Help with speaking engagement.

hi Renee, I do some coaching for people who have to do interviews, and I was a coach for the speech and debate team in college.

Have an ice breaker

Break your speech into three main topics

think of a closing point

Write an outline, but not a word for word text.

The orange sounds good to me!

I vote for informing people to become advocates for themselves and their families in medical situations.  how to learn the lingo, definitions, how to obtain second opinions, how to know when to say NO to testing, treatment or at least how to find out if it's appropriate, and if one really needs it----what will be done with the results (if you're not going to have surgery, why do an MRI of your shoulder)

See this advocacy thing is not only bc----in today's medical enviorment, one must know as much as possible to make AN INFORMED decision about everything: from testing to meds, and keeping in mind that the co-pays are ours to provide and that they DO mount up.  Gone are the days when people should expect to say "yes, doctor", but should be saying "why, doctor".

I grow weary with docs wanting every test in the world to rule out problems, but are unwilling to spend a little time to examine a patient and do a full history , and oh, actually listen to the patient. 

OK< I will back slowly off my soapbox and quietly move away from the group before you call the men in the white coats.  LOL

Hmm.  You have been asked to speak because you had breast cancer.  Not sure how much time you have, but  how about focusing on common misconceptions re: breast cancer?   You can link this to work issues as suggested by Elizabeth aka konacat and conclude with a node to Dotti aka Iodine by reminding them that they themselves are at risk simply by being women and if the worst happens, they need to be prepared to educate themselves and advocate for appropriate testing and treatment.  You can wrap up by providing a list of resources, electronic and print and advocacy groups.  

Your audience members may in the future play one or more of these roles: the woman diagnosed with breast cancer, a boss  or a coworker, can your talk give them some insight into how best to cope? I would think that an issue for working women, whatever their role, is not to assume that the person is sick and needs to be protected from challenging assignments and by extension, promotions. One of the big concepts I have taken away from these boards is the varied ways each of us experience breast cancer. While some in your audience may have had breast cancer or may know someone who has/ had it, there is a danger in assuming that their own, or their coworker's experience would be the same. I certainly wasn't aware before my diagnosis that  We are diagnosed at possibly five different stages (0-4), that there are basically five modes of treatment: surgery, chemo, radiation, hormonal and targeted therapies, and a woman's treatment will be tailored to her needs based on many factors, it may be a shock to members of your audience that not all women will receive chemo and lose their hair etc., that there are periods of active treatment, every day for radiation, perhaps once every three weeks for chemo which may or may not interfere with the ability of the worker with bc to perform her job duties. There are periods when accomodations may be necessary and then when they won't be required any longer. you could mention lymphodema - and the need to protect the side from which lymph nodes were removed.

just some ramblings.....hope they were useful

Julie E     

Renee - I know you will do a great job.....it would be wonderful if you posted your speech here for all of us to read.  That would be awesome!!

ReneeS

Hi:I do a lot of public speaking live and via radio or tv,on legal issues.

My suggestion for a group of professional women would be to start with organizing their own medical information, and that they should always get copies of their Mamo reports,not just the little card saying they are ok, Keeping a breast health notebook, with slip pockets for reports and doctors names and phone numbers,in case they ever need to go back and get copies of old films. 

Then move on to the work perspective, people are afraid of losing thier jobs for medical reasons,so possibly look at your states laws on medical leave and ADA impact on time off for illness and screening.

Then explain that treatment does not always mean an end to your professional life I was first DX in 2002,I had my excision on a Friday was back in the office on Monday, I had my re-excision again on a Friday and was back again the Monday.I had radiation every day at 7 am before work i maintained a full caseload and litigation calender. (my cousin did rads and chemo and kept her job though of course had to modify her schedule a little)

Time management and taking care of yourself is always an issue for working women, so maybe stress the fact that finding things sooner is really the best defense.

In my family the cancers are very aggressive and the history pretty bleak but finding the cancer the minute I thought something was wrong made a big difference.I was scared, I was only 37, my daughter was only 8, and I really did not want to know.But I knew that if there was a problem, my options were so much better if it was found while it was small and manageable. Did it stink hearing those words, yes.Were the moments waiting in the office to have the mamo and then the US done over the loneliest ever, yes. But, I got to keep my hair, I got to keep my breasts for a long time (they are gone now) and most importantly I have been here with my daughter and I did not leave her alone to grow up without a mom because I was to scared to know.

Having a health care game plan and understanding that taking care of you is part of your job is another point to make to professional women. I approached my cancer like any other project, I had data, it was organized, I had a game plan,I let my boss know what was going on and explained the game plan and that i was dedicated to meeting my professional responsibilities and to getting through the treatment as quickly as possible. (I was made a partner in the law firm two weeks after my DX.)

My daughter is now almost 16, and while she does worry about losing her mom and has had to think about things a kid should never have to think about, she knows that she has her mom, here and not in heaven and that I will do what I have to do to make sure I am here for her for many many years. Even more importantly, I have shown her by example the need to be diligent in your health care and to lobby for yourself, and that no matter how busy you are, there are things that cannot be put on the back burner because simmering only makes those problems bigger.

Also, maybe let them know that cancer does not alway mean mastectomy, it does not always mean chemo, maybe dispel some of the myths that make the treatment seem worse than the disease itself.

When I am asked to speak to a group,I usually like to get the demographics from the sponsor,so that I know who will be there, if it is one company and everyone has the same insurance I might find out what the insurance company provides as far as well care etc and also ask the organizer to email the potential attendees and give them my email address so that they can send me questions they have ahead of time, which also helps me focus a bit,

I hope that this helps even a little bit.

Lot's of ideas above and I might have missed reading this .... but also consider discussing ....

what to say, what not to say to someone newly diagnosed. 

how to help someone who had bc [meals, house cleaning, household errands, assigning one person to coordinate all help needed, ... those kinds of things]. 

The numbers vary, but from what I understand 90% have no known family history. The key is KNOWN. There are many families where it was not talked about. Also the numbers change with the population women under 40 who get it usually have a family history. My genetics Dr., said that the thinking is that all cancers are gene based,but that the technology and data is not there yet.