Libsyn Directory

180: You Say You Want to be a Thought Leader: What That Really Means & How to Find Your Voice with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz [Finding Your Voice Series]

Speaking Your Brand: Public Speaking Tips and Strategies

Release Date: 07/07/2020

Behind the Scenes of My AI-Powered Business: Real-World Use Cases

Speaking Your Brand: Public Speaking Tips and Strategies

Ever wish you had an extra set of hands - or better yet, an AI assistant - to take care of all those repetitive tasks in your business? In this episode, I’m taking you behind the scenes to share the exact AI-powered workflows I’ve built and now rely on every week at Speaking Your Brand. From automating my podcast production (yes, even these show notes!) to cloning my voice for a brand-new companion podcast, you’ll get a sense at what’s possible - and what's already working. I walk you through real-world examples of how I’m using AI to: Save time with automated content workflows ...

AI Is Already Impacting Your Business – Here are 4 Innovative Ways to Leverage It

Speaking Your Brand: Public Speaking Tips and Strategies

AI isn’t just on the horizon - it’s already here, reshaping how we work, connect, and show up in our businesses, no matter what industry you’re in. In this episode, I share how AI has fundamentally changed how I run Speaking Your Brand, well beyond using tools like ChatGPT (though I use that too!). I walk you through 4 powerful questions, originally posed by Wharton professor Ethan Mollick, that I’ve been reflecting on deeply and that can help you rethink your own services, content, and visibility. You’ll hear: What I used to do in my business that AI now does better (and...

Why Your Tech Presentations Aren’t Landing - and How to Fix Them

Speaking Your Brand: Public Speaking Tips and Strategies

You’ve packed your presentation with data, insights, and value — but your audience isn’t responding the way you hoped. If you’ve ever looked out and seen glazed-over eyes… or walked off stage and didn’t get the results you wanted, this episode is for you. As a former software developer and technology strategist who has presented at countless conferences and meetups, I’ve learned what works — and what doesn’t — when it comes to making technical or detail-heavy presentations land with impact. If you’re in a technical field — technology, software, AI, science, healthcare,...

What Giving a TED-Style Talk Revealed About Us as Speakers

Speaking Your Brand: Public Speaking Tips and Strategies

Have you ever wondered what it really takes to create, practice for, and deliver a powerful TED-style talk - especially one that’s only 8 minutes long? In this episode, I’m joined by Diane Diaz, our lead speaking coach at Speaking Your Brand, as we take you behind the scenes of our recent TED-style speaking experience. We were invited to be part of a live event called ElleX, hosted by a women’s entrepreneurship group at a local college. We had only one week to prepare our full talks for the audition! Diane and I share: How we came up with our topics and aligned them with the...

What Most Speakers Miss: 3 Secrets to Insightful and Inspirational Presentations

Speaking Your Brand: Public Speaking Tips and Strategies

Have you ever walked away from a presentation thinking, “That was… fine,” but not truly moved, inspired, or motivated? Here’s the truth: Most presenters mean well - they want to share valuable information - but they miss what truly makes a talk stick with the audience. In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on a recent presentation I gave at a local AI meetup that got amazing feedback - not because I taught all the things, but because I did these 3 key things instead. You’ll learn: What made this AI-focused talk both insightful and inspiring to a room full of people at all...

From Expert to Thought Leader: 3 Key Strategies You Need Now in the AI Age

Speaking Your Brand: Public Speaking Tips and Strategies

If I take a look at your slide deck or presentation outline and I can’t tell that the content is yours (vs. another speaker on your topic), you’re in danger of being a commodity speaker. Commodity speakers are undifferentiated and interchangeable. It will be harder for you to attract higher-profile speaking engagements, raise your speaking fees, and generate quality leads at your presentations. What you want instead is for your content to position you as a thought leader. You will have a much bigger impact on your audiences and your speaking will be an effective marketing channel and...

The Heart of Your Message: Why Emotion is Your Secret Speaking Superpower

Speaking Your Brand: Public Speaking Tips and Strategies

As speakers and entrepreneurs, we often focus on the facts, data, and tactics we want to share – but what about the emotional connection? In this episode, I talk about the power of finding the emotional heart of your message and why it’s essential for creating talks that resonate deeply with your audience and leave a lasting impact. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why the emotional heart of your message is critical for building trust and connection How mirror neurons make our brains wired for empathy and why that matters in storytelling Examples from popular culture, including Hamilton...

How to Land a TEDx Talk: From Idea to Application

Speaking Your Brand: Public Speaking Tips and Strategies

Have you ever imagined standing on a TEDx stage, spotlight on you, sharing a bold, transformative idea that resonates deeply with your audience? TEDx talks are powerful platforms, not just for delivering information, but for sparking new perspectives, challenging assumptions, and inspiring change. In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on what it takes to land a TEDx talk, based on my experience selecting speakers for TEDx events and coaching clients to develop their big ideas. Whether you’re a seasoned speaker or just starting to find your voice, I’ll guide you through what you...

What a Signature Talk Really Is - and What It Should Be Doing for You

Speaking Your Brand: Public Speaking Tips and Strategies

Have you ever wondered what truly makes a “signature talk”… well, signature? In this solo episode, I’m breaking down what a signature talk actually is (and what it isn’t), why most presentations fall flat, and how you can create a talk that not only connects with your audience — but also works for you as a speaker and thought leader. This episode is especially for you if you’ve ever felt stuck in what I call “the expert trap” - where you think you have to cram in as much information and training as possible in order to provide value. (Spoiler alert: that’s not how...

Want to Feel More Confident on Stage? Start Here.

Speaking Your Brand: Public Speaking Tips and Strategies

I’ve been there. Heart pounding, mouth dry, butterflies swirling - even after years of speaking on stages and on live TV. In this episode, I share some of my hardest speaking moments (including my worst ever speaking experience) and the surprising reasons we feel nervous before we speak, even when we know our stuff inside and out. You’ll learn: The 3 big reasons we get nervous (it’s not just about being unprepared!) How our physiology plays a bigger role than we realize — and how to work with it, not against it What to do in advance to reduce anxiety and boost confidence ...

More Episodes

Have you struggled to figure out what to say, whether it's on a social media post or in a presentation?

Have you stopped yourself from sharing something because you weren't sure what the reaction would be?

Do you feel like there's something deeper, more meaningful, more impactful you want to say, but you haven't quite been able to tease it out?

Do you feel stuck in your business and marketing and haven't been able to break through the online noise?

As business owners, we're used to being marketers: crafting a message that appeals to a customer market to help them where they're at and where they see *they* want to go.

Being a thought leader is different: it requires you to push your audience (and yourself) to go somewhere new.

This can feel scary and it's normal to have fears come up: fear of criticism, rejection, ostracism (we're human, after all).

But, the rewards are well worth it!

In this episode, you’ll learn:

The differences between being a business owner, a marketer, and a thought leader
Why it’s hard to speak up and say what we want to say - and techniques to change this
5 questions to ask yourself to find your voice
3 things you can do now to start putting it into practice
Examples to inspire you

This episode is the audio from the recent webinar we did.

Watch the video recording with the slides at https://www.crowdcast.io/e/syb-find-your-voice.

This episode is the second in our podcast series on “Finding Your Voice.”

Need help to find your voice and put together a powerful message? Work with us to create your signature talk, which you can use for presentations, webinars, workshops, marketing materials, and more. Get the details and pricing and apply online at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/coaching/.

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox, joined in this episode by our top speaking coach Diane Diaz. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals create their signature talks and gain more visibility to achieve their goals. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power: on stages, in businesses, on boards, in the media, in politics, and in our communities. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/180

View the video of our webinar at https://www.crowdcast.io/e/syb-find-your-voice.

Connect on LinkedIn:

Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz

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