Speaking Your Brand: Public Speaking Tips and Strategies

Carol Cox
  • 4.8 (125)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

It's time to escape the expert trap and become an in-demand speaker and thought leader through compelling and memorable business presentations, keynotes, workshops, and TEDx talks. If you want to level up your public speaking to get more and better, including paid, speaking engagements, you've come to the right place! Thousands of entrepreneurs and leaders have learned from Speaking Your Brand and now you can too through our episodes that will help you with storytelling, audience engagement, building confidence, handling nerves, pitching to speak, getting paid, and more. Hosted by Carol Cox, entrepreneur, speaker, and TV political analyst. This is your place to learn how to persuasively communicate your message to your audience.

  1. 1d ago

    What Are Event Organizers Actually Paying You For?

    When someone hires you to speak, what are they actually buying?  Your expertise is part of it. But the person planning the event also needs your talk to accomplish something for the people in the room. How clearly can you explain what that something is? In this final episode of our Bookable Speaker series, I’m talking about what makes your talk worth the investment I take you behind the scenes of a presentation I gave at MAICON, where I had plenty of useful AI examples and a slide deck that still felt flat. I also share how my client Danielle Hayden found the idea underneath her bookkeeping expertise and changed the focus of her talk. Thought leadership can help you make a stronger case for your speaking fee. It takes a perspective you’ve developed through your work, stories that help people understand it, and a way for the audience to apply it. In this episode, you’ll learn: 4 things event organizers buy when they hire a speakerWhy celebrity speaking fees aren’t a useful comparison for most of usHow I caught myself in the expert trap while preparing my MAICON presentationWhat changed when Danielle built her talk around an observation from her client workHow one signature talk can support keynotes, workshops, and lead generationQuestions to ask an organizer about the people attending your sessionA sentence to finish before you add another slide About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. 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 is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/495/  Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/ Enroll in our online Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/  Attend our in-person speaking retreat in Orlando: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/live/  Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox “Speaker Industrial Complex” Report: https://gatheringarchitecture.com/papers/speaker-industrial-complex  Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 342: I Almost Got Stuck in the Expert Trap: How I Created My Recent Successful Conference PresentationEpisode 362: Integrating Thought Leadership and Lead Generation in Your Signature Talk with Danielle HaydenEpisode 486: Stop Creating Every Presentation from Scratch: Build One Talk You Can Adapt for Any Audience

  2. Oct 19

    How to Get AI Chatbots to Recommend You as a Speaker

    How would it feel to get an inquiry from someone who wants to pay you $5,000, $10,000, or even $20,000 for a speaking engagement or workshop? And even better, they found you through an AI chatbot. It’s happened to me, and it’s happened to our clients. Here at Speaking Your Brand, about half of our leads now come from AI chatbots and Google. On consultation calls, people tell me, “Claude told me you were the best,” or “ChatGPT said you were the top recommendation for what I needed.” These are high-quality leads who come into the conversation already trusting the recommendation. In this episode of our Bookable Speaker series, I’m sharing how to help AI chatbots understand you, your brand, and your topics so they can recommend you.  Earlier this year, I created an entire course on AI SEO for the university where I teach. I did a lot of research and experimenting (the former software developer in me loved this), and I’m giving you the practical highlights. We’ll cover three things you can work on: assessing where you are now, becoming the answer to the questions your potential clients and event organizers are asking, and publishing content that supports what you want to be known for. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to find out whether AI chatbots are already sending people your way.Why a clear, consistent message matters for getting recommended.What to include on your speaker page.How a conversational audit can reveal questions your website needs to answer.The role of your signature framework and what makes your work distinctive.Ways to turn newsletters, articles, and podcast transcripts into website content.About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. 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 is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/494/  Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/ Enroll in our online Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/  Attend our in-person speaking retreat in Orlando: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/live/  Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Tool to query chatbots: AnswerThePublic.com My speaker page: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/about/carol-cox/speaking/  Example blog post formatted for AI SEO: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/what-is-a-signature-talk-framework/  Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 492: How to Get Your Next Speaking Engagements: The Bookable Speaker Checklist Episode 493: Social Media for Speakers - What We Do and Advice We IgnoreBooked Without Burnout series

  3. Oct 12

    Social Media for Speakers - What We Do and Advice We Ignore

    Get ready for some real opinions on how effective (or not) social media is for you as a speaker. After all, if a post gets thousands of views but none of the right people see what you speak about, what did those views do for your speaking business? I'm joined by Speaking Your Brand coaches Diane Diaz and Erin Mark for a conversation about social media for speakers, as part of our Bookable Speaker series.  We have very different relationships with it. Erin enjoys making Instagram Reels. Diane and I spend most of our social media time on LinkedIn, and I stopped posting on Instagram years ago.  Yet we agree on the question worth asking: Can an event organizer find you, understand your message, and picture you speaking to their audience? We talk about the LinkedIn profile details that matter, why Erin doesn't send a sales pitch with a connection request, and what happened when an organizer contacted me through my mostly dormant Instagram account. We also get honest about posting frequency and the temptation to chase views. You’ll hear: Why follower counts and viral views can be misleading measures for speakersWhat to put in your LinkedIn headline and About sectionHow Erin starts conversations with potential partners and buyersWhy photos from actual speaking engagements are useful contentHow to choose a posting rhythm you can maintain and check whether it's helping About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. 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 is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/493/  Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/ Enroll in our online Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/  Attend our in-person speaking retreat in Orlando: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/live/  Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcoxDiane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz/ Erin Mark = https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinmark/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 492: How to Get Your Next Speaking Engagements: The Bookable Speaker Checklist Booked Without Burnout series

  4. Oct 5

    How to Get Your Next Speaking Engagements: The Bookable Speaker Checklist

    If you've been sending speaker proposals and hearing nothing back, look at three things: relevance, reach, and relationships.  Does the organizer understand why your talk fits their audience? Can they see evidence of you speaking? And do people in your network know what you speak about well enough to recommend you? Those are the three R's we're covering in this first episode of our Bookable Speaker podcast series. I’m joined by Speaking Your Brand coaches Diane Diaz and Erin Mark to talk about what each one looks like in practice and specific things you can do today to get your next speaking engagements on the calendar. Get our free Bookable Speaker Checklist at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/checklist/ You’ll learn: The three R's of being a bookable speaker: relevance, reach, and relationshipsHow to adapt your positioning to an event without creating a new talk every timeQuestions to ask an event organizer before you send a proposalWhy video of you speaking has become more useful to buyers, and how to capture it on a budgetWhat to ask for in your speaker contract when an event is being filmedHow warm introductions, other speakers, and small local talks can lead to more opportunitiesAbout Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. 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 is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/492/  Download our free Bookable Speaker Checklist at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/checklist/ Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/ Enroll in our online Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/  Attend our in-person speaking retreat in Orlando: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/live/  Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcoxDiane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz/ Erin Mark = https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinmark/  Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 486: Stop Creating Every Presentation from Scratch: Build One Talk You Can Adapt for Any AudienceEpisode 483: How an I.D.E.A., Not a Topic, Makes You Easier to Refer, Pitch, and Book with Carol CoxBooked Without Burnout series

  5. Sep 28

    Making Universal Topics Relatable: Live Signature Talks from Our Thought Leader Academy Grads

    How do you speak about something as big as love, money, or the meaning of life without letting it become abstract or overwhelming? You make it personal. In this Back Stage with Speaking Your Brand live show, you’ll hear three of our recent Thought Leader Academy grads, Beth DeAngelis, Vanessa Dean, and Kelsey Faye, as they each deliver a 10-minute version of the signature talk they developed in the program. Their talks explore some of life’s biggest subjects: Beth DeAngelis explores love and human connection as essential leadership skills.Vanessa Dean turns financial behavior into something deeply human through candid stories about ADHD, money, and the gap between knowing what to do and doing it consistently.Kelsey Faye draws from her stories to explore meaning, faith, and the search for purpose.You’ll hear how they: Use one specific personal experience as the doorway into a universal topicMove from “this happened to me” to “this means something for all of us”Make an abstract idea tangible through stories, metaphors, and frameworksShare vulnerability in service of a clear thought leadership messageHelp audience members recognize themselves in a story that isn’t their ownWe also have a roundtable conversation about what Beth, Vanessa, and Kelsey have learned while developing their talks and what’s next for them as speakers and thought leaders. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. 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 is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/491/  Watch the video at https://youtube.com/live/mchMlKWq3zM Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/ Apply for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/  Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcoxBeth DeAngelis = https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethdeangelis/ Vanessa Dean = https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-dean-adhd-money-coach/ Kelsey Faye = https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelsey-faye-246347344/ and instagram.com/the.cathedral.within Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 355: What a Signature Talk Is and What It Should be Doing for You

  6. Sep 21

    Making the Invisible Visible: Live Signature Talks from Our Thought Leader Academy Grads

    How do you turn an overlooked pattern or experience into a thought leadership message that changes how your audience sees themselves and the world around them? One of the most powerful things a speaker can do is make the invisible visible. In this Back Stage with Speaking Your Brand live show, our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz hosts three of our recent Thought Leader Academy grads, Stephanie Warner, Noa Stisin, and Carolyn Clow, as they each deliver a 10-minute version of the signature talk they developed in the program. Each speaker makes an invisible influence visible: Stephanie reveals how our sensory environments quietly shape our energy, capacity, and leadership.Noa explores how a parent’s internal state and inherited patterns shape what happens in difficult moments with a child.Carolyn shows how the often-overlooked practice of self-leadership affects our ability to lead others. You’ll hear how they: Bring an overlooked problem or pattern into viewUse stories to make an unseen experience recognizableGive audiences language for something they may have felt but couldn’t nameTurn an abstract insight into a memorable frameworkOffer a practical next step audiences can use in their own lives We also have a roundtable conversation about what Stephanie, Noa, and Carolyn have learned while developing their talks and what’s next for them as speakers and thought leaders. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. 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 is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/490/  Watch the video at https://www.youtube.com/live/ZWHCwywBH1Q?si=U6QsPCGhG4EqTEc- Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/ Apply for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/  Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcoxDiane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediazStephanie Warner = https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-warner-tcp/ Noa Stisin = https://www.linkedin.com/in/noastisin/ Carolyn Clow = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynaclow/  Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 355: What a Signature Talk Is and What It Should be Doing for You

  7. Sep 14

    Signature Stage Segments: What They Are and Why You Need Them as a Speaker

    If you want more speaking invitations, it’s tempting to think the answer is more pitching, more social posts, and more cold outreach.  But event organizers are receiving more speaker submissions than ever. Being one more qualified person in the pile isn’t enough.  You need parts of your talk that people can remember, describe, and refer. I call these Signature Stage Segments: intentionally crafted moments that bring together storytelling, humor, audience interaction, props or costumes, and quotable lines. They make the talk more engaging for the audience and give you the kind of video that actually shows an event organizer what you can do on stage. In this episode, I share examples from our clients and our own talks.  You’ll hear how a lion at a watering hole, a round of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” a game show, a medical mask, and a pair of human-versus-AI paddles all became memorable stage moments. And we’ll talk about the part many speakers still hold back. In this episode, you’ll learn: What a Signature Stage Segment is and why it helps you get booked and referredThe five elements that make stage moments memorableHow to use our I.D.E.A.L. Storytelling Ingredients to turn something that happened into an actual storyHow simple props can make an abstract idea visibleWhy quotable lines belong in both your talk and your speaker reelThe thing many speakers are afraid to bring to the stage and why it matters About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. 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 is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/489/  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/  Attend our in-person speaking retreat in Orlando: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/live/  Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 488: They Took the Stage at Our Speaking Retreat. What Happened Next?Episode 462: Speaking Strategies That Create Lasting Impact: Live Signature Talks from TLA GradsEpisode 422: How to Create a 10-Out-of-10 Keynote that Leaves Your Audience in Awe with Julia Korn [Client Case Study]Episode 345: Elevate Your Audience Engagement Skills with These Proven Strategies with Katie Anderson [Client Case Study]Episode 467: Making the Shift from Performer to Keynote Speaker with Andy Nunn

  8. Sep 7

    They Took the Stage at Our Speaking Retreat. What Happened Next?

    What stays with you after a speaking retreat - once the filming is over, the notes are back in your hands, and you're home again? We could tell you what happens at one of our in-person speaking retreats and workshops.  Instead, our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz sits down with three women who experienced it: scientist and registered dietitian Dr. Karen Corbin, physician and health equity consultant Dr. Nicole Rochester, and emotional freedom and forgiveness coach Brenda Reiss.  They talk candidly about having to practice without their notes, watching themselves on video, learning to use stories and props, and getting immediate feedback from a room full of women who wanted them to succeed. What I love most about this conversation is what happened next.  Nicole changed how she delivers talks and brought a much more personal story to a medical conference.  Brenda learned to trust herself and let more of the real person behind her expertise come through.  Karen became even more committed to helping scientists use story and personality to become trusted voices.  Their experiences are different, but the thread is the same: when you stop trying to get every word right, you create more room for the audience to connect with you. You can watch the video at https://www.youtube.com/live/rmXYSCCoz-A. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. 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 is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/488/  Watch the video at https://www.youtube.com/live/rmXYSCCoz-A Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/ Learn about our in-person speaking retreat: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/live/  Learn about our online Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/  Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcoxDiane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediazNicole Rochester = https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-rochester-md/ Karen Corbin = https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-corbin-phd-rd-75229111/ Brenda Reiss = https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendareiss/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 411: Reframing Public Speaking: From Elite Skill to Everyday Power with Dr. Karen CorbinEpisode 329: From Compelled to Take Action to TEDx Speaker with Dr. Nicole RochesterEpisode 347: The Power of REAL Practice to Transform Yourself as a SpeakerEpisode 385: Leading with Story in Your Talks [Roundtable]

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4.8
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About

It's time to escape the expert trap and become an in-demand speaker and thought leader through compelling and memorable business presentations, keynotes, workshops, and TEDx talks. If you want to level up your public speaking to get more and better, including paid, speaking engagements, you've come to the right place! Thousands of entrepreneurs and leaders have learned from Speaking Your Brand and now you can too through our episodes that will help you with storytelling, audience engagement, building confidence, handling nerves, pitching to speak, getting paid, and more. Hosted by Carol Cox, entrepreneur, speaker, and TV political analyst. This is your place to learn how to persuasively communicate your message to your audience.

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