Speaking Your Brand With Carol Cox | Women Entrepreneurs | Public Speaking | Communications And Media | Presentations | Tedx

If you’re going to be speaking at an in-person conference, this episode has some excellent tips on how you can exceed expectations as a speaker to make it a win-win-win for you, the audience, and the event organizer. Our guest is Jill Janecke, who is a mental health counselor and has opened and operates 15 offices in South Dakota. Last year, Jill decided to host a conference for women around mental and brain health and recently held it for a second time. As the organizer, Jill delivered a keynote address and joined our Thought Leader Academy to develop it with our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz. In this episode, Diane and Jill talk about: What Jill does in her business and why she decided to create her own conference What it's like to speak at her own event vs. someone else's event The importance of practicing and envisioning your audience As an event organizer, suggestions Jill has for speakers Why Jill joined our Thought Leader Academy and what her experience has been Get our free thought leadership wor

Do you sometimes wonder how BOLD you want to be with your thought leadership message? You know you have something important and impactful to say, but you’re a bit uncertain on how it will be received and if there will be any backlash. I have definitely experienced this - and the benefits have far outweighed any negativity. My guest is Jodi Flynn, who is the founder of Women Taking the Lead, which helps corporate women advance in leadership, and the host of the Women Taking the Lead podcast. Jodi recently graduated from our Thought Leader Academy, where she worked on her thought leadership message and signature talk. Jodi and I talk about: The types of speaking engagements Jodi was comfortable doing - and why she wanted to do something different What her bold thought leadership message is The hesitancy she had around sharing her message - and how she got past it A story from her childhood that influenced the work she does Why *you* are the messenger for your message   This is the audio from a recent LinkedIn

How should you open and close your talk? When we work with our clients on their signature talks using our framework, we always make sure to have a strong opening and closing. In the beginning, you want to make a good impression and set the right tone. You may also be nervous, so feeling confident about how you’re going to open your talk can make you feel better. At the end of your talk, you want to leave the audience feeling satisfied AND wanting more. In this episode, I’m sharing with you: 6 ways you can open your talk Examples from my own talks and from our clients How to choose which way to open your talk depending on the format of the event and the size of the audience What to do when you get to the event and you realize your planned opening isn’t going to work How to close your talk, including what not to do!   Register for our Summit Speakers Reunion on June 21 (it’s free): https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/reunion/  Speakers from our past Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summits are joining us to ta

Last year on this podcast, I did several episodes about the distinction between being an expert and a thought leader. As speakers, we often get stuck in what I call “the expert trap.” We get comfortable training and teaching in our area of expertise and we think that’s the only way to provide value to our audiences. The way out of this is to incorporate more of your personal journey and storytelling into your talks and to believe that providing your audiences with transformation is more important than information. My guest on the podcast is Katie Anderson, an internationally recognized leadership and learning coach, consultant, and professional speaker. Katie and I have been working together since the beginning of the year on her new keynote and helping her incorporate more storytelling and performance aspects into her delivery. Katie and I talk about: Why she wanted to get out of the expert trap and add more storytelling into her keynotes What the process has been like for her and what doubts she had The re

Do you have an experience that happened to you that you’re reluctant to share with your audience? What would happen if you did? So often we feel like our stories are too uncommon or unrelatable or not interesting enough to include in our talks. What I see happen is that speakers generalize their stories - and by doing so they remove what makes a great story. It may seem counterintuitive, but it’s the specificity and details of our stories, the very thing we think is uncommon, that makes them powerful. Sharing a deeply personal story, one that shaped who you are and how you understand yourself, is what can connect you to your audience and build trust. Building trust with your audience is especially important if you want to help them go deeper and think differently. You have to go first. Being vulnerable is not always easy. You may wonder if you’re sharing too much or if your audience will look at you differently. But, the rewards are well worth it - not only for the audience but for your own personal developme

I took an improv class a couple of years ago and it has been incredibly helpful to me as a speaker, so much so that I had the attendees at our recent in-person client retreat do some improv games (they appreciated it, I swear!). Improv is not only useful for getting into your body as a speaker on a stage; improv is also a philosophy of engagement, vulnerability, and co-creation. This is what I talk about with my guest Shannon Hughes in this episode. Shannon melds business strategy with improv training techniques to embolden trustful communication, belonging, and transformational leadership. Whether you have in-person or virtual speaking engagements coming up, you’ll get a lot out of our conversation. Shannon and I talk about: How to use the improv “yes and” technique to push past fear Breaking the fourth wall to engage your audience in conversation Tools to get your audience engaged, especially during virtual presentations The scaffolding techniques Shannon uses to engage audiences   About My Guest: Shannon

I’m going to start this podcast with a bit of a controversial question: Why do we (and, yes, I said we) often feel much more uncomfortable having a woman in a position of authority than we do men? My guest Mary Ann Sieghart is a London-based journalist and broadcaster and author of the new book “The Authority Gap: Why women are still taken less seriously than men, and what we can do about it.” The authority gap isn’t just a challenge of how men see women but also how we as women see other women in positions of power and authority.  As women we have to go beyond “lip service feminism” - it’s important that we are aware of our own biases so we can correct them. Think about some of the choices you make, from the books you read to the television broadcasters you listen to. How many are women?  This is a wide-ranging and important conversation about why women have struggled to get into more leadership positions, from companies to governments, and even when they do, why they’re taken less seriously. In this episode

I talk a lot about storytelling and the importance of integrating stories into your presentations and talks. Well, money has a story too. Your money story may be driving behaviors in your business. My guest is Melissa Houston, a CPA and Financial Strategist for CEOs. I’ve gotten to know Melissa over the past few months as she’s gone through our Thought Leader Academy to develop her speaking skills and create her keynote signature talk. Melissa and I talk about: The #1 challenge she sees with the women she works with about their finances What it means to have a money story and how much that can impact our relationship to money and to our business The difference between using money to spend vs. invest Melissa’s own story around money Why Melissa decided she wants to be a speaker What Melissa got out of her experience in our Thought Leader Academy   Join our Thought Leader Academy to develop your speaking skills and create your signature talk: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/    About My Guest: Melis

If you plan on speaking in-person this year, you’ll want to listen to this entire episode.    I'm sharing with you the 3 key skills you need now to: Get selected as a speaker Stand out by delivering the exact content your audience wants Make money, whether it’s from paid engagements or by generating leads and sales from people in your audience   I recently returned from an in-person speaking engagement and put these skills into practice.   Here are the results I got *that same day*: New client (worth $5,000+) New keynote speaking invitation (worth $5,000+)   The old model of public speaking no longer works. Content dumps, information overload, and one-way communication don’t cut it anymore. Your audience expects more - and you have an incredible opportunity to set yourself apart as a dynamic speaker. In this episode, you'll learn: The old model vs. the new model of public speaking Myths you’ve internalized that may keep you from embracing the new model The 3 key skills you need now as a speaker How you a

Speaking opportunities are increasing as more events and conferences are returning to in-person and organizations are looking to bring in trainers. Now is the time to get prepared and take action. This is exactly what our guest, Sarah Lynn Wallace, has been doing as she’s been going through our Thought Leader Academy this year. Sarah has booked several speaking and training engagements, including paid ones.  I asked Sarah to come on the podcast and have a conversation with our lead speaking coach, Diane Diaz, to talk about what has been effective for her in booking speaking engagements. Sarah has a unique take on the marketing and visibility work she does with her clients, which you’ll hear about as well. Diane and Sarah talk about: Why Sarah decided to focus on thought leadership in her business Feeling stuck in the expert trap and not differentiating herself The strategies Sarah has used to book more speaking engagements, including paid ones (at higher fees!) Sarah’s experience in our Thought Leader Academ

We have a brand new FREE live training happening on Tuesday, April 26! Register today for free at  https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/training/. After two years of virtual speaking on screens (and, let’s face it, virtual living), the old model of public speaking no longer works. Content dumps, information overload, and one-way communication don’t cut it anymore. Your audience expects more - and you have an incredible opportunity to set yourself apart as a dynamic speaker. There are 3 key skills you need now to get selected as a speaker, stand out by delivering the exact content your audience wants, and make money, whether it’s from paid engagements or by generating leads and sales from people in your audiences. You'll learn: The old model vs. the new model of public speaking The 3 key skills you need now as a speaker How you are perfectly positioned to use the new model of public speaking to connect with your audiences and attract bigger and better speaking opportunities Myths you’ve internalized that may kee

If you’re a speaker who has in-person events coming up OR if you’re planning an in-person event, you won’t want to miss this conversation. We held our in-person client retreat speaking intensive a couple of weeks ago in Orlando, Florida, and it was incredible! We brought 12 women together to practice their speaking delivery skills (on a real stage!) and get professional videography they can use in their speaking reels. I asked two of the women who attended, Betsy Jordyn and Joy Spencer, to join me and Diane Diaz to talk about the experience. We talk about: Top takeaways from the the instruction and practice on delivering keynote speeches Favorite parts of the retreat How the retreat made them feel as speakers and thought leaders Our lessons as the hosts / planners of the retreat Will there be another retreat??? This is the audio from a LinkedIn Live. You can watch the video at https://www.linkedin.com/video/event/urn:li:ugcPost:6919241904681283584/.  About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted

As entrepreneurs, we have a lot on our plate and fitting in the time to build our thought leadership platforms, create presentations, and pitch ourselves can too often get relegated to the back burner. However, if you’re a service-based entrepreneur who is not a volume business (you’re not looking for thousands of clients at a time), you need speaking and thought leadership to grow your business. The other thing you need is to say “yes” to opportunities even when you don’t feel prepared and it feels scary. That’s what I want to talk to you about today. In this episode, you’ll hear: The importance of timing and saying yes to opportunities Having a bias towards action How timing has impacted my life (good and bad) The contrast between being at the mercy of social media algorithms vs. speaking to a captive audience Practical ways to fit in the time for your visibility and speaking About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and profess

Are you providing transformation or information in your presentations and talks? Whenever I work on a presentation or a keynote or even the agenda for the in-person client retreat we’re holding in April, my default is to think of all the information I want to convey to the audience. You may be the same way. We’re usually good at coming up with lots of things we can share and teach. But, I want to challenge you (like I challenge myself) to reduce the information and increase the transformation. Why? Because you’ll have a bigger impact on your audience; you’ll get traction on your thought leadership message; and you can increase your prices, both for speaking and for the services and programs you offer.   In this episode, you’ll hear: Why information is not that valuable anymore Examples of providing information vs. transformation 3 specific ways to think in terms of transformation for your content What I’ve learned from watching business TV shows like Succession, WeCrashed, and Inventing Anna that you can use

When you start putting your thought leadership out into the world, think of your overall message as the hub. You then have various spokes you can use to share the message and get others involved. These spokes can include your own podcast; a LinkedIn Live or Instagram Live show; a challenge; speaking (of course!); podcast guesting; and events you host. My guest Christie Rocha recently graduated from our Thought Leader Academy and we worked together on her thought leadership message and her signature talk. Christie has a really important message to share, particularly to millennial moms, about mental health and self-care. Christie has such a fun and vibrant personality, which comes across in her podcast “Sass Says” and in this interview. In this episode, Christie and I talk about: Why she wanted to delve into thought leadership The container she chose for her thought leadership message The many ways (spokes) she is sharing her thought leadership Her experience in our Thought Leader Academy Her awesome TLA grad

As you’re working on your keynote speech (or aspiring to one), there are key elements to include that make it different from a regular business presentation or training. Along with stories and audience engagement (always!), you can also create what’s known as a “bit.” This is a section of your keynote, usually just a few minutes long, that stands out and becomes memorable for the audience. My guest Nicole Edwards recently graduated from our Thought Leader Academy and we worked together to create her keynote. I really enjoyed working with Nicole because she was always open to learning and improving. In this episode, Nicole and I talk about: Her background and what has brought her to thought leadership The process we went through to create her new keynote signature talk The key elements of her keynote, including stories and her framework Why we decided she needed a “bit” for her keynote and what that means Her experience in our Thought Leader Academy About My Guest:  With a professional background in mental

What does it look like to create your signature talk and put it out there for the first time? Our guest, Kelley D. Carlstrom, PharmD, did just that a couple of months ago. Kelley recently graduated from our Thought Leader Academy and worked with our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz to create her signature talk for lead generation. Kelley took her new signature talk and presented it as a webinar to promote her program for oncology pharmacists, called the ELO Collaborative.  Not only did Kelley get great feedback, she also got enrollees for her program! In this episode, Diane and Kelley talk about: What prompted Kelley to want to develop her thought leadership The process of creating her lead generation signature talk The results from the webinar she did to enroll pharmacists in her program The value of an MVP Focusing on both short-term and long-term visibility How your business and your thought leadership run on parallel tracks to support each other Prospective clients often ask us what kinds of industries

Today, March 8, is International Women’s Day. This year’s theme is Break the Bias.  I appreciate that on the IWD website, they write, “Celebrating women's achievements and increasing visibility, while calling out inequality, is key.” In this episode, I share the premise of the book I’m working on around the importance of women being public speakers as a way to advance women in leadership and gender equality and a new model of public speaking. What if I told you that the key to being more confident is not what you’ve been told in the myriad of women’s leadership and personal development books you’ve read?   Well, at least it’s not the whole story.   Sure, what those books have taught you about getting clear on your goals, asking for what you want, taking action, and striking a power pose in the bathroom before an important event are helpful. But, they stop short of what’s critical for building true and lasting confidence. These books tiptoe around it by encouraging women to speak up and to raise their voice, b

In this episode, I share 3 ways public speaking has helped me to find and use my voice and the lessons I’ve learned along the way that may help you too. I take a broad view of public speaking = stages, in front of audiences, on TV, in the media, also virtual presentations and podcasting, live streaming, video. Public speaking, in all of these ways, helps you to get your message out, to share your thought leadership ideas, and to have a bigger impact. It’s also an incredible way for more people to know about your business and the work you do and  to attract clients, speaking engagements, and media opportunities.   I talk about: The one time when I was on TV that I momentarily lost my voice and had to ask for a retake The lesson I learned about going on TV to shift my goal from persuasion to validation Creating this podcast every week for the past 5 years and the role that imperfection has played in finding and using my voice How in-person speaking has shaped my voice (including failures) and the connection be

We’re wrapping up the month of February talking about how we as speakers can love our audiences. Why is this important?  Because the more connected the people in our audience feel to us and to each other, the more impactful and memorable our presentations and talks will be. And here’s the thing about loving our audiences: it’s about relationship, which is much different from the standard approach to public speaking which tends to put all of the spotlight on the speaker. In this episode, which is the audio from our LinkedIn Live show, we share 3 ways you can love your audience.   You can watch the video replay at https://www.linkedin.com/video/event/urn:li:ugcPost:6897210513009569792/  About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox, joined in this episode by our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz. 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