Imagine you've just delivered a keynote. People in the audience come up to you and say, “I learned a lot” or “I was taking so many notes that I don't even know where to start.”

That's exactly the *wrong* kind of feedback you want to get after a keynote.

As a keynote speaker, you're there on the stage to provide an experience for the audience and to help them see something differently about themselves or their industry or their community or their world, and to have them believe that they can do it. 

What you want is the audience to come up to you afterwards and say, “You got me to think differently. “

In this episode, I'm taking you behind the scenes of a recent keynote I delivered at a leadership retreat for the Space Coast Chamber of Commerce. The organizers wanted to bring together leaders from different sectors to address challenges in their community. 

I'll share how I prepared, where I got stuck creating the talk (yes, this happens to me too), and what helped me pull it together.

You'll hear how a conference I attended years ago became my opening story, how I built substantial audience participation into the two-hour session, and why attending the entire retreat gave me something I couldn't have gotten from my preparation calls alone. 

These are strategies you can adapt to your own keynotes, conference presentations, and signature talks.

In This Episode:

• The difference between teaching a workshop and creating a keynote experience.
• The questions I asked the event organizers and why I interviewed local leaders.
• How to customize a signature talk without starting over.
• Why I got stuck working on my outline in a Google Doc and how using our Signature Talk Canvas® framework made all the difference.
• The opening story that connected space travel to breaking down community silos.
• How I planned audience activities, table roles, and timing for a two-hour session.
• What I added to my slides after listening to the retreat's other speakers.

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. 

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/497/ 

Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/

Enroll in our online Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ 

Attend our in-person speaking retreat in Orlando: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/live/ 

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 483: How an I.D.E.A., Not a Topic, Makes You Easier to Refer, Pitch, and Book
• Episode 445: 3 Must-Haves for an Unforgettable Keynote
• Episode 422: How to Create a 10-Out-of-10 Keynote that Leaves Your Audience in Awe
• Episode 458: Same Message, Different Medium: Why Your Talk Isn’t Landing (and How to Fix It)

Have you ever worried that showing your nerves or admitting something went wrong would make an audience question your credibility?

I’ve felt that, especially as a speaking coach who put a lot of pressure on herself to deliver the perfect talk.

My guest, trial lawyer and communication educator Jennifer Gardner, has spent decades speaking in courtrooms - and she still gets nervous.

In our conversation, Jennifer shares how she prepares herself before speaking and why being honest about our human experience can help us build trust with an audience.

I also share what happened when I told podcast listeners about a speaking engagement I completely bombed. I worried people would wonder why they should hire me. The responses I received helped me understand vulnerability in a way I hadn’t before.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why even experienced speakers feel nervous and how Jennifer prepares before stepping in front of an audience
• The role of emotion and storytelling in helping people connect with your message
• How trying to appear perfect can make it harder to build rapport
• Why being an introvert doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy public speaking
• What my own speaking mishap taught me about trust and relatability
• A courtroom story that offers a reminder: your audience wants you to succeed

About Our Guest: Jennifer B. Gardner is a Los Angeles-based trial lawyer, a speaker on the topic of persuasive communications, and serves as an administrative law judge for the County of Los Angeles. Jennifer began her litigation career in the entertainment industry and has operated her own litigation law firm for 32 years in Los Angeles. There, she litigates complex business, real estate, and criminal matters through trial. Jennifer has honed her communication skills through studying Somatic Experiencing, the Sanford Meisner Acting Method, and interspecies communications with Rupert Sheldrake at the Esalen Institute. When she's not lawyering or learning, Jennifer educates high-performing leaders on how to grow their executive presence and persuasive skills through programs offered through her company, The Edge Education

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. 

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/496/ 

Jennifer’s websites: https://theedge.education/ and https://jenniferbgardner.com/ 

Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/

Enroll in our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ 

Connect on LinkedIn:

• Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• Jennifer Gardner (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferbgardner/ 

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 92: Deconstructing My TEDx Talk: Why We’re Uncomfortable with Women in Power
• Episode 487: The Confidence Advice Women Get Backward About Public Speaking

When someone hires you to speak, what are they actually buying? 

Your expertise is part of it. But the person planning the event also needs your talk to accomplish something for the people in the room. How clearly can you explain what that something is?

In this final episode of our Bookable Speaker series, I’m talking about what makes your talk worth the investment

I take you behind the scenes of a presentation I gave at MAICON, where I had plenty of useful AI examples and a slide deck that still felt flat. I also share how my client Danielle Hayden found the idea underneath her bookkeeping expertise and changed the focus of her talk.

Thought leadership can help you make a stronger case for your speaking fee. It takes a perspective you’ve developed through your work, stories that help people understand it, and a way for the audience to apply it.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• 4 things event organizers buy when they hire a speaker
• Why celebrity speaking fees aren’t a useful comparison for most of us
• How I caught myself in the expert trap while preparing my MAICON presentation
• What changed when Danielle built her talk around an observation from her client work
• How one signature talk can support keynotes, workshops, and lead generation
• Questions to ask an organizer about the people attending your session
• A sentence to finish before you add another slide

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. 

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/495/ 

Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/

Enroll in our online Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ 

Attend our in-person speaking retreat in Orlando: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/live/ 

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox

“Speaker Industrial Complex” Report: https://gatheringarchitecture.com/papers/speaker-industrial-complex 

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 342: I Almost Got Stuck in the Expert Trap: How I Created My Recent Successful Conference Presentation
• Episode 362: Integrating Thought Leadership and Lead Generation in Your Signature Talk with Danielle Hayden
• Episode 486: Stop Creating Every Presentation from Scratch: Build One Talk You Can Adapt for Any Audience

How would it feel to get an inquiry from someone who wants to pay you $5,000, $10,000, or even $20,000 for a speaking engagement or workshop? And even better, they found you through an AI chatbot. It’s happened to me, and it’s happened to our clients.

Here at Speaking Your Brand, about half of our leads now come from AI chatbots and Google. On consultation calls, people tell me, “Claude told me you were the best,” or “ChatGPT said you were the top recommendation for what I needed.” These are high-quality leads who come into the conversation already trusting the recommendation.

In this episode of our Bookable Speaker series, I’m sharing how to help AI chatbots understand you, your brand, and your topics so they can recommend you. 

Earlier this year, I created an entire course on AI SEO for the university where I teach. I did a lot of research and experimenting (the former software developer in me loved this), and I’m giving you the practical highlights.

We’ll cover three things you can work on: assessing where you are now, becoming the answer to the questions your potential clients and event organizers are asking, and publishing content that supports what you want to be known for.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to find out whether AI chatbots are already sending people your way.
• Why a clear, consistent message matters for getting recommended.
• What to include on your speaker page.
• How a conversational audit can reveal questions your website needs to answer.
• The role of your signature framework and what makes your work distinctive.
• Ways to turn newsletters, articles, and podcast transcripts into website content.

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. 

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/494/ 

Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/

Enroll in our online Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ 

Attend our in-person speaking retreat in Orlando: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/live/ 

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox

Tool to query chatbots: AnswerThePublic.com

My speaker page: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/about/carol-cox/speaking/ 

Example blog post formatted for AI SEO: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/what-is-a-signature-talk-framework/ 

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 492: How to Get Your Next Speaking Engagements: The Bookable Speaker Checklist 
• Episode 493: Social Media for Speakers - What We Do and Advice We Ignore
• Booked Without Burnout series

Get ready for some real opinions on how effective (or not) social media is for you as a speaker.

After all, if a post gets thousands of views but none of the right people see what you speak about, what did those views do for your speaking business?

I'm joined by Speaking Your Brand coaches Diane Diaz and Erin Mark for a conversation about social media for speakers, as part of our Bookable Speaker series. 

We have very different relationships with it. Erin enjoys making Instagram Reels. Diane and I spend most of our social media time on LinkedIn, and I stopped posting on Instagram years ago. 

Yet we agree on the question worth asking: Can an event organizer find you, understand your message, and picture you speaking to their audience?

We talk about the LinkedIn profile details that matter, why Erin doesn't send a sales pitch with a connection request, and what happened when an organizer contacted me through my mostly dormant Instagram account. We also get honest about posting frequency and the temptation to chase views.

You’ll hear:

• Why follower counts and viral views can be misleading measures for speakers
• What to put in your LinkedIn headline and About section
• How Erin starts conversations with potential partners and buyers
• Why photos from actual speaking engagements are useful content
• How to choose a posting rhythm you can maintain and check whether it's helping

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. 

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/493/ 

Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/

Enroll in our online Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ 

Attend our in-person speaking retreat in Orlando: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/live/ 

Connect on LinkedIn:

• Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz/ 
• Erin Mark = https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinmark/ 

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 492: How to Get Your Next Speaking Engagements: The Bookable Speaker Checklist 
• Booked Without Burnout series

If you've been sending speaker proposals and hearing nothing back, look at three things: relevance, reach, and relationships. 

Does the organizer understand why your talk fits their audience? Can they see evidence of you speaking? And do people in your network know what you speak about well enough to recommend you?

Those are the three R's we're covering in this first episode of our Bookable Speaker podcast series.

I’m joined by Speaking Your Brand coaches Diane Diaz and Erin Mark to talk about what each one looks like in practice and specific things you can do today to get your next speaking engagements on the calendar.

Get our free Bookable Speaker Checklist at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/checklist/

You’ll learn:

• The three R's of being a bookable speaker: relevance, reach, and relationships
• How to adapt your positioning to an event without creating a new talk every time
• Questions to ask an event organizer before you send a proposal
• Why video of you speaking has become more useful to buyers, and how to capture it on a budget
• What to ask for in your speaker contract when an event is being filmed
• How warm introductions, other speakers, and small local talks can lead to more opportunities

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. 

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/492/ 

Download our free Bookable Speaker Checklist at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/checklist/

Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/

Enroll in our online Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ 

Attend our in-person speaking retreat in Orlando: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/live/ 

Connect on LinkedIn:

• Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz/ 
• Erin Mark = https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinmark/ 

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 486: Stop Creating Every Presentation from Scratch: Build One Talk You Can Adapt for Any Audience
• Episode 483: How an I.D.E.A., Not a Topic, Makes You Easier to Refer, Pitch, and Book with Carol Cox
• Booked Without Burnout series

How do you speak about something as big as love, money, or the meaning of life without letting it become abstract or overwhelming?

You make it personal.

In this Back Stage with Speaking Your Brand live show, you’ll hear three of our recent Thought Leader Academy grads, Beth DeAngelis, Vanessa Dean, and Kelsey Faye, as they each deliver a 10-minute version of the signature talk they developed in the program.

Their talks explore some of life’s biggest subjects:

• Beth DeAngelis explores love and human connection as essential leadership skills.
• Vanessa Dean turns financial behavior into something deeply human through candid stories about ADHD, money, and the gap between knowing what to do and doing it consistently.
• Kelsey Faye draws from her stories to explore meaning, faith, and the search for purpose.

You’ll hear how they:

• Use one specific personal experience as the doorway into a universal topic
• Move from “this happened to me” to “this means something for all of us”
• Make an abstract idea tangible through stories, metaphors, and frameworks
• Share vulnerability in service of a clear thought leadership message
• Help audience members recognize themselves in a story that isn’t their own

We also have a roundtable conversation about what Beth, Vanessa, and Kelsey have learned while developing their talks and what’s next for them as speakers and thought leaders.

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. 

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/491/ 

Watch the video at https://youtube.com/live/mchMlKWq3zM

Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/

Apply for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ 

Connect on LinkedIn:

• Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• Beth DeAngelis = https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethdeangelis/ 
• Vanessa Dean = https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-dean-adhd-money-coach/ 
• Kelsey Faye = https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelsey-faye-246347344/ and instagram.com/the.cathedral.within 

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 355: What a Signature Talk Is and What It Should be Doing for You

How do you turn an overlooked pattern or experience into a thought leadership message that changes how your audience sees themselves and the world around them?

One of the most powerful things a speaker can do is make the invisible visible.

In this Back Stage with Speaking Your Brand live show, our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz hosts three of our recent Thought Leader Academy grads, Stephanie Warner, Noa Stisin, and Carolyn Clow, as they each deliver a 10-minute version of the signature talk they developed in the program.

Each speaker makes an invisible influence visible:

• Stephanie reveals how our sensory environments quietly shape our energy, capacity, and leadership.
• Noa explores how a parent’s internal state and inherited patterns shape what happens in difficult moments with a child.
• Carolyn shows how the often-overlooked practice of self-leadership affects our ability to lead others.

You’ll hear how they:

• Bring an overlooked problem or pattern into view
• Use stories to make an unseen experience recognizable
• Give audiences language for something they may have felt but couldn’t name
• Turn an abstract insight into a memorable framework
• Offer a practical next step audiences can use in their own lives

We also have a roundtable conversation about what Stephanie, Noa, and Carolyn have learned while developing their talks and what’s next for them as speakers and thought leaders.

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. 

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/490/ 

Watch the video at https://www.youtube.com/live/ZWHCwywBH1Q?si=U6QsPCGhG4EqTEc-

Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/

Apply for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ 

Connect on LinkedIn:

• Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz
• Stephanie Warner = https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-warner-tcp/ 
• Noa Stisin = https://www.linkedin.com/in/noastisin/ 
• Carolyn Clow = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynaclow/ 

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 355: What a Signature Talk Is and What It Should be Doing for You

If you want more speaking invitations, it’s tempting to think the answer is more pitching, more social posts, and more cold outreach. 

But event organizers are receiving more speaker submissions than ever. Being one more qualified person in the pile isn’t enough. 

You need parts of your talk that people can remember, describe, and refer.

I call these Signature Stage Segments: intentionally crafted moments that bring together storytelling, humor, audience interaction, props or costumes, and quotable lines.

They make the talk more engaging for the audience and give you the kind of video that actually shows an event organizer what you can do on stage.

In this episode, I share examples from our clients and our own talks. 

You’ll hear how a lion at a watering hole, a round of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” a game show, a medical mask, and a pair of human-versus-AI paddles all became memorable stage moments.

And we’ll talk about the part many speakers still hold back.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What a Signature Stage Segment is and why it helps you get booked and referred
• The five elements that make stage moments memorable
• How to use our I.D.E.A.L. Storytelling Ingredients to turn something that happened into an actual story
• How simple props can make an abstract idea visible
• Why quotable lines belong in both your talk and your speaker reel
• The thing many speakers are afraid to bring to the stage and why it matters

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. 

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/489/ 

Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/

Enroll in our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ 

Attend our in-person speaking retreat in Orlando: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/live/ 

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 488: They Took the Stage at Our Speaking Retreat. What Happened Next?
• Episode 462: Speaking Strategies That Create Lasting Impact: Live Signature Talks from TLA Grads
• Episode 422: How to Create a 10-Out-of-10 Keynote that Leaves Your Audience in Awe with Julia Korn [Client Case Study]
• Episode 345: Elevate Your Audience Engagement Skills with These Proven Strategies with Katie Anderson [Client Case Study]
• Episode 467: Making the Shift from Performer to Keynote Speaker with Andy Nunn

What stays with you after a speaking retreat - once the filming is over, the notes are back in your hands, and you're home again?

We could tell you what happens at one of our in-person speaking retreats and workshops. 

Instead, our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz sits down with three women who experienced it: scientist and registered dietitian Dr. Karen Corbin, physician and health equity consultant Dr. Nicole Rochester, and emotional freedom and forgiveness coach Brenda Reiss. 

They talk candidly about having to practice without their notes, watching themselves on video, learning to use stories and props, and getting immediate feedback from a room full of women who wanted them to succeed.

What I love most about this conversation is what happened next. 

Nicole changed how she delivers talks and brought a much more personal story to a medical conference. 

Brenda learned to trust herself and let more of the real person behind her expertise come through. 

Karen became even more committed to helping scientists use story and personality to become trusted voices. 

Their experiences are different, but the thread is the same: when you stop trying to get every word right, you create more room for the audience to connect with you.

You can watch the video at https://www.youtube.com/live/rmXYSCCoz-A.

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. 

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/488/ 

Watch the video at https://www.youtube.com/live/rmXYSCCoz-A

Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/

Learn about our in-person speaking retreat: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/live/ 

Learn about our online Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ 

Connect on LinkedIn:

• Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz
• Nicole Rochester = https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-rochester-md/ 
• Karen Corbin = https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-corbin-phd-rd-75229111/ 
• Brenda Reiss = https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendareiss/ 

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 411: Reframing Public Speaking: From Elite Skill to Everyday Power with Dr. Karen Corbin
• Episode 329: From Compelled to Take Action to TEDx Speaker with Dr. Nicole Rochester
• Episode 347: The Power of REAL Practice to Transform Yourself as a Speaker
• Episode 385: Leading with Story in Your Talks [Roundtable]

If you've been telling yourself you'll pitch the conference, keynote, or TEDx talk once you feel more confident, I want you to reconsider the order. 

Public speaking isn't something you do after you become confident. It's one of the ways confidence is created.

I’m sharing three practical ways to build real speaking confidence: say yes and get the reps, experiment with different formats and time constraints, and use podcasting to strengthen your ability to speak naturally. 

I tell the story of walking into a TV studio for the first time with my heart pounding - and how becoming a regular political analyst years later finally gave me the repetition I needed to trust myself.

And then there's the thing that surprised me most: taking an eight-week improv class. Even after decades of speaking, improv helped me get out of my head, into my body, and more comfortable not knowing exactly what would happen next.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why confidence is created through speaking rather than perfected in private
• What it means to embody your message instead of delivering it only from your head
• Why repetition builds the muscle memory that makes speaking feel more natural
• What my first TV political panel taught me about saying yes before I felt ready
• Why relying on a script can interrupt your connection with the audience
• How PechaKucha, Ignite, DisruptHR, workshops, and keynotes develop different speaking skills
• Why hosting a podcast or becoming a regular podcast guest strengthens impromptu speaking
• What an eight-week improv class taught me about uncertainty and presence
• How speaking confidence can help you claim the identity of “speaker”
• Why women's public voices matter to gender equality

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. 

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/487/ 

Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/

Enroll in our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ 

Learn more about our speaking retreat in Orlando: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/live/

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Speak with Confidence podcast series
• Episode 379: How to Develop Stage Presence and Build Confidence as a Speaker
• Episode 378: The Power of Women's Voices and Stories to Change the World