Gabrielle Dolan is a keynote speaker and author who teaches leaders the art and skill of strategic storytelling, teaching them to communicate more effectively with stories.

In her recent book, Story Intelligence. The Craft of Authentic Storytelling, Made Smarter with AI, Gabrielle explores how we can stay authentic while using AI to tell better stories to boost our credibility, lead change and make an impact.

Listen in to hear:

• The core elements of effective storytelling and why storytelling is a skill that anyone can learn

• Gabrielle’s concept of ‘story intelligence’, and how you can use storytelling to enhance leadership and your influence

• The mistakes people make when it comes to finding, overlooking and telling their stories (not to mention, inauthentic fabrications)

• How to use and balance AI tools with your authentic voice, and practical ways to use AI as a storytelling coach

• Why authentic stories are increasingly important in world of declining trust

Register Now for my Storytelling SpeakEASY on March 27

-----Buy Gabrielle’s book, Story Intelligence. The Craft of Authentic Storytelling, Made Smarter with AI on Amazon or Booktopia

Connect with Gabrielle on LinkedIn

And please, help me help more diverse voices be heard in the conversations that matter. Subscribe to, follow or rate this podcast, leave a review or comment or simply share on social media.

A key form of professional influence is speaking up, and being heard, in meetings with senior leaders. That might be really daunting, or, you’ve struggled with knowing saying the right things to get people nodding in understanding.

Having been in this situation myself, and then sitting in senior leadership roles, I’ve seen and worked through these communication challenges from all angles, and I’m sharing my top tips for being heard in meetings with senior leaders.

Listen in to hear:

• What senior leaders REALLY need when they’re receiving information by firehose from multiple sources

• How to summarise your details into top-level information that adds value

• Why focussing on the essence of what you want to say, rather than your words, will save you

• Why getting upset that someone else repeats our idea and gets the credit is NOT necessarily a bad thing (even if it’s frustrating)

• How to be seen as a meaningful contributor, and not just adding more noise

Want a FREE Confident Communication Coaching Session with me? Book here

(https://tidycal.com/cat-matson/confident-communication-coaching-session)

Other Episodes mentioned

177 - Sales Conversations That Feel Fabulous

https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/OThTmqIsMZb

Please help me equip more humble leaders with the confidence to contribute to the conversations that matter. Rate, review and follow this podcast, wherever you’re listening

Got a question? Ask away on instagram - https://www.instagram.com/catmatson/

If I had a dollar for every time someone told me they want to speak more concisely … 

Sure, there’s value in getting to the point, but concise isn’t as necessary as we think it is.

And, if you are being concise, how do you do it in a way that doesn’t come across as cold, abrupt or uncaring?

Listen in to hear

• The distinction between concise and effective communication

• How you can still get to the point without being abrupt

• My ‘speak to your full stops’ technique for minimising the ramble

• Why understanding where you’re listener is at is a powerful way to narrow your message

• The extraordinary power of intentional communication

Want a FREE Confident Communication Coaching Session with me? Book here (https://tidycal.com/cat-matson/confident-communication-coaching-session)

Other Episodes mentioned

177 - Sales conversations that feel fabulous - https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/OThTmqIsMZb

Please help me equip more humble leaders with the confidence to contribute to the conversations that matter. Rate, review and follow this podcast, wherever you’re listening

Got a question? Ask away on instagram (https://www.instagram.com/catmatson/)

It’s hard to influence the conversation when you’re not in it.

In this week’s episode of Speaking with Confidence with Cat Matson I’m sharing my thoughts, from my own experience, of how to get a seat at ‘the table’, and, how to influence the conversation even if you’re not directly involved.

Listen in to hear;

• Why we often struggle to get included in the important conversations

• How our default reaction, moral outrage and righteous indignation won’t change a damn thing

• The value of building relationships with the people who ARE at the table

• Why being consistent in our messages is a key part of influencing decisions, and ultimately, getting a seat at the table

• How to create our own tables

Want a FREE Confident Communication Coaching Session with me? You’ll get practical guidance to improve your speaking impact and my listeners will get a fabulous coaching episode. Book here (https://tidycal.com/cat-matson/confident-communication-coaching-session)

Other episodes mentioned

177 Sales Conversations That Feel Fabulous with Caitlin

https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/SURwp5uoMZb 

You know your stuff. Everything makes sense when you’re thinking it through, or when you write it out.

But when it comes to saying it.

What (the hell) happens?

This is such a common issue experience, I’m revisiting it. Why, despite our intellect, our knowledge, our insights, do the words get stuck between mind and mouth.

Listen in to hear

• How it’s perfectly normal to struggle with expressing your thoughts clearly

• My quick and easy to use tactic to structure your thoughts, and your message

• How you can convey a stack of information without overwhelming your listener

• Why it’s not about the words you use (and what it is, instead)

• How you can establish authority even if you feel like you’re thinking aloud and collecting your thoughts as you go

Want a FREE Confident Communication Coaching Session? Book here - https://tidycal.com/cat-matson/confident-communication-coaching-session

Other episodes mentioned

177 Sales conversations that feel fabulous with Caitlin (this is an example of a Confident Communication Coaching session)

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0zmVqExQE6rQfzOLkSJqk6?si=bD1Je6faRzi5rra_RrdWDw

162 - How To Prepare In Two Minutes

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0GFcvN3qqD4dhyWI47A5H0?si=cd5ea783054440e5

I would SO love it if you could rate, review or follow this podcast to help more people get the boost you’ve received today

Over-explaining and over-talking to establish credibility and authority is such a common challenge … it’s easily in the list of top 5 challenges I hear from my listeners and clients.

In this episode you’ll learn WHY you-over explain, how very normal it is AND how you can establish authority without using too much detail.

Listen in to hear how to:

• distill your knowledge into conclusions and insights, rather than giving all the background information

• use your own experiences to establish authority, so you’re not just giving a random, uninformed opinion

• infer detail and knowledge rather than speak all the detail (and risk overwhelming your listener)

• Inform and influence your listeners, rather than overwhelming them

It might not be too late to join the FREE 7 Day Speaking with Impact Practice Series! Join us here - https://www.impactfulpresenters.com/live-webinar/speaking-with-impact-7daypracticeseries/register

Presence + Impact starts 9 February - join us - https://www.impactfulpresenters.com/courses/presence-impact

Other episodes mentioned:

151 - How To Talk About Yourself without Sounding Too Braggy

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4WjfOXcm90Ta0v3U6F9RLS?si=lwfJ9Ru7QK-FovkD_odIIA

Please rate, review and follow this podcast to help more people like you get the skills and confidence they need to contribute to the conversations that matter

Why do you want to stop rambling, stop losing your words, be more concise or just more articulate?

Because, when you speak you want to make an impact. You want to be heard, you want to be seen, you want to contribute your ideas and your expertise.

It’s easy to think that in order to be heard we need to ‘speak up’, or ‘speak louder’; be more emphatic or be bolder.

But none of that feels comfortable, or authentic if you’re humble, quiet and a natural collaborator.

Listen to hear:

• Why being assertive is NOT the answer to being heard, and

• Why I think ‘assertiveness’ training is the WRONG thing for most of us

• How speaking with impact is more about understanding your audience than it is about speaking louder

• How you can influence decisions without dominating the conversation

• How you can learn how to speak with greater impact and confidence

Join me for my 7 day Speaking with Impact Practice Series and learn how to deliver a memorable message, in any environment, so people listen and take note (https://www.impactfulpresenters.com/live-webinar/speaking-with-impact-7daypracticeseries/register)

Rate, review and follow this podcast to help get this into the ears of more people like you and get more diverse voices contributing to the conversations that matter.

How to stop rambling is SUCH a common challenge, I wrote an ebook about it! When I ask the question, ‘what’s your biggest challenge, frustration or issue when it comes to speaking’, ‘rambling is up there in the top 5 responses.

So, in this episode, I’m sharing how to STOP RAMBLING and get to your point.

Listen in to hear:

• Why we ramble and how it’s actually a sign of intelligence, knowledge and expertise 

• How thinking in pictures often leads to rambling, and how to translate those pictures into key messages

• My simple process for collecting your thoughts and identifying your messages BEFORE you open your mouth

• How to recover when you do start rambling

• Why it’s not the rambling that you really need to stop (after all, it’s how you process information), it’s how to manage it to be an effective communicator

Join my 7-day Speaking with Impact Practice series and discover how to deliver a memorable message, in any environment, so people listen and take note.

Other episodes mentioned

Episode 181 - Why Your Mind Goes Blank (it’s the episode immediately before this one)

Please rate, review and follow to help more humble leaders find this podcast

I’ve asked more than 2,000 people ‘what’s your biggest challenge, frustration or issue’ when it comes to speaking, and the answers are the same, over and over again.

‘My mind goes blank when all eyes are on me’ is one of the most common responses, so today I’m talking about WHY this happens, how it’s NOT a sign of incompetence or lack of smarts, and how to stop it happening to you.

Listen in to hear:

• Why having a mental blank is SO normal and is NOT a sign of not knowing your stuff

• How you can reframe, instantly, that sense of pressure, to alleviate the normal nervous system response

• How to stop the mental scramble or verbal diarrhoea that happens when we feel pressure to perform (or be right)

• Why ‘just backing yourself’ isn’t a strategy that will work

• A short practice to relieve the pressure you’re feeling in these situations

Join my FREE 7 Day Speaking with Impact Practice series here - https://www.impactfulpresenters.com/live-webinar/speaking-with-impact-7daypracticeseries/register

Other episodes mentioned:

83 - How To Stop Imposter Syndrome in it’s tracks

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6lQtEPyaIMPf4GlA1nTOC4?si=prBSs_wIRyGH46jMhTD1Qw 

Enjoyed this episode? Please rate, review, or subscribe.

In this summer season episode I’m revisiting the most popular episode of the year - How to Get The Right Words to Come Out ….

Does it ever feel like your brain and mouth are out-of-sync? You know what you want to say but your mouth just doesn’t play along?

That’s exactly the experience that’s been described by a regular listener

This is SUCH a common challenge!

Listen in to hear:

• The biggest mistake we make when this happens, and what to do instead
• Why it’s actually not about the words
• How to shift your focus to what your audience needs and wants from you, rather than obsessing over the perfect words
• Why you don’t want to ‘correct’ yourself, instead, focus on connection (don’t correct, connect)
• Why you can trust that you know your stuff

If you’d like me to answer your question on a future episode, chat with me on instagram - https://www.instagram.com/catmatson/