A structured practice tool that builds the skill of moving from "something feels wrong" to "here is what I would like to discuss with you."
Most people know they should speak up. The problem is they do not know how. Not the policy. Not the hotline number. The actual skill of starting a difficult conversation when the stakes are real and the words will not come.
The SpeakUp Playbook is a practical, structured resource that builds that specific skill. It can be delivered with live facilitation from Wendy Addison, or used as a self-guided resource with AI coaching, privately and on demand, across locations and between events.
"This is not about giving someone a piece of your mind. It is about giving them a piece of your heart."
Each module builds one skill. Together they take you from vague unease to a rehearsed, confident conversation.
Wendy teaches the methodology through live workshops or facilitated sessions. Participants learn the method with human guidance, contextual discussion, and real-time demonstration.
Individuals use the playbook independently, at their own pace, with any AI tool their organisation approves. The AI acts as a non-human coach: a private, structured space to think through concerns and rehearse conversations.
Users know exactly what the coach is and is not. The methodology is the authority, not the technology.
Serious misconduct, danger, retaliation, and safeguarding are routed to formal reporting. The playbook stays in its lane.
One question at a time, one module at a time. Unrelated issues are parked and returned to.
Every module asks you to notice whether your stress shifts and name what changed. Awareness is part of the skill.
Methodology: Courageous Conversations for Social Fitness, developed at Stanford University's Shyness Institute by Dr Philip Zimbardo and Dr Lynne Henderson (evolving since the 1970s), and grounded in current social science research on psychological safety, bystander behaviour, and early intervention. Wendy Addison was personally trained by Dr Zimbardo and Dr Henderson in 2015 and has adapted this methodology across 26 years of practice in speak-up culture, whistleblowing, and ethical decision-making.
The playbook does not replace your compliance training, your whistleblowing hotline, or your employee survey. It fills the gap between them: the informal conversation that happens before someone needs to use the formal channel. More people speaking up early means fewer cases escalating to formal complaints, investigations, or crises.
"The goal is not better whistleblowing. It is giving people the skill and safety to raise concerns before they need to become formal reports."
SpeakOut SpeakUp Ltd | Courageous Conversations for Social Fitness
speakout-speakup.org
