Influential Public Speaking for Leaders & Professionals

Happy new year! Welcome to hustle month, where we refocus on getting our message out there and showing up in-person and online for our people. Is there something you want to share in a talk or post on social media but your inner critic / perfectionist / impostor is getting in your way? I was coaching a comedian turned speaker who is create his story-rich, humorous mental health keynote, when we ca...

When I did a training for 13 peer financial counselors (students who provide financial counseling through one-on-one sessions and workshop presentations), I sent them a pre-training survey and almost every single student shared some version of "ENGAGING the audience is my biggest public speaking challenge right now." Here's a great way to do it - use humor. It'll engage your listeners. It'll enhan...

Lynn had 10 minutes to speak during a 3-day learning and development conference for her entire faculty at her school. It was a tiny window in order to recruit the faculty to be MAVENS who recommended students utilize her financial literacy resources. Any speaking opportunity has high stakes because being forgotten is a huge missed opportunity. So how do you stand out, be memorable, and convince yo...

She was 4'9", she spoke 5 languages, and she was my grandma! And she taught me two lessons that have shaped me both as a person and as a speaker. These two lessons will show you, like they have for me, how to become a far more confident and compelling communicator and relationship-builder. You will love these 2 hilarious stories (with a bit of heart thrown in there too)! I hope you enjoy getting t...

What if you dreamed of speaking in front of people, but were terrified of public speaking? What if you had a vision of impact, a powerful message to share and a business ready to scale, but you were blocked by your dread at facing an audience? When I met Michele several years ago, she was courageously told me of the extent this fear was interfering with her career.  Believe it or not, her voi...

As a leader, as an expert, telling a story about a mistake, a disaster, a glorious miscalculation on your part actually makes you seem more confident, not less. Not only that, it's going to create trust in your team and audience that leads to greater interaction in the room and a safer and more creative atmosphere. In other words, it will create the exact kind of open communication that so critica...

Joe Fingerhut is a friend, a fellow speaker, and a unicycle-riding Japanese-speaking juggling motivational speaking Renaissance man. Joe shares: What's it like speaking in front of 3,000 people. What he tells himself the moment before he goes on stage. The inspiration for, and evolution of, his popular and inspiring "How Can I?" message. How all leaders and speakers can use their spotlight to shin...

Here is an incredibly valuable communication lesson for content experts and leaders.... that I learned from my hilarious and sarcastic my mother-in-law!, her Alexa, and Kevin Costner.

"Most elevator pitches are designed to impress, and they fail to intrigue." I made that one up on the spot and I'm proud of it! When you let go of "saying the right things" and "what I should sound like" you open up all kinds of fun and interesting lanes to engage and hook your funder or listener in a whole new way. Here is a surprising story I helped a client create to sell her brand in a totally...

"Simon Sinek doesn’t make money selling his book. Simon makes money selling his ideas through his books and his speeches. It's his books that get him invited on stages. And those stages are where he makes all of his money." - Michael Delon ------------ Publisher and credibility marketing expert Michael Delon shares with you how to create your book, get get booked on more stages and gain more clien...

No one tells stories better than Pixar ! Wall-E. Up. Toy Story. Ratatouille. Pixar's stories connect us with at every age, they move us to laughter, tears, and we can still picture them years later. As a presenter, a leader, an educator, telling stories is an incredible way to create trust, connection, and have your message remembered. It's also a lot of fun, and a totally learnable skill! I was i...

In your next presentation, pitch, or meeting with prospective clients, do THIS and you'll know exactly what to say to earn your audience's trust and their business. --------------- Want to assess your executive presence skills right now AND get proven tips on how to communicate powerfully? Go to 15feet.com for free resources. If you want to nail an upcoming public speaking opportunity, craft your...

After I gave a training on pitching your work to clients, a graphic designer named Todd came up to me. "Here's my problem… When I'm presenting work concepts to clients, I get rattled. I feel like they're judging me, and they think graphic design isn't really that important. It's arts and crafts. I end up feeling like they're the adults in the room, and I'm the kid who needs to prove myself." This...

Clarity and certainty are essential when you are packaging your talk and positioning yourself as a thought-leader! This is also key to persuading your audience to believe in the strength and value of your message. "Evidence shows people will remember one thing you say. When you speak for an hour, it's going to be something different for each person. But when you speak for a minute, you get to deci...

"It's been said that every sale is nothing more than getting someone to believe the solution you offer is the solution they need." "The reason you create belief is so they feel within themselves that the person they want to be is the person they can be." "Ask yourself, what is the belief that you want to create for your listener?" What is the belief that you want to create for your listener? Sched...

This is a great one! Christine O’Neill, MMSc, PA-C, ACC is a burnout interventionist, executive leadership coach, and medical clinician (and my friend!). She’s passionate about helping overwhelmed professionals learn how to make a difference while having a life by using values-based prioritization and neuroscience-informed self-coaching techniques. She specializes in professional burnout preventio...

To be clear, Storytelling IS personal development. And Storytelling IS professional development. Because there are times where the toughest story for you to tell is the most powerful story for your audience to hear. Here is what you'll need to know in order to a) be comfortable & authentic when telling this kind of story, and b) achieve the results you want when telling it. Do you want greater...

A racing mind can strike at any moment, and try to ruin a really fun thing like presenting. Here's how to invite that nervousness out of your brain and out of your life. Want to up-level your speaking confidence, content, impact, or income?? Schedule a free 15-minute call with Colin or start with our free speaking resources .

It's all about a technique I like to call Human-Expert Positioning. Want to improve your speaking confidence, content, impact, or income?? Schedule a free 15-minute call with Colin or start with our free speaking resources .

Storytelling will make your next presentation an unforgettable presentation, but only if you tell these 3 stories. Want to improve your speaking confidence, content, impact, or income?? Schedule a free 15-minute call with Colin or start with our free speaking resources .

Here is a business growth strategy that will increase the impact of your message and generate more speaking opportunities. Want to improve your speaking confidence, content, impact, or income?? Schedule a free 15-minute call with Colin or start with our free speaking resources .

Show Notes: https://www.colinryanspeaks.com/the-power-of-silence-when-presenting/ Let's explore using pauses as a technique in your presentations, inspired by a lesson I learned IN FRONT OF 1,000 people at a Moth storytelling performance . I had the opportunity to perform my story for a very large crowd, in a beautiful theatre, amidst a roster of talented storytellers and a celebrity host. There’s...

Lindsey Lathrop is a certified business & negotiation coach, and a Top 100 Global Facilitator with Google’s #IAmRemarkable Initiative. Lindsey is not only my wife and favorite person in the world, she has also been my personal negotiation coach throughout my speaking career, and someone who instinctively and tirelessly adds value to the people around her. In this conversation we talk about: ·...

Show Notes: https://www.colinryanspeaks.com/ episode-4-curate-your-feedback / In this episode, Colin tells a story he's never made public: the story of the biggest speaking backfire of his career. And more importantly, what it can teach us about managing emotions, choosing your path, and protecting your courage. 10+ years of speaking will create a ton of amazing opportunities and experiences. But...

Show Notes : https://www.colinryanspeaks.com/ episode-3-kelsa-dickey / Kelsa Dickey, along with her husband Michael, are the founders of Fiscal Fitness PHX and Financial Coaches Unite , and has been featured on CNN Money, USA Today and MSN Money. Kelsa is as sharp as they come and has helped countless people through her coaching, yet she is quick to show real candor and authenticity about her own...