SpeakUP: 12-week Spoken Word Course

From writing to performance, Speak Up is a 12-week journey through the depths and power of the self through Spoken Word.

Harness your creativity and step into the empowerment of speaking your truths using this dynamic art form.

This is an extended version of the original 6-week course.

Come out of this course with:

Confidence in public speaking
Confidence in your creative writing
A collection of freshly written poetry
Stage ready spoken word pieces
Performance Experience to multiple live audiences
Communication and confidence skills that are transferrable both on and off the stage
Performance experience in a supportive environment
A community of co-writers and performers

Who is it for?

People wanting to:

Build their confidence
Embrace their creativity
Develop effective, authentic communication skills
Write
Take their first steps, or expand their skills with Spoken Word Poetry
Speak their truth with more power and presence

This program is suitable for:

People lacking confidence with public speaking
First time performers
Experienced performers
Secret note-book poets
Occasional public speakers/class facilitators
Spoken Word performers wanting to deepen their impact

What to Expect

SpeakUP Immersive

This 12-week course will support you to write, develop, master, and present a spoken word performance. We will write multiple pieces over the 12 weeks and perform them at a mid course performance and a final performance event.

What you get:

10 weekly, in-person, group classes
2 Public performance opportunities (week 6 and 12)
Opportunity for personalised mentorship during these classes
SpeakUP journal
A guided and supportive process
Live performance experience in a held and facilitated container
SpeakUP certificate
A community of supportive peers
A professional video of your performance
Professional Photographs of your performance

Using exercises and games, Fleassy Malay guides the group to find their own words and their own voices culminating in a final group Spoken Word public performance on week 12.

Weekly overview

Intro & Letting Go
Making an Impact
Being Seen
Owning Space
Refining
Mid-course Performance*
Using Characters Authentically
World Building for Captivation
Story Telling Techniques
Workshopping and Refining
Workshopping and Refining
Final Performance**

*The mid-course performance will be to a small invited audience of close friends and will be free for them to attend on week 6

**The Final performance will be a public ticketed event on week 12

Full Mentorship Program (Limited Places Available)

The full mentorship program includes everything within the SpeakUP course, plus 5 private coaching sessions (Virtual or in-person in Heidelberg Heights). These sessions can be used to supplement your progress within SpeakUP or they can be used to support you to apply the techniques learnt in SpeakUP to an external project eg. a book you are writing, a performance you are developing, your general career.
This mentorship program gives you all the goodies offered to the main SpeakUP community with the added benefit of very personalised coaching and development support. It is designed to catapult your journey and deepen your personal/professional growth.

Individual Private Sessions

Individual private coaching sessions are also available to book as add ons. These are ideal if you would like a little more personalised mentorship, or if you would like extra support in specific areas of your writing and performance journey. These sessions are held online or in-person in Heidelberg Heights.

General Payment Plans

Payment Plans are available. If you need to break up your payment, please register by paying the deposit and then reaching out to the facilitator to clarify your payment process. Payments can be made at your own pace and need as long as the payment is complete by the last date of the course.

Cancelling

If participants cancel before the course, the non-refundable deposit will be kept and the rest of their fee will be refunded.
If participants cancel during the course they will be charged for their non-refundable deposit plus a percentage fee correlating to the amount of sessions they have attended up until week 6, at which point they will be charged for the full program.

About Your Facilitator

Fleassy Malay

(They/Them/She/Her)

Two times TEDx speaker and viral poet, Fleassy Malay is an Internationally renowned, evocative and powerful spoken word artist, speaker and coach. A global advocate for Women’s and LGBTQI+ rights and a fierce voice for the power of authenticity and courage as a social change tool.
She is the founder of Melbourne’s acclaimed NFP organisation and Women's Spoken Word event, Mother Tongue. A passionate, powerful, vulnerable and honest performer who's words leave a profound impression.

With over a decade of experience coaching public speaking and spoken word, Fleassy has also worked alongside many organisations to train and educate around confidence and speaking. Some of these organisations include: Postgraduate Medical Council of Victoria, Thorne Harbour Health, Minus18, Banyule City Council, Boroondara City Council, Bega High School, Red Tent Australia, and The Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council.

Alongside running their own programs Fleassy currently works as an educator for the Postgraduate Medical Council of Victoria coaching Doctors, Nurses, Surgeons, and Clinical Staff in Communicating With Confidence; a program she co-developed.

Fleassy is an award winning performer who has performed internationally at various events and with various organisations including: The National Poetry Slam (USA), Splendour in The Grass (AU), The National Folk Festival (AU), Seven Sisters Festival (AU), Rainbow Serpent Festival (AU), The Glastonbury Goddess Conference (UK), Women's Impact Network (Las Vegas, USA), The Doula Conference (AU), Dumbo Feather (AU), Melbourne Writers Festival (AU).

Event Details

Venue:
Balam Balam PLace
15 Phoenix St, Brunswick, VIC, 3056

Exact room details will be sent closer to the program.

Notes on venue, accessibility etc:

Getting there:

It is close to Sydney Road Trams, and approximately 5 minute walk from Brunswick train station. Parking is typically Brunswick and consists of street parking and a local Woolworths. I recommend arriving early your first time to scout parking options that work for you.

Venue Accessibility:

The venue is very modern and fully wheelchair accessible. The road access recommendation for Wheelchair users is to enter via the main Phoenix Street/Saxon street entrance as there is a graduated curb from the road there. For a short-walk access for people arriving via Uber/car share with walking restrictions I recommend getting dropped off on Saxon Street just off of Dawson where the entrant to the main building is closer. There is a short curb step form the road level onto the pavement here (not wheelchair suitable).

The room can be echoey when many voices are being used, so if sound sensitivity is an issue for you you are welcome to bring headphones or earplugs (loops etc) to dampen sound - though I do try to organise break-out spaces where possible/needed.

Content accessibility:
We do a lot of drama/theatre inspired games which involve moving around the space and interacting with each other in different ways. Participants are encouraged to meet each exercise in what ever way is most suitable for their body/emotions and that there is no obligation.

The nature of poetry and spoken word is that people often talk about things that have a high emotional content in them. Although I have 10 years experience in holding spaces like this, I am not a trained therapist or psychologist. I encourage students to care for their own mental health and students are welcome to step out of the space any time they need. A class assistant will be on hand to check in on any student who might need it, make them a cup of tea or take them outside for a moment. It is important to note the class assistant is also not a trained therapist, they are there as a caring and supportive peer. I try my best to work with a trauma informed lens, but reitterate again this is not run as a therapeutic program and professional support is advised for participants who are looking for that.

If English is not your first language you are still very welcome in the course. I have had many multi-lingual students in the past and you are encouraged to write or perform in what ever language feels most suitable for you. However, all course content and mentoring will be presented in English.

Unfortunately Voice-to-text software to write is not appropriate in the space due to the room being small and in silence when we do the group writing exercises. Past participants have chosen to use phones or laptops for their writing instead of pen and paper, participants are welcome to use whatever non-vocal system is most supportive of their writing.

Outside of writing exercises, a huge element of the program is voice and vocal use as well as assessing and unpacking how we use our bodies when we feel like we are being watched. I have had students in the past with vocal ticks, restricted body movement and people who use wheelchairs in the course before and the content has been suitable for them. I have not had any experience of working with Deaf/deaf students, however if this course interests you and you want to talk about access and how we can incorporate an Auslan Interpreter please reach out and we can see what is possible.

I’m always very keen and willing to learn, support and explore with participants with their unique requirements so please do contact me if you have any questions around accessibility.

Inclusivity:
All genders are welcome to participate in this course. Participants over 16 only. This is an LGBTQI+ friendly space, if this does not suit your world views, I advise you to not attend.

The facilitator does swear and is sassy in their language use, if you are looking for a more academic approach to Spoken Word, this may not be the right program for you.

If you have specific needs or questions around inclusivity or accessibility please contact me directly and I will be happy to discuss further.

For enquiries and more information email fleassymalay@gmail.com

SpeakUP March - May 2027 - a 12-week Spoken Word Course