Confident Speaker: Build Your Public Speaking Confidence and Platform

AI Carol: 00:00

Welcome to the Confidence Speaker Podcast by Speaking Your Brand. This is your host, AI Carol. Have you ever sat down to write or speak about your business and felt like something was missing? Like your words don't quite capture what you really care about or why you do what you do. You've got the skills, you've got the experience.

AI Carol: 00:18

But what's your message? That's what we're talking about today. How do you figure out your unique thought leadership message? Let me start with this. Your thought leadership is not just a fancier way of talking about your business.

AI Carol: 00:32

It's the bigger why behind your work. The change you want to see in your industry, in your community, even in the world. It's what you want to be known for beyond the services you offer or the products you sell. I'll give you an example. Years ago, when I started speaking your brand, I knew I wanted to help women with public speaking.

AI Carol: 00:52

I could have stopped there, given presentation tips, talked about stage fright, all that, but something deeper kept pulling at me. Why did it matter so much that women were speaking on stages? Why was I so passionate about helping women use their voice? Because I saw that public speaking is essential to advancing women's leadership and visibility. That became the root of my thought leadership message that public speaking is a catalyst for gender equity and social change.

AI Carol: 01:20

So how do you find your unique message? Here are three things to reflect on. One, what ticks you off or lights you up in your industry? Maybe there's something you see that's broken, overlooked or simply outdated. Start there.

AI Carol: 01:34

What's the conversation you feel hasn't been had yet? The thing you say to your close colleagues, but haven't shared publicly? That's a clue. Your thought leadership lives where your expertise and your emotion intersect. Two, what has your personal journey taught you?

AI Carol: 01:50

Thought leadership isn't just about your credentials, it's about your lived experience. What's a moment that reshaped how you see your work or the people you help? Maybe you burned out in a former career and now advocate for sustainable success, or maybe you felt like an outlier in rooms full of experts. And now you champion inclusive leadership. That story, that journey is part of your message.

AI Carol: 02:13

Three, what do you want people to say you helped them see differently? This is my favorite question. What shift in mindset, behavior or awareness would make you think, yes, that's why I do what I do. Your message doesn't have to be revolutionary. It has to be clear, authentic, and rooted in what matters most to you.

AI Carol: 02:31

Because when it is, everything else becomes easier. Your content has more depth. Your presentations are more powerful. And clients, podcast hosts, and decision makers start to say, I want her voice in the room. Here's your invitation today.

AI Carol: 02:46

Think about that thing you've been hesitant to say out loud because it feels too bold, too different, or too personal. That may be exactly where your thought leadership lives. You have a message that's meant to move people. Let's start sharing it. For ways to work with us, including how we help you develop your message and signature talk, head over to speakingyourbrand.com.

AI Carol: 03:07

And if you found this helpful, make sure to follow the Confident Speaker podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don't miss upcoming episodes. This on demand episode was generated by my AI voice clone trained on speaking your brand content. Thanks for listening.