Women, children and the elderly are the most common victim prospects for attackers but everyone of every age is vulnerable. That is the bad news but there is plenty of good news too!

Something as simple as using your voice correctly and knowing the correct things to yell make your voice your #1 weapon.

It's as simple as that.

If you are like me, you learned what to scream if you were in danger, right? This was good in theory but far too ineffective for reality.

Here's the deal:

1. Screaming is weak and defensive
2. Yelling is strong and offensive
3. Most of the things we were taught to scream don't work
4. I'll tell you what does work

Screaming vs. Yelling

When screaming is heard, it is thought to be either playing or too dangerous a situation to get involved in. Most people want to avoid "helping" for fear of getting hurt. (They are smart!)

When yelling is heard, it sounds like something is about to happen but hasn't yet. It is strong and gets a completely different kind of attention than screaming does. Most people are interested in helping to prevent something.

What To Yell

1. Stop!
2. Back Off!
3. 911!

These are the most effective things to yell. We won't go over the others we have heard all our lives because there is no reason to fill our minds further with things that don't work.

How To Yell

1. Inhale to fill your lungs and tummy
2. Deepen your voice by putting your tongue low in your mouth
3. Yell until you are out of air, inhale, yell again
4. Yell so that people blocks away can hear you

Benefits Of Yelling

1. Startles the attacker - catching the attacker off-guard puts you in control temporarily
2. Calls attention to your situation - the last thing an attacker wants is everyone looking his or her way
3. Makes you stronger - gets your adrenaline flowing in order to help you think clearly, strike harder and run faster

When To Yell

1. When you have a bad gut feeling about someone who is approaching (usually after they have disregarded your stern "Stop")
2. When someone grabs a hold of you without your permission
3. When someone is taking you with them against your will
4. As you are running to safety

You are now capable of scaring off most attackers before they approach, during an approach and in the third phase of attack - physical contact. Women, please share this information with kids, teens and men as everyone needs to know how to use their voice as their #1 weapon. As women, we are more likely to seek safety information than men so it is great when we can share it with loved ones and coworkers of both genders and all ages.