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Stef Sword-Williams is a TEDx speaker, author and founder of F*ck Being Humble – an empowering movement and consultancy dedicated to inspiring individuals to embrace their achievements unapologetically and conquer the fear of self-promotion.
Recognized as a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree in Europe, Stef’s impactful talks have reached audiences in over 50 countries and have been sought after by global brands including Apple, Unilever, Google, Nike, Adidas, Microsoft, and the BBC.
Stef’s TEDx Talk on why the world needs to shed its humility has further solidified her position as a thought leader in self-empowerment and personal branding.
Named among the Top 50 Workplace Leaders in the UK, Stef Sword-Williams has cultivated a loyal online following of over 170,000. Stef’s work has been featured in Vogue, BBC World News, the Financial Times, and Forbes.
After 8 years of working in advertising and storytelling for big brands, Stef Sword-Williams decided to apply her knowledge and learnings to supporting individuals with telling their own personal stories.
In 2018 she set up F*ck Being Humble to change the way the world views self-promotion, encouraging people to be unapologetically proud of their achievements. Stef’s goal was to challenge the way professional development training was delivered by offering a disruptive, relatable message that would transform the way people embraced career development.
F*ck Being Humble is a global training consultancy that offers keynote speeches, motivational talks and interactive workshops to empower individuals to show up as their best selves in the workplace.
It shares new concepts, approaches, and techniques to improve internal communication, productivity, self-belief, teamwork, motivation and confidence. The stuffy norms of professional development are challenged, while delivering culturally relevant, entertaining and relatable content that people can implement immediately.
In 2020, Stef published her first book F*ck Being Humble, which aims to support people tackling significant career issues with unapologetic confidence. Stef recognises that people are consistently told that being humble is essential to professional success, with it seen as distasteful or arrogant to shout about achievements. But in the modern workplace, where a conventional, linear career path is becoming more rare, this advice seems ever-more obsolete.
The book covers self-reflective questions, activities, and self-promotion success stories to help people know what they stand for, stop hiding, realise the power of networking and know their self worth, as well as being able to play the money game and manage emotions in the workplace.
In recognition of her significant contributions to social impact through F*ck Being Humble, Stef Sword-Williams was invited to become a Fellow at the Royal Society of Arts. She remains dedicated to reinvesting profits and time into community projects aimed at improving the lives of many. Stef continues to inspire and empower individuals worldwide to embrace their worth and celebrate their successes boldly.
– Spoken at Adweek Europe, International Music Summit, D&AD Festival
– Delivered workshops for brands including Google, Microsoft, Adidas, Aviva, The Guardian, The BBC, Natwest, Unilever, Kellogg’s, Amazon, and many more.
– Presented a TEDx Talk on ‘Why the world needs to be less humble’
– Written the book F*ck Being Humble – Why self-promotion is a dirty word
– Named Forbes Under 30 for Europe
– Named top 100 women changing the creative industry two years in a row
– Worked on brand partnerships with Estee Lauder, Linkedin, Puma, Liberty’s, Linktree, Pinterest, Indeed and Stylist
– Built a combined online reach of 120k followers across digital channels
Stef Sword-Williams tailors her talks to the needs of the audience and organisation but the following are some of the key talking points that she can cover.
F Being Humble – Self Worth/Self Promotion
– How to be intentional with your language to build your reputation
– How to self promote in person, remotely, and in group settings
– How to add value to others and raise your profile positively
Pitching and Presenting
– How to identify a personal speaking style that works for you and feels authentic
– How to structure a compelling narrative that grips people’s attention
– How to bring your presentation to life visually to create a long-lasting impact
– How to present with conviction and confidence without doubt
Networking Internally
– How to actively invest in growing mutually beneficial workplace relationships
– How to integrate with departments and teams outside of your own
– How to bridge age gaps within the workplace
– How to position yourself as a value adder and solve problems with others
Self Promotion in the Workplace:
Self-promotion at work can have a huge impact on your own confidence and how others see your value. Stef will share the best ways to build your credibility, show your worth and share why you’re a brilliant asset to your company.
Managing Imposter Syndrome:
For many people, imposter syndrome and self-doubt can be the biggest barrier to achieving career goals. Stef aims to challenge limiting beliefs, enables talent to recognise their potential, and empowers them to reach current goals and future ambitions.
Intelligence at Work:
Understanding emotional intelligence in the workplace is an essential skill to help you reach your professional goals. Stef will share the core emotional intelligence skills and tactics that will help to improve processes and productivity and enable you to use your own skills more effectively.
Making your ideas heard:
Got an idea but not sure how to present it or make it heard by the right people? Stef will share tools and preparation techniques that will help empower individuals to use their voice, share their ideas without fear and understand how build a business case for implementing it.
Pitching and Presenting:
Public speaking can be intimidating for many which is why Stef makes it her mission to help people feel more confident with presenting. Whether it’s for a pitch, internal meeting or to a large audience, Stef will share all the techniques you need to captivate your viewers and make them remember you.
Networking Internally:
With more teams working remotely, the opportunity to connect and build relationships with the people we work with has reduced. That means it’s even more important to actively invest in growing mutually beneficial relationships, raising our profile virtually and exploring the best ways to provide value to co-workers.
Feedback Matters:
Giving and receiving feedback doesn’t need to be a difficult experience if you handle with care. In this talk, Stef will guide you on the best ways to gather, deliver, and implement feedback that could have a huge impact on your career/client relationships.
Negotiating Master class:
Getting the outcome you want is all about knowing how to clearly communicate your business value. Stef will teach you everything you need to know to showcase your impact and confidently handle your next conversation.
Stef Sword-Williams is guaranteed to deliver an inspiring workshop or talk, with audiences coming away with fascinating insights and practical steps to improve self-promotion, as well as tackle issues like imposter syndrome. Her client list, which includes Google, Nike, BBC, Apple and Unilver, is a testament to how highly regarded she is and the impact her work has.
“For an industry based on promotion, it’s ironic that many of us find self-promotion a dirty word, or don’t know where to start – especially women. Having gained some fantastic insights from attending one of Stef Sword-William’s other webinars, I invited her to BBC Creative for a departmental Q&A, discussing self-promotion, imposter syndrome and all things FBH. It was a really well attended talk and has been widely held up to be the most useful session we’ve had throughout lockdown.
The session was hugely inspiring, honest and – as usual with Stef – tremendously galvanising, with loads of positive action points to take away. Stef’s a real dynamo, a cheerleader for confidence and advocate for owning and celebrating your successes. As one colleague put it, “Stef’s advice is golden”.
Vikki Stephenson, and Podcaster Award Winning Senior Creative, Trainer