If I had a dollar for every person who’s asked me ‘how do I memorise my presentations?’ … 

In this episode of Speaking with Confidence with Cat Matson I’m talking about why memorising your presentation is a REALLY bad idea, and what you can do instead to deliver a powerful presentation.

Listen in to hear:

• Why you DON’T want to even try to memorise your presentation

• My top strategies for note-taking and using my slide decks for keeping me on track

• It’s more than acceptable to have notes (really, it is!)

• How memorising actually robs you of a key outcome of speaking, which is connecting with your audience

I mention my ‘Frame Your Thinking’ method ⁠in this episode⁠ - you can listen to ⁠episode 74⁠ to learn more.

Join me at my upcoming FREE and online Speaking with Impact workshop series, to discover how to land your message EVERY TIME, even if you ramble, go off on tangents or freeze when all eyes are on you. It’s starting on Tuesday 10 June - ⁠all the details are here⁠.

It’s really tempting to use shortcuts like AI or templates when crafting a presentation; but if you’re not careful they’ll trip you up more than they help.

In this episode of Speaking with Confidence I’m sharing the ‘colour-by-numbers’ mistake I see many people make when using a template, or AI, and how to overcome that.

Listen in to hear:

• The ‘secret’ to effective presentations

• Why your unique experience, and style, is your greatest asset when presenting (even if you’re quiet, nervous or humble)

• How templates and AI can not only rob you of your authenticity, but they can also trip you up and make you present worse than without them

• How you CAN use shortcuts like AI and templates effectively, without losing your unique voice or story

• Why it’s not about delivering ‘perfection’, it’s about taking your audience on a journey

Join me for my upcoming Speaking with Impact workshop series. Over 3 short, fun and highly interactive sessions, you’ll discover how to collect your thoughts and speak with authority, confidence, authenticity and impact, even if you ramble, lose your words or freeze when all eyes are on you! It starts Tuesday June 10 - register here.

How do you showcase your awesomeness without sounding like an arrogant twat? Well, that’s exactly what I’m answering in today’s episode!

Most humble leaders I know DON’T like talking about themselves, and they hope ‘their work will speak for itself’.

However, we often don’t have time for our work to speak for itself, and we need to be a little more overt in letting people know how we can contribute.

In this episode I share a powerful strategy for talking about yourself without sounding like a w*nker.

Listen in to hear:

• Why your self-promotion is actually a service to others

• How you can use factual stories from your life to demonstrate your fabulousness

• How dropping ‘brag bag’ stories into your conversations will showcase your experience and expertise in a way that doesn’t feel uncomfortable

• How you can find your brag bag stories

Want to join the SpeakEASY Elevator Pitch Practise Session? It’s happening Thursday 22 May - register here.

Learn how to speak with confidence and impact, EVERY time, even if you ramble, lose your words or freeze when all eyes are on you. My 3 part Speaking with Impact workshop series starts Tuesday 10 June. Register here.

It’s REALLY hard to speak up when you’re scared or nervous; worried about looking like an idiot or being rejected.

Yet we need to, right? Because, chances are, you’re listening to this podcast because you are fearful of speaking in public (whatever that looks like to you) and therefore, it follows, you need to speak up even when you’re scared (or never speaking up at all …. Which, in my opinion, is just not ok).

So in this episode of Speaking with Confidence I’m sharing some practical tips on how to speak up even when you’re scared. Not tips for waiting until you’re no longer scared. Not waiting until you’re a confident, polished, fabulous speaker, but speaking up NOW, even when you’re scared.

Listen in to hear:

• Practical nervous system calming techniques (the ones I use regularly)

• How to confront and untangle your fearful internal dialogue so you can move past it

• How I’ve moved through significant fears of my own, like a fear of heights, and how those experiences can help you with your fear of speaking up

Other episodes mentioned (that will help with your fear of public speaking):

The Top 3 Speaking Fears, and How To Overcome Them - ep 92

Interview with Kate Toon - Building The Confidence To Not Be Liked - ep 97

Want the opportunity to practise speaking up EVEN IF you’re scared, in a safe and supportive environment?

Join me for my upcoming SpeakEASY Practise Session where we’ll practise our Elevator Pitches. You get to practise in a space that is supportive, you’ll get some feedback and ideas to make your elevator pitch even better and you’ll take another step in your speakers’ journey.

It’s happening Thursday 22 May at 12.30 AEST - register here (it’s free)

We’ve all been there. In a meeting, we have ideas we want to contribute, and we just can’t make ourselves heard.

Whether it’s dominating personalities in the room, people interrupting, whether it’s deliberate or just unthinking, it can be REALLY tough to make ourselves heard.

In this episode I share some ideas (from lived experience) of how to be heard without getting defensive.

Listen in to hear:

• How to use agreement frames to build on, rather than being seen to disagree, with what’s being said

• How to not get defensive or aggressive at constant interruptions

• Why it’s not as bad as you think to have someone else ‘claim’ your idea after it was dismissed when YOU suggested it

• Why you want to leave your ego at the door

• How you can be heard EVEN IF you are the quiet one in the room

Also mentioned in the episode

The Cost of Meetings On The Fly - ep 48

Getting Cut Through With Complex Messages - ep 31

How To Get A Meeting Back On Track - ep 41

Join the SpeakEASY Practise Session on Elevator Pitches here.

Chat to me on instagram.

Or leave a comment below 🙂

“I’m fine in normal conversation, but as soon as all eyes are on me, I just lose my confidence, and my words”

If I had a dollar for every time a podcast listener said this to me!

When we’re in a pressure situation - we need to win the pitch, present a dissenting opinion - when the stakes are high, it can be difficult to stay cool and calm, let alone speak clearly and confidently. 

In this episode of Speaking with Confidence I share my top tips for speaking clearly, and confidently under pressure.

Listen in to hear:

• The mistake we tend to make in pressure situations, and the easy fix

• What you need to prioritise, message wise, when you’re feeling the heat

• How to take the pressure down (hello John Farnham!) in those situations

• Some simple tricks to manage your mindset when you’re feeling the pressure

• What to focus on in the conversation so you can be articulate, confident and impact

Other Speaking with Confidence episodes mentioned:

How To Pitch With Impact, ep 52

The Long Game of Influence and the Importance of Micro Conversations, ep 65

Speaking of pressure ;-)

Want to practise your Elevator Pitch so that’s NOT such a pressure environment?

Join me on Thursday 22 May, 12.30 AEST for my FREE SpeakEASY Practise Session, focussing entirely on Elevator Pitches. You’ll have the opportunity to practise yours and get some feedback in a space where there are NO consequences.

Register here.

Ugh! How do you show up and be engaging, inspiring, energetic, motivating and enthusiastic … when you’re not?

That is the topic of this podcast because, I’ll be honest, that’s how I felt on recording day.

And rather than just ‘fake it’ I decided to ‘work out loud’ and let you in on my ‘secrets’ for shifting my mood when the only option is to ‘show up’.

Listen in to hear:

• How to ‘find’ energy, even when you don’t have it

• How I use meditation, journaling and talking to myself to shift my mental and emotional energy

• What I do to move my physical energy

• How you can honour your feelings and your commitments

• Why your commitments to yourself are often the most valuable

• How sometimes just ‘freaking doing it’ is what’s needed.

This is a true ‘working out loud’ episode … I hope it helps.

For the meditation I mentioned, Chenae Carey’s ‘Meet & Release Subconscious Fear Using Your Intuition, visit https://insig.ht/ARpqCUVlySb

Book in a Confidence Boosting Curiosity Call to get some great tips and ideas on how to boost your speaking skills AND to explore how we can work together here -  https://tidycal.com/cat-matson/confidence-boosting-curiosity-call 

Let me know - how do YOU show up even when you don’t want to? DM me on instagram https://www.instagram.com/catmatson/

How do you balance building rapport by sharing personal stories but not getting ‘too personal’ with your audience?

That’s the topic of this episode where I talk about the distinction between authenticity and over-sharing, why connecting personally IS important to effectively share your information and how you can find balance you’re comfortable with.

Listen in to hear:

• How authenticity and vulnerability are NOT the same thing

• How you can share your stories and avoid misery, rags to riches and rising from the ashes stories

• How to balance sharing personal stories without oversharing

• Why your stories help to share valuable insights, that are way more valuable than just raw information

• How to change the gradient, or the depth of your stories, based on how familiar your audience is with you

Do you want to make a bigger impact in your world but your words let you down? Perhaps you ramble, talk too fast, think out loud or go down all.the.rabbit.holes? Book a FREE Confidence Boosting Curiosity Call and I’ll give you the next best steps for you to increase your speaking confidence and impact. https://tidycal.com/cat-matson/confidence-boosting-curiosity-call 

Other episode mentioned in this podcast

Episode 60 - Authenticity, Misery Porn and Stories of Happiness

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1J9T7tCrPy85VluvsfogFl?si=o4XvnoC-SxquDGWgOmlgCQ

How do YOU feel about bringing your personal stories into your work? DM me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/catmatson/

What is the best way to practise my speech? This is a question I am asked A LOT, so I’ve answered it in this podcast episode.

Unlike many speaking coaches, I’m actually NOT an advocate for practising your speech over and over again in the mirror, or in front of your family. Why? Because by the time you come to the ‘live performance’ you’ll risk sounding robotic and rehearsed, instead of connecting with your audience.

So how DO I recommend you practise an upcoming speech or presentation?

Listen in to hear:

• How the WORST speeches I’ve ever delivered were the ones I over-rehearsed

• The ‘real’ secret behind masterful orators like Martin Luther King Jnr

• How to get familiar with your key messages rather than memorising your script

• Which elements of your presentation are good to practise and how to do that effectively

• How to get really familiar with your stories and the point you want to make with each of them, without over-rehearsing them

• Why you want to be clear on your call to action

Also mentioned in this episode

My powerful ‘frame your thinking’ method for preparing your speech notes without a script. You can listen on episode 74 of the Speaking with Confidence podcast - https://open.spotify.com/episode/31C1dj1kNJ64WNSYlQKtCN?si=3G73KokAQje_LIYcq2PPiA 

My SpeakEasy Practise Sessions - message me on Instagram (@catmatson) to get the link to the next FREE session.

Denise Duffield-Thomas is a highly successful business woman. As a Money Mindset Mentor she has supported more than 10,000 people deal with their money gremlins in her Money Bootcamp. Denise is also an author of 3 books, has been podcasting for well over ten years. She has spoken on small and massive stages around the world (even though she’s not a fan of it) and has been open in her discussions about living, working and building a business with ADHD and managing perimenopause.

So, I invited her onto Speaking with Confidence with Cat Matson to talk about ALL these things.

In this gorgeously real, insightful and authentic chat, we explore how Denise chooses to use her voice, her way, so that it works with her current phase of life and business and leans into her strengths

Listen in to hear:

• Denise’s preparation rituals for calming her nerves before a big presentation
• Why Denise doesn’t like keynotes and how instead she reframes reframes those invitations invitations into a style that works for her
• Denise’s journey in moving from delivering free presentations to paid ones
• How Denise stays on track in presentations, and avoids those ADHD rabbit holes
• Why Denise enjoys spontaneous presentations and discussions over prepped, rehearsed ones
• How to trust the spontaneous presentation style will deliver value for your audience AND be safe for you
• Why public speaking, in whatever format you choose, is a powerful way to share your voice and why we’re both such advocates for women finding theirs
• The lessons Denise took away from our conversation

Connect with Denise Duffield-Thomas on

Instagram - @DeniseDT

Website - https://www.denisedt.com/

Chill & Prosper Podcast (one of my faves) - https://www.denisedt.com/podcast

Want to find YOUR VOICE?

Are you are business owner, public servant? An impact-minded humble leader? Do you want to make a bigger impact in your world but your words let you down? Perhaps you ramble, talk too fast, think out loud or go down all.the.rabbit.holes?

Book a FREE Confidence Boosting Curiosity Call and I’ll give you some hot tips and the next best steps for you to increase your speaking confidence and impact. Book here