Meryl Runion: A Woman who Works with Words

Hi. I’m Meryl Runion. I'm the Creator of The SpeakStrong Method. I write and speak about dynamic, effective communication skills: how to rock the right boats in the right way to get the results you want. 

I'm kind of a wild and phrazy gal. More phrazy than wild, but I mix it up often enough to keep it fresh, current and relevant. My readers know me by my "Perfect Phrases" and my "PowerPhrases", but the true value is in the thinking behind the phrases. I spend countless hours putting all the wisdom and skill I can find into phrases you can use, so you don't have to. 

I'm a Lean Thinking, Straight Speaking Kata Champion

The SpeakStrong method is lean-aligned and kata-based. I thought lean and taught lean before lean found me. I'd say I aspire to be the "Queen of Lean Communication" but lean leadership is all about humility and breaking down silos and hierarchy. So terms like queen need to be used cautiously. I also aspire to be the "Queen of Collaboration" with the same disclaimers. My personal journey involves ridding myself of egocentricity - eliminating personal arrogance and rank-pulling, as well as resisting the pressure to confirm to would-be-dominators. Can you relate?

In all humility, I can tell you that The SpeakStrong Method, lean and continuous improvement involve creating a vision of perfection to strive toward. We are all kings and queens of our own sovereign domains, and my emerging domain is effective, lean communication developed through kata (deliberate practice). What's yours?

Anyone who has come as far as I have - from not knowing how to ask for the time of day to being able to navigate difficult conversations so skillfully everyone forgets they're difficult - has something to offer the business world. What I did is less important than how I did it - and still do it, being a continuous work in progress. And that's the key - continuous communication improvement. Kata are practices to make continuous improvement a way of life.

I graduated from Vanderbilt University with a degree  in Political Science and received a Masters in the Science of Creative Intelligence from MERU European Research University. I'm certified in Lean Office and practice what I've learned in my own business. I started working in government and quickly gravitated toward acquiring and teaching personal development skills. My commitment to powerful communication was galvanized in 1986 when I was unable to penetrate my late husband’s denial when he developed cancer. 

Now I’m a “recovered passive.” I became "a woman on a mission” to learn to say things gracefully with impact. I developed The Speak Strong Methodto empower people to "say what they mean, mean what they say, without being mean when they say it.“ The advanced method teaches collaborating without compromise.

I live in Cascade, Colorado, where I write, dance with abandon, hike, and help people say things. I LOVE capturing the essence of a message in the perfect phrase.

I's like to help you and your organization SpeakStrong. 

Here's a video to tell you more about what I do. 

I've been committed to continuous improvement for my entire adult life. I also know that you have to be able to communicate for inner excellence to find its way into the outside world. Plus, the SpeakSTRONG Journey develops both the inner man or woman and the outer. I just don't see a reason to settle for medicracy in either - at work, at home or anywhere. At first my motivation was the push of pain and the need to solve problems. Now it's the pull of joy and an increasingly successful life.

This video gives you a taste of my message. It was at the closing session of the Emergency Nurses' Association. 

Check out my SpeakSTRONG You Tube Channel