Are you ready to elevate your speaking game and attract lucrative speaking engagements?

Diane Diaz, our lead speaking coach, sits down with one of our clients, Cherlette McCullough, a licensed marriage and family therapist, to delve into the keys to crafting a compelling signature talk that not only resonates with audiences but also leads to paid speaking opportunities.

Key Highlights:

• Cherlette’s Journey: Discover how Cherlette transitioned from community speaking to landing high-paying gigs by refining her presentations and focusing on impactful delivery.
• Signature Talk Breakdown: Learn the components of Cherlette’s successful signature talk, “From Selfie to Self-Reflection,” and how her engaging approach and relatable content captivated her audience.
• Audience Engagement Tips: Get inspired by Cherlette’s innovative strategies to involve the audience, making her talks memorable and actionable.
• Visibility and Media Appearances: Understand the importance of visibility in the speaking world and how Cherlette leveraged media opportunities to expand her reach.
• Coaching and Growth: Hear firsthand how working with a speaking coach can transform your presentations and boost your confidence, leading to more significant opportunities.

You’ll learn:

• How a single talk led to multiple paid engagements for Cherlette
• The unique activity Cherlette used to captivate her audience and make her leadership talk unforgettable
• Why it’s essential to think outside the box when choosing your speaking topics and audiences
• How Cherlette’s consistent visibility and media presence has contributed to her speaking success

We know you’ll be inspired to get out there on the speaking circuit!

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/396/

Cherlette’s website: https://www.cherlettemccullough.com/

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

Work with us in 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/
• Cherlette McCullough (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherlette-mccullough-22ab0b18/

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 373: From Free to Fee: How to Get an ROI from Speaking
• Episode 367: Steps for Creating Your Speaking and Visibility Plan

Sharing personal stories are essential for memorable and impactful presentations.

How specific should your stories be? How do you connect your story to your overall message and framework?

This is exactly what we work on with our Thought Leader Academy clients in their VIP Day to create their signature talk.

You’ll hear two of our recent grads, Cindy Ojczyk and Amy Bear, deliver a 10-minute version of the signature talk they created with us, so you can see and hear them in action.

We also have a roundtable discussion, led by our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz, about what they’ve learned from being in the Thought Leader Academy and what’s next for them as speakers and thought leaders.

This audio is from a live broadcast we did on May 29, 2024. You can watch the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5SWwL8V8Eo.

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/395/

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
• Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz/
• Cindy Ojczyk = https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindyojczyk/
• Amy Bear = https://www.linkedin.com/in/abearcounselor/

The essence of persuasive communication is about getting your audience on board with your ideas.

But, it's not about throwing out facts or making logical points; it requires connecting with your audience on an emotional level, understanding their needs and concerns, and addressing them effectively.

By sharing personal stories, using relatable examples, and demonstrating genuine passion and authenticity, you create a sense of trust and rapport.

This is exactly what our Thought Leader Academy grads do in their signature talks!

You’ll hear two of our recent grads, Angela Crawford and Eloisa Marquez-Gonzalez, deliver a 10-minute version of the signature talk they created with us, so you can see and hear them in action.

We also have a roundtable discussion about what they’ve learned from being in the Thought Leader Academy and what’s next for them as speakers and thought leaders.

Angela Crawford is a vegan transformation coach and educator. Eloisa Marquez-Gonzalez is the founder of Walking Tree, which works with companies on sustainability and green tech.

This audio is from a live broadcast we did on May 22, 2024. You can watch the video at https://youtube.com/live/UPUMGsAjRV8.

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/394/

Angela’s website: https://angelacrawfordphd.com/

Eloisa’s website: https://www.walkingtree.green/

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
• Angela Crawford (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelacrawfordphd/
• Eloisa Marquez-Gonzalez (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/eloisamg/

We’re finishing up our new podcast series called Speak with Confidence.

When you speak at conferences and events, you want to do a great job, get great feedback from the audience, and get referrals and invitations to other speaking gigs.

This is how I’ve gotten so many speaking invitations over the years - event organizers are oftentimes in the audience at events and they refer speakers to each other.

What kind of speaker gets the best feedback and referrals?

You may think it’s the most energetic speaker or the funniest speaker or the speaker with the best story or the speaker with the best slides.

But, that’s not necessarily the case.

In this episode, I share examples of speakers I’ve seen, what I’ve noticed about them, and the qualities they have in common.

I want you to be the best version of YOU as a speaker. That’s what’s going to set you apart.

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/393/

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: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 345: Elevate Your Audience Engagement Skills with These Proven Strategies with Katie Anderson
• Episode 352: 7 Things the Best Speakers Do: My Takeaways from TEDWomen
• Episode 379: How to Develop Stage Presence and Build Confidence as a Speaker

My goal with this current podcast series called “Speak with Confidence” is to boost your confidence by getting you to think differently about speaking, whether it’s getting comfortable with impromptu speaking (episode 390) or claiming your identity as a speaker (episode 391).

I know you want to be an impactful speaker, to share your important message with your audiences, and attract clients for your business.

We *think* that teaching and training is what our audiences want. This is what I thought too.

But, I believe that there are trends going on around us that are changing this. We’re all swimming in information; and now with AI, we have comprehensive answers in just a few seconds.

This is why I no longer advocate “Teaching from the stage”.

I’m going to share in this episode what I recommend instead.

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/392/

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: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox

Article mentioned about Deborah Tannen and communication: https://www.vox.com/a/hillary-clinton-interview/the-gap-listener-leadership-quality

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 382: 3 Signs You're Stuck in the Expert Trap with Your Public Speaking
• Episode 362: [Case Study] Integrating Thought Leadership and Lead Generation in Your Signature Talk with Danielle Hayden
• Episode 338: Escaping the Expert Trap: From Academic Presenter to Sought-After Speaker with Teri DeLucca, PhD
• Episode 339: Creating Compelling TED-Style Talks Based on Academic Research with Tanya Golash-Boza, PhD

There have been so many times I’ve heard clients tell me, “I’m not a speaker.”

Yet they’ve delivered keynotes and been paid thousands of dollars to do so.

They’re invited to speak at conferences.

They’ve taught classes and workshops for years.

They give presentations at work.

What’s going on? Why do they resist calling themselves a speaker?

Why do we hesitate to claim the identity as a speaker and thought leader?

I’m struggling with this right now, except it’s not about claiming my identity as a speaker, but as a book writer.

There are a few things going on, which I talk about in this episode, along with what you can do to feel more comfortable claiming this identity for yourself and the reasons to do so.

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/391/

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

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

Book mentioned “Atomic Habits”: https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break-ebook/dp/B07D23CFGR/

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 371: What to Include in Your Speaker Video Reel and Speaker Page
• Episode 285: 4 Speaker Archetypes: Learn Your Natural Style and Amplify It
• Episode 257: Writing a Book Gives Your Ideas Depth and Longevity with Tiffany Hawk

Are you the kind of speaker who loves to have everything prepared in advance? Perhaps you even have your entire presentation scripted out nearly word for word and you have detailed notes for every slide that you rely on?

Well, I have a challenge for you: getting more comfortable with impromptu speaking.

As a speaker and as a leader, both impromptu and prepared speaking skills are a must.

Have you ever had one of these situations happen to you:

You're in a meeting or group and asked to share something on the spot. You get really nervous and feel at a loss for words.

You're at a networking event where you need to concisely share with other attendees who you are, what you do, and how you help people. After you introduce yourself, you realized you left out the most important parts or it all felt like a jumble.

You're leading a meeting where you need to motivate your team, but you didn't have an opportunity to prepare your message ahead of time and feel like you weren't as clear or confident as you want to be.

This is why developing your impromptu speaking skills is essential.

I want more women - including you! - to feel comfortable and confident commanding a room and leading teams, organizations, and companies.

In this episode, I share:

• Why impromptu speaking is hard
• Why it matters to your development as a speaker and leader
• Specific things you can do to get better at impromptu speaking
• Some of my own impromptu speaking wins and fails!

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/390/

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

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

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 382: 3 Signs You're Stuck in the Expert Trap with Your Public Speaking
• Episode 370: Overcome Speaking Nerves & Anxiety: How to Develop Confidence on Stage
• Episode 379: How to Develop Stage Presence and Build Confidence as a Speaker
• Episode 347: The Power of REAL Practice to Transform Yourself as a Speaker

We're continuing the series we've been doing this month all around inspiring you to use your voice, no matter what your topic or your industry.

If you've been listening to this podcast for a while, you know that I've been really excited about artificial intelligence and ChatGPT and all of the ways AI can help us both personally and professionally.

For this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Denise Musselwhite, a technology maven with a rich background in IT and a heart set on women's empowerment in tech.

Here's why you absolutely can't miss this episode:

• Discover Denise's Unique Journey: From growing up in her father's repair shop to becoming one of the few Latina CIOs, Denise shares her inspiring journey into the tech world, highlighting the blend of nature, nurture, and curiosity that fueled her career.
• AI as a Force for Good: We delve deep into the realm of Artificial Intelligence, exploring its potential as a collaborative partner in our professional lives. Denise opens up about her personal projects, including the "Kindness Beacon," and how AI can be harnessed to empower women and underrepresented professionals in technology.
• Leadership and the Leap into Entrepreneurship: Denise talks about her transition from a high-powered tech role to founding Tech and Thrive, sharing insights on the challenges and joys of nurturing leadership within the tech industry, especially for women.
• The Ethical and Inclusive Future of AI: We tackle the critical discussions surrounding AI, from ethical considerations to ensuring women's voices are integral in shaping the future of technology.
• Mentorship, Inclusion, and Empowerment: Denise emphasizes the importance of mentorship, the role of women in technology organizations, and how she's working to create more inclusive spaces in the tech world.

Denise's story is a testament to the power of perseverance, innovation, and the crucial role of women in shaping the future of tech.

Join us as we explore the intersection of technology and empowerment, and get inspired to harness AI in your professional journey.

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/389/

Denise’s website: http://techandthrive.me/

AI Resources: https://techthrive.me/techai

The Kindness Beacon GPT (requires a paid subscription to ChatGPT4): techthrive.me/kindness

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
• Denise Musselwhite (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/musselwhited/

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 375: How to Use AI to Amplify Your Superpowers and Prepare You to Show Up Anywhere with Stacey Hines
• Episode 313: How to Thrive in the Age of A.I.