Speaking Your Brand: Public Speaking Tips and Strategies

We all know that non-verbal communication can be as important as our words, whether we're talking with a person one-on-one or speaking in front of an audience. Did you know that our body movement - our kinetic energy - is something different from what we traditionally think of regarding body language and it has an impact too? My guest is Ritu Chander, the founder of The Next Move LLC, which is a d...

If you have a fear of public speaking, this episode is for you. If you’re confident when speaking but have a fear in a different area of your life, this episode is for you. My guest’s story of how she went from a self-described fear of public speaking to being an in-demand paid keynote speaker in just 2 years is incredibly inspiring.  Charmaine Gregory, M.D. is an emergency room doctor and speaks...

This conversation is one I’ll be listening to again, especially the end (!). Is there something that has held you back from being more visible, whether it’s sharing a powerful message or standing on a stage in front of an audience? You’re far from alone. As women, we’ve grown up with societal and cultural messages (some subtle and subconscious, others not) that can influence us to keep quiet, not...

Starting with this episode, the next 5 episodes will be related to confidence: from putting yourself out there to pitch for speaking gigs, to conquering a fear of public speaking, to standing on stage and delivering your talks with presence and poise. This episode kicks off this series by talking about what confidence is, my own ups and downs with confidence, and specific strategies you can use to...

Serving on a corporate or non-profit board is an excellent opportunity for you to gain skills and visibility and broaden your network. Plus, representation matters: not only to the performance of the companies and organizations who have more women on their boards, but to women who see other women on boards and can then imagine it for themselves (“If you can see it, you can be it”). I’ve served on...

You may not be talking about politics at your speaking engagements, but you may be discussing issues that are controversial or where people have a distinct point of view. Or, you may get a question from an audience member that throws you off. How can you handle hard conversations, whether it’s at events, panels, media interviews, or even with your family and friends? Joining me in this episode are...

Have you ever been asked to give an important talk or presentation with a very short time frame? You knew that saying “yes” would be beneficial, but then you had to scramble to put it together, which meant pushing aside your other work, stressing about it, and creating a presentation that wasn’t as good as it could have been? What if, instead, you’re prepared when great speaking opportunities pres...

You’re going to love this episode, so much so that you may want to listen to it more than once. It’s packed with what you need in order to get paid speaking engagements. There are 5 key elements that event planners look for in speakers they hire. In this episode, you’ll learn what these key elements are and how to position yourself as a paid speaker. My guest is Li Hayes, who is a speaker manager...

Have you heard the term “call and response”? When I hear the phrase, I think of preachers, especially in black churches, who use it to engage their parishioners and uplevel the energy in the room. As speakers, we can use call and response to heighten energy and emotion with our audiences and get them to participate more in the experience. (See episode 113 on E.P.I.C. content for some examples.) Bu...

How does your website impact your speaking opportunities and the fees you can charge? More than you may think. If you want to be seen as an authority in your field and charge premium rates, as both a speaker and an entrepreneur, your branding needs to reflect that. This includes your website, your marketing materials, your graphics, and your content. This may be controversial, but I’m going to say...

A question I get a lot is: What content should I include in my lead generation presentations? How much information do I share? To figure this out, start with these two questions: #1 = What are you selling (your program, service, product)? This will help you to determine what content will best align with your offer. #2: Who is your ideal client and what do they need to know to make a decision / tak...

In the last episode, I talked about pushing past your speaking plateau - what happens when we get to a certain point in our skillset, it’s a comfortable place, but we’re no longer progressing or challenging ourselves, and I shared some ways you can get past your plateau. That’s where my guest today, Diane Diaz, was in her speaking journey. You may recognize Diane - she’s been on the podcast a coup...

In today’s episode, we’re talking about hitting a plateau, why it happens, the danger of staying there, and how to get past one. I’m going to be sharing some of my own experiences plus giving you specific strategies you can use. The definition of plateau is to reach a state or level of little or no growth or decline, especially to stop increasing or progressing; remain at a stable level of achieve...

How can you take the presentation you do in person and convert it to a webinar for lead generation, particularly if you’re selling a program or course? Much of the content from your presentation can be easily repurposed for a webinar, but there are some considerations and constraints when you have attendees online vs. in person. Hosting a webinar before giving your presentation in person is also a...

When we think of a signature talk, we naturally think of standing in front of a group of people delivering our talk. Did you know that there are many more ways - 16 at least! - that you can use your signature talk? Why can you use it in all these ways? The work of creating your signature talk becomes the foundation on which everything else stands. A signature talk is what you want to be known for,...

What happens when lots of good things start happening to you and your business, as more people and organizations are recognizing you as a rising star in your industry? You may be tempted to back off your visibility, thinking the organic growth will continue. However, an even better strategy is to accelerate your visibility and go after bigger opportunities: TV, major publications, speaking at high...

What are the elements of being a thought leader? What does it mean to be a thought leader? How can you build your thought leadership platform? As a speaker, you are seen as a leader, an authority, an expert in your space, which is why many of us want to speak to share our big idea to larger audiences. In this episode, my guest Lisa Zawrotny and I talk about how she’s going to be putting herself ou...

I gave this presentation on E.P.I.C. content 4 times to 4 different groups in a recent 2-week period. Whew! In this episode, you'll hear the presentation itself as well as why I decided to include certain things, like video and music clips. Why this topic? Business storytelling has been all the rage for the past few years: we’ve been told to share stories in our presentations, on our websites, and...

If you have multiple aspects of your business or of the work you do with your clients, it can be challenging to figure out what’s the best topic and content to use for your signature talk. Should you just pick one? Should you have two different signature talks? Should you try to combine them? The answer could be yes to any of those three questions - it depends on your goals, your audience, and you...

I’m obsessed with the book “Clockwork” by Mike Michalowicz (who also wrote “Profit First”). I read it the first weekend it came out last fall and it has revolutionized the way I look at my business. When a mutual colleague offered to connect me with Adrienne Dorison, the co-founder of Run Like Clockwork™, I jumped at the chance to have her on the podcast. As an entrepreneur, one of your most impor...

When you speak at a conference or trade show, have you thought about how you can invite the audience to continue the conversation with you after your session? In this episode, my guest Sue Monhait shares strategies she uses when she speaks at trade shows - and she’s done it a lot! Sue has two different kinds of businesses: one is product-based called The Ribbon Print Company (she sells ribbon prin...

This episode is jam-packed with what you need to know to put on your own paid workshop. I recently co-hosted a workshop on Personal Branding and Visibility with Diane Diaz, founder of The Brand Teacher and a Speaking Your Brand coach. From deciding on the topic and price to selling seats to determining the agenda, we lay it all out for you, so you can successfully put on your own paid workshop. We...

You want to feel more confident and prepared for your speaking engagements, especially if it’s an important one like the first time delivering your signature talk or a big keynote or a TEDx talk. But, oftentimes, our minds and thoughts get in our own way. I first heard about NLP a few years ago in a sales context but didn’t know much about it. Then, I had a pre-chat with my guest, Candice Czaplak,...

I love this line from my guest: “Our brains are lazy.” That includes your audience’s brains (no offense). Knowing this, how can you make your presentations more brain-friendly, engaging, and persuasive? In this episode, Melina Palmer, who has a Master’s degree in Behavioral Economics, shares with us how we can use behavioral economics principles to be better speakers. Melina breaks it down for us...

We hear the term “personal brand” a lot, but do we know exactly what it means and how to use our personal brand to get more speaking opportunities? Imagine getting requests from organizers to speak at their conferences and events without you having to pitch them and, even better, getting paid speaking engagements. That’s what having a powerful personal brand can do for you. My guest in this episod...