. I sought him out to thank him personally - something I don't normally do. I repeated this act of gratitude to several speakers during the weekend. One workshop really hit a nerve: 'Unlocking self-expression'. Each speaker had to repeat a short, famous quotation in front of the group, in an outrageous manner, in order to experience letting go of self-imposed inhibitions and feelings of self consciousness. As someone who considers himself to be an extrovert, joker and show-off (at times), I thought this would be right up my street.

I could not have been more wrong. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. This shook me to my core and rattled all my thinking and perception of myself. After the workshop I described my experiences to the leader, who had a severe stammer, but no mental restrictions. While I may not fully understand the workshop experience, it certainly focused my mind on the need to banish negative thoughts completely and concentrate on the positive. For years I endured self-denial and attempts to hide the problem in the mistaken belief it would eventually go away. Now I feel that I have begun a journey that I wanted to start, but never before felt the burning desire I feel now.

From the Winter 2004 edition of Speaking Out

BSA Conference 2004