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. 6d ago

    Get Hired, Get Referred, Get Clients: The Relationship Side of Speaking with Nikki Rausch

    What if the most important sales moments connected to your speaking engagement happen before you step on stage and in the first few minutes after you step off? My guest, sales strategist Nikki Rausch, has been my go-to coach for sales language, proposals, pricing, consultation calls, and follow-up for years.  In this conversation, we walk through the entire speaking engagement from the first inquiry to the conversations that happen after your talk.  Nikki explains how to make yourself easy for an event organizer to hire, plant sales seeds without turning your presentation into a pitch, and recognize when an audience member is giving you a buying signal. We also chat about why your job as the speaker begins long before your scheduled presentation time.  In this episode, Nikki and I talk about: Why you should answer an event organizer’s question before asking for a callHow to state your speaker fee clearly and keep the conversation openNikki’s “rapport bank account” and why your presence matters before you reach the stageThe difference between planting sales seeds and selling from the stageHow to use client stories and Q&A responses to show people how you helpWhat a buying signal sounds like after a presentationHow to invite someone to buy or schedule a call while her interest is still high About Our Guest: Nikki Rausch is a sales strategist, speaker, and founder of Sales Maven. With more than 25 years of sales experience and over a decade as a business owner, she teaches service-based entrepreneurs how to have confident sales conversations that lead to yeses, without feeling pushy or fake. As a Master Certified Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Nikki focuses on the language and communication behind selling. Her approach is rooted in building rapport, recognizing buying signals, and guiding conversations in a way that feels natural for both you and the client. She is the author of three books, including The Selling Staircase, and host of the Sales Maven Podcast, ranked in the top 1% globally. Through her coaching, programs, and speaking, Nikki supports women entrepreneurs in turning sales into a skill they can rely on, so they can grow their business with clarity and confidence. 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/485/  Nikki’s website: https://yoursalesmaven.com/  Get Nikki’s free gift Follow-Up Made Easy Guide: https://yoursalesmaven.com/easyfollowup  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/  Learn about our Orlando speaking retreat: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/live/  Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcoxNikki Rausch (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkirausch/  Related Podcast Episodes: Carol’s episode on Nikki’s Sales Maven podcast: https://yoursalesmaven.com/blog/integrating-both-thought-leadership-and-lead-generation-into-one-talk/Episode 133: Authentic Selling at Your Speaking Engagements with Nikki RauschEpisode 34: Relationship Selling with Nikki RauschEpisode 483: How an I.D.E.A., Not a Topic, Makes You Easier to Refer, Pitch, and Book with Carol Cox

  2. Aug 10

    Executive Presence Starts with Clarity, Not Confidence with Mary E. Maloney

    When you hear “executive presence,” do you picture someone walking into a boardroom looking polished, confident, and completely certain of what to say? My guest, Mary E. Maloney, sees it differently.  Executive presence matters most when you’re in the middle of a high-stakes identity shift, such as after a promotion, a career change, the sale of a business, a retirement, or an unexpected ending.  Mary calls that in-between space the Keystone Gap: your old identity no longer fits, but the new one hasn’t fully locked into place. In this conversation, Mary explains why the real issue in that gap usually isn’t a lack of confidence. It’s a lack of clarity.  Mary shares her Five C’s of Identity Shift, the year she struggled to explain who she was without her CEO title, and the boss who pushed her onto a stage before she believed she was ready. In this episode, Mary and I talk about: What executive presence means during a high-stakes transitionWhy identity is the hidden architecture beneath career and leadership changesThe Keystone Gap between releasing an old identity and building a new oneWhy rushing through an identity shift can make the transition harderMary’s Five C’s of Identity ShiftThe difference between needing more confidence and needing more clarityHow purpose, impact, and your standards for showing up strengthen executive presenceWhat Mary learned after selling her company and taking a year awayHow a reluctant first speech changed the trajectory of her careerWhy authentic stories and knowing your audience matter on stage About Our Guest: Mary E. Maloney, FACHE, is a former CEO/CMO turned Master Facilitator who guides senior leaders through high-stakes transitions, helping them clarify and articulate the identity, purpose, and value that will define their next act. Through her signature two-call Brand Declaration® process, she helps leaders sift through decades of experience to name the recurring themes of their value in minutes rather than months. She works with C-suite executives, physician leaders, military officers, founders, and board-level talent through online courses, mastermind cohorts, and 1:1 inplacement/outplacement executive advisory work, and facilitates leadership and strategy retreats for enterprise teams navigating complex change. 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/484/  Mary’s website: https://revealinggenius.com/  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/carolcoxMary E. Maloney (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryemaloney123/  Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 483: How an I.D.E.A., Not a Topic, Makes You Easier to Refer, Pitch, and BookEpisode 288: A Framework for Creating a Signature Talk for Income and ImpactSpeak with Confidence series

  3. Aug 3

    How an I.D.E.A., Not a Topic, Makes You Easier to Refer, Pitch, and Book

    When someone asks what you speak about, do you give them one clear answer - or a list that includes a bunch of keywords like leadership, communication, resilience, confidence, and change? I understand the temptation to include everything.  When you’ve had a long career, narrowing your message can feel like leaving out valuable parts of your experience.  But if the person you’re talking with can’t explain what you speak about after the conversation is over, she can’t refer you. And that means you’re less likely to get booked. In this episode, you’ll learn: The difference between a broad subject, a presentation topic, and a distinctive ideaWhy your speaking topic is also a positioning decisionThe one-sentence referral test every speaker should tryHow broad positioning costs you opportunities you may never know you lostThree questions that can uncover the point of view inside your experienceHow to test your message with my I.D.E.A. FrameworkWhat event organizers need to understand before they can picture you in the roomA practical sentence prompt for clarifying your audience, claim, and outcome 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/483/  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 with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Related Podcast Episodes: Episodes 478-481: Expert Trap SeriesEpisode 468: What TEDx Organizers Look for When Selecting Speakers

  4. Jul 27

    What Makes a Talk Worth Hearing? Hint: Are You Curious?

    AI can give you an answer. But it can’t be genuinely curious about you. In this episode, I’m joined by our lead speaking coach, Diane Diaz, to explore why curiosity is essential for developing a compelling thought leadership message and signature talk, especially in an age when AI can quickly produce polished but often predictable content. Diane shares a powerful analogy about browsing library stacks: You may begin by looking for one book, only to discover an unexpected idea on the shelf beside it. That kind of exploration and serendipity is often where your most original insights come from. We also talk about why being too close to your expertise can make it difficult to recognize what is most interesting about your ideas and experiences - and why the right questions from another human can uncover connections and stories you would never find through a fill-in-the-blank formula. Diane and I discuss: How relying too heavily on AI can weaken our curiosityWhy constraints can help you create a stronger talk more quicklyThe questions that uncover your most compelling ideas and storiesWhy your curiosity about your audience matters as much as your expertiseHow curiosity contributes to originality, personal connection, and even humorYour audience doesn’t need more information. They want a reason to become curious about your idea and about you. 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/482/  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/carolcoxDiane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz/  Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 481: Expertise Alone Doesn’t Get You Booked as a Speaker - Here's What DoesEpisode 479: 3 Ways AI Can Hurt Your Public Speaking, and 3 Ways It Can Help

  5. Jul 20

    Expertise Alone Doesn’t Get You Booked as a Speaker - Here's What Does

    If people leave your talk thinking, “She really knows her stuff,” that feels good. But it doesn’t necessarily make you memorable, referable, or bookable. In this fourth and final episode of my Expert Trap series, I’m looking at three things you may be saying yes to (more content, neutrality, and the wrong room) and the identity questions underneath each one. I’ve done all three, and I still have to watch for them in my own presentations. You’ll hear why your audience doesn’t need everything you know, how a clear point of view helps your ideas travel, and how to choose speaking opportunities that make your thought leadership stronger instead of more generic.  I’ll also give you one practical exercise you can use right away: replacing one proof sentence with one belief sentence. In this episode, you’ll learn: How too much content can become a way to prove you belongWhy staying neutral can make your message harder to rememberHow to know when a speaking opportunity is the wrong roomThe identity shift from expert to thought leaderWhy expertise builds trust, but your point of view makes you referable and bookableThe difference between a proof sentence and a belief sentence 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/481/  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 with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Related Podcast Episodes: Episodes 478-481: Expert Trap SeriesEpisode 463: The Connection Formula of Expertise + Story: Live Signature Talks from Thought Leader Academy GradsEpisode 458: Same Message, Different Medium: Why Your Talk Isn’t Landing (and How to Fix It)

  6. Jul 13

    From Workshop Leader to National Conference Speaker: Corrin McCloskey’s Thought Leadership Journey

    If you love facilitating workshops and trainings, but you know there’s something more you want to say, this episode is for you. My guest is Corrin McCloskey, a healthcare executive, speaker, writer, and facilitator who has made the leap from being a fabulous facilitator into a true thought leader.  Corrin joined us in Thought Leader Academy in January 2025, and in the year and a half since then, she has spoken at multiple national conferences, published writing in her field, and continued building momentum around her message: healthcare needs more human-centered, connected, and courageous leadership. This conversation is part of our Expert Trap series because Corrin’s story is such a powerful example of what happens when you move beyond simply teaching helpful content and start naming what’s missing in the conversation. We talk about: How Corrin shifted from facilitating strategic planning and leadership workshops to speaking on bigger stagesWhy thought leadership is less about having all the answers and more about sharing a clear perspectiveThe role of writing in expanding your ideas beyond a single talkHow to keep putting your work out there, even when it doesn’t feel perfectWhat Corrin learned from both deeply affirming audience feedback and a painful experience of harassment after a speaking engagementWhy having a support system matters when you’re using your voice more publicly What I love about Corrin’s journey is that she didn’t abandon facilitation. She built on it. She took the skills she already had, added her lived experience and perspective, and stepped into a bigger conversation. That’s the real invitation of thought leadership: to stop hiding behind expertise alone and start using your voice for the change you want to see. About Our Guest: Corrin McCloskey is a healthcare executive, executive coach, and national speaker focused on leadership, culture, and change management in healthcare. She serves as Vice President of Heart & Vascular and Oncology Services at Tanner Health, where she leads strategy, growth, and service line development. Passionate about helping leaders build trust and navigate complexity, Corrin frequently speaks on physician leadership, organizational culture, and leading change in healthcare. Over the past year, she has expanded her national speaking presence and contributed thought leadership focused on creating healthier, more sustainable healthcare systems. 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/480/  Corrin’s website: https://corrinmccloskey.com/  Watch Corrin deliver her signature talk on our live show: https://www.youtube.com/live/rhDAdGR44-g?si=MulG_sPQ0-MmpLK4  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/carolcoxCorrin McCloskey (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/corrinmccloskey/  Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 478: The Expert Trap: Why Great Speakers Don't Become Thought LeadersEpisode 391: Claiming Your Identity as a Speaker and Thought Leader

  7. Jul 6

    3 Ways AI Can Hurt Your Public Speaking, and 3 Ways It Can Help

    I love using AI, and I use it almost every day. But when it comes to thought leadership, talks, and presentations, I’ve also seen how easy it is for AI to pull us into a new version of the Expert Trap. In this episode, I’m sharing three things to be careful about when using AI for your talks, from my own recent experiences with clients, including why it can miss the deeper signal in your message, strip away your natural personality, and leave you with endless unfinished ideas that never become anything concrete. I also share three smart ways I do recommend using AI: creating stronger slide graphics, brainstorming audience activities for workshops, and analyzing call-for-speakers pages so you can find a stronger pitch angle. My goal isn’t to talk you out of using AI. It’s to help you use it in a way that supports your voice, your ideas, and your real thought leadership instead of replacing the very things that make you compelling. You'll learn: Why AI can keep you stuck in the Expert TrapThe difference between AI “polish” and your real voiceWhy your personality matters so much in a talkHow too many AI-generated ideas can create more unfinished projectsThree ways I recommend using AI for presentationsWhy I no longer recommend using AI to draft TEDx or speaker submissionsHow to make your human credibility markers stand out in your speaking proposals 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/479/  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 with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 468: What TEDx Organizers Look for When Selecting SpeakersEpisode 478: The Expert Trap: Why Great Speakers Don't Become Thought LeadersEpisode 477: What AI Couldn't Do: Finding the Perfect Name for My BookEpisode 432: AI Is Already Impacting Your Business – Here are 4 Innovative Ways to Leverage ItEpisode 433: Behind the Scenes of My AI-Powered Business: Real-World Use Cases

  8. Jun 29

    The Expert Trap: Why Great Speakers Don't Become Thought Leaders

    Have you ever given a talk that people loved in the moment but nothing happened afterward? The audience took notes. They told you how valuable your presentation was. But you didn't get the next speaking invitation, new clients, or bigger opportunities. In this episode, I explain what I call the Expert Trap: the place where expertise becomes the very thing holding you back from becoming a thought leader. I share the three signs that you may be stuck in the Expert Trap, why helpful talks aren't always memorable, and what separates speakers who simply educate from those whose ideas truly travel. If you've been wondering why your speaking isn't creating the impact you know it's capable of, this episode will help you see your talks through a new lens. In this episode you'll learn: The three signs you're stuck in the Expert TrapWhy audiences remember perspectives more than informationHow thought leaders help people see themselves differently, not just learn something newWhat your expertise may be costing you without you realizing it 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/478/  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 with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 362: Integrating Thought Leadership and Lead Generation in Your Signature Talk with Danielle HaydenEpisode 354: Finding and Developing Your Big I.D.E.A.Episode 338: Escaping the Expert Trap: From Academic Presenter to Sought-After Speaker with Teri DeLucca, PhDEpisode 342: I Almost Got Stuck in the Expert Trap: How I Created My Recent Successful Conference PresentationEpisode 458: Same Message, Different Medium: Why Your Talk Isn’t Landing (and How to Fix It)

See All (512)

4.8
out of 5
125 Ratings

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.

Information

You Might Also Like