RIC Alumna is Helping Others Harness the Power of Public Speaking

Aïcha Ly ’10 is head of Consumer Insights at Opensignal, a global tech company, a speaker and founder/CEO of Start in the Beginning, a communications consulting firm that provides one-on-one and group coaching, as well as corporate workshops in public speaking to empower professionals to be more impactful communicators and have a lasting effect on their audience. 

“I was born in Gabon, which is Central Africa,” Ly says. “At a young age I spoke French but had to learn Wolof when I moved to my homeland of Senegal, where I learned to adapt to a different way of communicating and a different culture, a process that repeated itself when I moved to the United States at age nine. Navigating those cultural experiences really made me want to teach what I’ve learned about how to communicate effectively no matter who you are speaking to or what room you are in.”

Ly, who majored in political science and minored in Africana studies at RIC, found in coaching a way to help others harness the power of speech. 

“The coaching I offer is for people or organizations who are interested in investing in themselves and in their communication skills,” she says. “In my opinion, these skills are vital in today’s world. People speak, on average, a minimum of 7,000 words a day, literally impacting every single thing they do.” 

Ly is passionate about sharing her experiences with navigating the complexities of race and culture. Her signature speech, presented at conferences, is called “Speech is Power.” She was recently invited to be part of a podcast called “Speaking to Influence,” where she talked about how to effectively communicate within the context of leadership positions. Her favorite presentation, however, is her TEDx talk called “Deconstructing the Color of Language in the U.S.,” where she provides insights on accent-based biases. 

“What empowers me to do these presentations,” Ly says, “is the desire to help people know that their story is their superpower and if they learn to tell it in a way that resonates, doors of opportunity will begin to open up. It starts with knowing your value and that the set of experiences that brought you where you are now is exactly what makes you who you are.”

She praises her grandfather, a Senegalese ambassador to Gabon and her mother for having a tremendous courage in communicating; in addition to everything she learned at RIC, because altogether they have tremendously had an impact on her life and career choices.  

“My grandfather was the first example of servant leadership that I knew of. He truly led by example and with charisma and grace, and he left an indelible mark on his country,” she says. “My mother is my inspiration for everything in life. I applaud her courage in the face of fear and uncertainty as an immigrant and a single mother.”

“Not only was RIC affordable for me as the sole breadwinner at age 16 when I enrolled, but I will never forget the quality of professors I had,” she says. “Dr. Peter Mendy and Dr. Bob Cvornyek opened my mind to the issues of the world. When I was earning my M.B.A., I met people who went to some of the top universities in the United States, and I could go toe-to-toe with any of them because of my education at RIC.” 

Last year Ly was invited to be part of a career empowerment panel at RIC, an event hosted by the Black Alumni Affinity Group and Harambee. Since moving back to Rhode Island late last year, she’s been looking forward to being involved in the RIC community even more. Today, she’s on the advisory board of the Black Alumni Network at RIC.

“The power of communication is to truly speak the language of your heart,” she says. “More than understanding others, we focus most of our energy on wanting to be understood. One of my favorite quotes is: ‘Between what is not said and meant, and what is not meant but said, much love is lost.’ This notion really resonates with me. That is what communication is all about.”

For more information, email: aicha.ly@sitbstudio.com