Concerned your umms and ahhs are undermining your credibility?

In this week’s episode I’m answering a listener question about training yourself OUT OF saying ‘ummmm’ and ‘ahhhh’, and also providing my thoughts on whether umms and ahhs are really as bad as we think.

Listen in to hear:

• Why you might want to ‘chill out’ when it comes to your use of umms and ahhs

• How silence, and ‘speaking to your full stops’ can be a useful way to stop using filler words

• Some alternative filler words or phrases that will engage your audience and give your mind time to ‘catch up’

• My controversial take on another key question that some speaking coaches says undermines your credibility

• Why being on message is more important than any umm or ahh you might use

Want my full lesson on how to stop umming and ahhhing? Visit -

Want to ask a question for a future podcast - connect with me on LinkedIn or Instagram here.

Join my Impact Club for high touch support, guidance, coaching and community for humble leaders.

‘How much of yourself do you share?’ and ‘how to make a speech engaging’ are the questions I’m answering in this week’s episode.

Storytelling, particularly lived experience storytelling, is easily THE BEST way to make your speeches engaging. But how personal is too personal, how much of yourself do you share?

Listen in to hear:

• How to balance the line between misery porn or self-indulgence, and stories that inspire and empower

• Why framing your stories through the lens of the audience is incredibly important

• How to tell your stories to take your listeners on an emotional journey that leaves them ready to take desired action (rather than leaving them a broken, helpless mess)

• How to manage that doubt of ‘do people really want to hear my stories?’

• Where to find other lived experience stories

Join my IMPACT CLUB if you’re an impact-minded humble leader, looking for support on messaging, strategy and mindset as you work to make your dent in the universe, in your way.

For more on how to showcase your talents in your lived experience stories, listen to episode 140.

And for that episode on misery porn (thank goodness it exists!), check out episode 60, Authenticity, Misery Porn and Stories of Happiness.

Ever rocked up to speak at an event, expecting a lectern, or a certain kind of microphone, and the set-up was NOT as you expected?

Or you were forced to use a headset mic that just felt weird, or a lapel mic that kept slipping?

Well, in today’s episode I’m talking about how to manage just these situations!

Listen in to hear:

• The pros and cons of using a lectern

• What you want to consider if you choose NOT to use a lectern

• How to ‘show up’ if you are using a lectern, particularly if you’re ‘vertically-challenged’

• The different kind of microphones and how to prepare not just your presentation but your outfits so they work on the day

• How to prepare for your stage WELL ahead of presentation day!

Join my IMPACT CLUB if you’re an impact-minded humble leader, looking for support on messaging, strategy and mindset as you work to make your dent in the universe, in your way. Get all the details here.

Want to know how to pitch to speak at a TEDx talk?

Listen up, because that’s the exact question I’m answering today.

A listener has set herself a challenge of speaking at a TEDx event and wants to know how to pitch her talk.

Listen in to hear:

• Whether a TEDx event is the right platform for you

• If it is, how to pitch yourself

• How TEDx speaker selection really happens, and what you need to do to be noticed

• Other events that might serve your purposes better

• How to pitch for them

Links mentioned in this episode:

The Impact Club - where thoughtful business owners, community leaders and corporate hippies are supported to make their dent in the universe, in their way.

Why I don’t like TED talks - episode 3.

How to find stages to speak on - episode 51.

How to pitch yourself for speaking opportunities - episode 135.

Are you hiding, or not speaking up, because you’re concerned people might disagree with you?

Well, chances are, someone will! After all, if they already agreed with you, you wouldn’t need to say what you have to say, right?

So in this episode I’m sharing some techniques to manage disagreements and conflict.

Listen in to hear:

• Why disagreements are not as bad as you think

• How conflict is NOT tied to your professional value, though, how you manage it could very well increase your professional reputation

• How to pace out objections to dissipate conflict before it happens

• How to use agreements frames to manage and acknowledge differing opinions as they arise

• Why getting comfortable with conflict is a really powerful skill to have if you want to influence change

Book NOW for the Goldilocks effect.

Ask me a question here and I’ll answer in an upcoming episode.

Listen to episode 97 - Building the confidence to NOT be liked, a fabulous interview with Kate Toon.

Ever feel like you’re tired of the sound of your own voice? Or the sound of your message? But you’re still not making the impact you want?

Yep, I get it.

Influence and making a difference is an endurance sport, so in this episode I’m sharing my top 3 ways to have making long term impact feel easier.

Listen in to hear:

• How you can plan out your long term influence using the same techniques you might use for a presentation

• How I influenced elected officials and other stakeholders through the smallest of conversations

• Why connecting your personal elevator pitch and ‘what you do’ stories to your long term impact outcomes can be a powerful way to weave your message in everything you do

• How to shift from feeling like your nagging your teenagers to being powerful and impactful in your messaging

• Why patience and self-compassion is required, in spades, to make long term impact

Book NOW for the Goldilocks effect.

Ask me a question here and I’ll answer in an upcoming episode.

Episode 140 - How to showcase your talents (and make long term influence) with the storytelling canvas.

How do you recover a presentation where your slides don’t work, you’re not feeling great, and when you see audience members sleeping during your presentation?

Well, that’s exactly the scenario Lauren experienced recently, and so I’m providing some guidance and answers to help her feel a little better about the whole thing … and what to do if it ever happens again.

Listen in to hear:

• How to hack your preparation if you’ve been unwell or just don’t have time to prepare

• My hot tips for slides that work that I’ve learned the hard way after years and years of tech hiccups

• How to wake up sleepy audience members - really - without sounding like a cranky school teacher

• Engagement techniques to beat the post-lunch, post-conference-drinks slump

Book NOW for the Goldilocks effect.

Ask me a question and I’ll answer in an upcoming episode.

Other episodes mentioned

Episode 164 - How to Engage Your Audience

And

Episode 74 - the powerful frame your thinking method (how to write your speaking notes)

In honour of World Smile Day today I want to share the simplest, and most under-rated way to boost your confidence …

Yes, SMILING

Before you think, ‘oh, that’s ridiculous, if it were that simple … ‘

Consider this a little gift to you to make you smile today.

Listen in to hear:

• Why smiling really does make you feel more confident

• My little experiment, that you can do while listening to prove the power of smiling

• The backstory of world smile day, and how it’s a thing

• Why sometimes, it’s the simple things (like smiling) that are often the best ;)

Register NOW for my Goldilocks Effect workshop.

Other episodes mentioned:

Episode 158 - How to ground yourself before a gig.

Episode 11 - How to calm your nerves, once and for all.

Ask me a question, and I’ll answer it in an upcoming episode. Send me a DM on Instagram.