The Speaking Club: Mastering the Art of Public Speaking

With technology now able to doctor images, people and chatbots pretending to be who they're not and the advent of fake news, it might feel like it's going to be harder than ever before to get people to believe new ideas.  That doubt can hold us back from sharing our message for fear that we might not be able to get it across in the right way, causing damage to our reputation and confidence.  But I...

Adding the label of speaker to your bio is becoming more common, but calling yourself a speaker and actually being able to deliver your message in a way that educates, inspires and motivates are two very different things.  There are lots of people boring the pants off audiences, when they don't need to, and this is a belief that my guest Tina Bakehouse and I share in common.  Tina is a communicati...

Ross O'Lochlainn is a former engineer-turned-copywriter who has blended his talent for problem solving and building systems with his ability to engage an audience with his storytelling flair.  The result of this combination is a new way of looking at marketing that is getting incredible results. Ross was so confident in his model that he built his entire business by getting paid on results rather...

It's hard enough to cope with the grief that follows the loss of a friend or family member, but add in the pressure of being responsible for the eulogy for the person you cared for and maybe some anxiety around public speaking, and you have a recipe for huge overwhelm. If you find yourself in this situation, my hope is that this show relieves a little of the pressure. I'll be sharing some ideas an...

When you have a big idea and message to share, and you want to get it out to more people you have so many more channels available today for achieving that.  Regardless of the number of platforms at your fingertips, your choice really comes down to two options - do you communicate one to many using speaking or writing? For business, two of the best options available are creating a talk or writing a...

This quick talk tip will help you if you know that you have a big message and want to have more impact, but find yourself playing small! In this show I'm covering: The truth about thought leadership How to differentiate yourself in your niche The three obstacles to becoming a thought leader Questions to help you step up  Enjoy! Leave a rating or review for The Speaking Club (Take a photo of your r...

The 'path of most resistance' - that is essentially what Catherine Weetman faces as a specialist in the area of regeneration and the circular economy.  She talks to organisations about the need to ditch outdated business models and go beyond current thinking. She also challenges current practices around product life cycles and materials, and shares practical and meaningful strategies and plans for...

This quick talk tip is in response to an issue that really winds me up, but that needed to be presented in a way that was engaging and entertaining. In this show I'm covering: The 'Rant and Reverse' comedy technique  Why it works How I used it and you can see it in action Tips for building this skill Enjoy!   Leave a rating or review for The Speaking Club (Take a photo of your review, email it to...

As speakers we are using stories to affect our audience. At the bare minimum a story will entertain. When you begin to infuse the story with emotions, fears and desires that your audience shares then it becomes engaging at the next level.  But if we truly want our audience to shift into action then our stories must show transformation, and this is the type of story that I teach speakers to use in...

This quick talk tip is in response to the question:  Can you teach me comic timing? In this show I'm covering: My definition of comic timing. The ingredients for great comic timing  Re-framing 'the punchline' Tips for building this skill Enjoy! Leave a rating or review for The Speaking Club (Take a photo of your review, email it to me at sarah@saraharcher.co.uk and get a free e-copy of my book Cra...

A few times people have singled out one interview of mine as a great example of someone using short stories brilliantly. That episode was 107, and it was with Greg Satell. Greg's work has appeared in Harvard Business Review, Barron's, Forbes, Inc and Fast Company, and he is considered one of the foremost experts on innovation today. Greg also speaks around the world on these topics and works with...

Great speakers do two things better than other people… They create content that is designed to connect with their audience where they are and engage them in new and compelling possibilities for the future; and They deliver it in a way that builds rapport, entertains and motivates them to take the next step. The truth is that whilst the way they do them might be different, authors must also accompl...

No matter how far you niche down in terms of your message and services, there will always be competition. How you think about that competition and respond to it will determine the level of success you have and the speed at which you achieve that success.  I know that it can feel scary and all sorts of doubts can surface about what you can offer compared to everyone else. That is normal. Certainly,...

There are more platforms available for speakers to share their message than ever before. There are also more people speaking than ever before. This means that when the opportunities arise for you to speak, you have to make them count.  To stand out from the hoardes of wannabe speakers you must have three things, value driven content, a presentation style that is engaging and compelling, and a talk...

There's a lot of talk about the benefits of meditation, not only in helping us cope with the challenges we face in modern life, but also the physical benefits that may give us longer lives and better overall health.  That's why a lot more people are now meditating, and I'm one of them. Until now, I've dabbled in it, but one of my goals this year was to go all in on meditation and do it every day....

We are overwhelmed with evidence of competition and divisiveness in our governments, in reality TV, and in the corporate world. However, in order to tackle the world's biggest challenges, and indeed operate in business life, we need to be successful collaborators. But … with little effective role modelling day to day, a complete lack of training in the education system and beyond, and our own surv...

Jackie Brennan discovered the power of language to influence our own and other people's behaviours whilst she was still working as a Director of Health and Safety in the construction industry.  This was the start of a personal journey which culminated in her awakening to the fact that for most of her life she had not been in the driving seat.  Today, she is a qualified hypnotherapist, speaker, NLP...

This is a festive, fun edition of the show, but don't be mistaken, it's also designed to give your speaking a boost in 2023.  I am sending you on a treasure hunt to find 12 'gems' located in 12 previous episodes of The Speaking Club. Each of these 'gems' will be related to developing your confidence, talk content or performance.  In this show, I'll be giving you the clues and the location of the a...

Marcus Hemsley is the founder and Director at one of the world's best marketing agencies. He is an expert in results led marketing and his company was recognised by Google as the best in growing companies online. As you would expect as the founder of one of the most successful digital agencies, when Marcus speaks about marketing he is not short of an audience. But over the past few years Marcus ha...

What does it take to make your dream come true? How do you cope with being in the ocean alone for nearly four months? What happens when you get a lung infection at the top of Mount Everest? These are just some of the things that my guest James Ketchell shares on this show. From nearly losing a foot in a motorbike racing accident, to completing the ultimate triathlon, whilst being "crap at running'...

Very few people feel like 'natural' networkers and most people feel uncomfortable in business networking situations. Part of that discomfort stems from how we position 'networking' in our minds, and a lot of it is down to how we prepare for the event. Networking, just like speaking, has never been bigger. Online networking is still as popular as it was during the pandemic for many reasons, and now...

What if I told you there was something you could do with your presentations, that would dissolve your anxiety, supercharge your confidence and power up your speaking impact … Would you be interested in finding out more? Well you're in luck because in this show, I'm going to share this secret weapon with you. Enjoy!   What you'll discover: The secret to increasing your presentation confidence and i...

Susie Carder started business life as a hairdresser working for someone else, but she knew that she'd only realize her dreams of wealth, security and success if she started her own business.  Even though she was a single mum with 2 little girls to support, she went on to create, not one, but two $10 Million companies! Speaking mixed with her super power of implementing simple systems have created...

If you've listened to many episodes of The Speaking Club, you will no doubt have heard me share that a talk should be planned and scripted, but that at the right time you should let go of the script to bring the talk alive for you and your audience. That is what this episode is all about.  As you know, I teach a talk structure that I developed to make it easy for you to engage your audience with s...

There are so many people starting podcasts these days. That's because the evidence that podcasts are one of the best ways to get your message out there is undeniable.  Over 62% of the US population has listened to a podcast, 38% in Canada and nearly 20% of people in the UK listen to a podcast every week. The statistics also show that of those people that listen 60% are likely to buy what was adver...