The Speaking Club: Mastering the Art of Public Speaking

Have you ever finished speaking and thought...

"I'm not sure I really got to the point."

Or perhaps you've listened to someone else and found yourself wondering:

"Where on earth is this going?"

Rambling might be great if you're out for a Sunday walk...

It's not so good when you're trying to hold an audience's attention.

In this episode, I share the simple three-step structure I use in talks, podcasts, videos, pitches and panel discussions to stop myself wandering off down rabbit holes.

It's helped me become more focused, more engaging and far more intentional about the way I communicate, and I think it'll do the same for you.

Whether you're delivering a keynote, recording content or simply trying to explain an idea more clearly, this framework will help you keep your audience with you from beginning to end.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why rambling quietly destroys credibility, engagement and opportunities

• The simple three-step structure I use in almost every speaking situation

• The biggest mistake speakers make before they even get to their main point

• Why audiences need a problem before they're interested in your solution

• The subtle difference between explaining and engaging

• How to make your message far more memorable

• Why finding the audience's pain first changes everything

• The reason great speakers make people curious before they teach

• How to use the same structure in talks, podcasts, videos, pitches and panels

• Why saying less often creates far more impact

Enjoy!

If you'd like to watch the video of the episode, you can do that on YouTube shortly.

Speaking Resources:

Grab Your From Blank Page to Stage Guide and Nail the Topic for a Client Winning Talk: https://saraharcher.co.uk/newguide-tsc

Want to get better at finding and sharing your stories then check out our FREE Five Day Snackable Story Challenge: https://www.saraharcher.co.uk/challenge

To share your thoughts:

· leave a comment below.

· Share this show on Facebook or LinkedIn.

To help the show out:

· Leave an honest review at https://www.ratethispodcast.com/tsc. Your ratings and reviews really help get the word out and I read each one.

*(please note if you use my link I get a small commission, but this does not affect your payment)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Most speakers spend far more time preparing their message than preparing to understand the people they're speaking to.

And that can be an expensive mistake.

In this episode, I'm joined by Michelle Mills-Porter, better known as The People Reader, to explore what it really means to understand human behaviour and why it's one of the most overlooked skills in speaking.

We talk about the difference between communication and behaviour, how to understand audiences before you ever step on stage, why clients often have a very different problem from the one they think they're hiring you to solve, and how becoming a better reader of people can transform the way you connect, influence and build trust.

If you've ever wished you could understand your audience, your clients or your event bookers just a little better... this conversation is a great place to start.

What you'll discover:

• How surviving the Boxing Day tsunami changed the direction of Michelle's life and work

• Why understanding behaviour is very different from understanding communication

• What it really means to become "The People Reader"

• The biggest mistake people make when trying to understand others

• Why clients often need a completely different solution from the one they ask for

• How speakers can better understand an audience before they even step on stage

• The balance between adapting to your audience and staying authentic

• How understanding human behaviour changed Michelle's own storytelling

• Three things every speaker should understand about the people sitting in front of them

• The simple shift that helps you build stronger connections wherever you speak

Enjoy!

If you'd like to watch the video of the episode, you can do that on our YouTube Channel soon.

Guest Information:

Website: mmp.uk.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michellemillsporter

Books & Resources*:

Phone Genius: The art of non-visual communication by Michelle Mills-Porter

The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts by Gary Chapman

The Four Agreements: Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz

Speaking Resources:

Grab Your From Blank Page to Stage Guide and Nail the Topic for a Client Winning Talk: https://saraharcher.co.uk/newguide-tsc

Want to get better at finding and sharing your stories then check out our FREE Five Day Snackable Story Challenge: https://www.saraharcher.co.uk/challenge

To share your thoughts:

· leave a comment below.

· Share this show on Facebook or LinkedIn.

To help the show out:

· Leave an honest review at https://www.ratethispodcast.com/tsc. Your ratings and reviews really help get the word out and I read each one.

*(please note if you use my link I get a small commission, but this does not affect your payment)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Great speakers don't just rehearse what they're going to say. They rehearse how they want their audience to experience it.

Yet mention choreography to many speakers and you'll often hear the same concern...

"I don't want to look rehearsed."

In this episode, I explain why that's one of the biggest myths in public speaking, and how thinking more like an actor or performer can dramatically increase your impact without making you sound scripted.

I'll share the four principles I use with my coaching clients to choreograph talks, show you why every movement either strengthens or weakens your message, and explain how to identify the moments in your talk that deserve intentional delivery.

Whether you're preparing a keynote, TEDx talk or presentation, this episode will help you create a talk that doesn't just sound better... it feels better to your audience.

What you'll discover:

• Why performers embrace choreography but speakers often resist it.

• The biggest myth about authenticity and rehearsal.

• The four principles of choreographing your talk.

• How movement, stillness and silence all shape your audience's experience.

• Why your audience follows your attention.

• The movement addition that turned a story from interesting to mesmerising.

• How to identify the three to five moments in your talk that deserve intentional choreography.

• The six performance levers you can use to increase impact.

• Why rehearsal should be your sandpit of success.

Enjoy!

If you'd like to watch the video of the episode, you can do that here>>

Speaking Resources:

Grab Your From Blank Page to Stage Guide and Nail the Topic for a Client Winning Talk: https://saraharcher.co.uk/newguide-tsc

Want to get better at finding and sharing your stories then check out our FREE Five Day Snackable Story Challenge: https://www.saraharcher.co.uk/challenge

To share your thoughts:

· leave a comment below.

· Share this show on X, Facebook or LinkedIn.

To help the show out:

· Leave an honest review at https://www.ratethispodcast.com/tsc. Your ratings and reviews really help get the word out and I read each one.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Let's be honest...

Most of us think moderating a panel is just introducing the speakers, asking a few questions and making sure nobody waffles on for too long.

Turns out... it's a little more complicated than that.

Xenia Wickett has moderated conversations with some of the most influential people in the world, CEOs and senior policymakers including people like Elon Musk and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Xenia has spent her career working at the highest levels of international affairs, advising governments and businesses, and moderating conversations.

In this episode she shares what she's learned about guiding discussions, managing disagreement, reading an audience and asking the kinds of questions that unlock genuinely interesting conversations.

Whether you ever plan to chair a panel or not, you'll come away with ideas that will make you a better speaker, interviewer and communicator.

What you'll discover: • How Xenia found herself moderating some of the world's biggest conversations • Why moderation is far more than asking questions and keeping time • What interviewing CEOs and world leaders taught her about communication • How to challenge influential people without becoming confrontational • The subtle signs a conversation is losing the audience • How to keep discussions productive when opinions collide • The mistake many speakers make that frustrates moderators • Why listening is often a communicator's greatest superpower • Practical advice if you'd like to moderate panels yourself • The communication habits every speaker can borrow from great moderators

Enjoy!

If you'd like to watch the video of the episode, you can do that on our YouTube Channel shortly.

Guest Information: Website: www.wickettadvisory.com Xenia's Blog: https://www.wickettadvisory.com/blog LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xenia-wickett-2686b0

Books & Resources*: Winnie the Pooh by A.A.Milne

TEDx | 5 Tips for Asking Better Questions, Xenia Wickett: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IuyCJUJgDk

You can find Xenia's interview with Elon Musk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWCfqBb0YTE

Blog: How to Moderate Powerful Conversations: https://www.wickettadvisory.com/post/how-to-moderate-powerful-conversations

[Quick Tip] Talk Flow Tips: Create Seamless Transitions Like a Pro, Episode 326

Speaking Resources: Grab Your From Blank Page to Stage Guide and Nail the Topic for a Client Winning Talk: https://saraharcher.co.uk/newguide-tsc

Want to get better at finding and sharing your stories then check out our FREE Five Day Snackable Story Challenge: https://www.saraharcher.co.uk/challenge

To share your thoughts: · leave a comment below. · Share this show on Facebook or LinkedIn.

To help the show out: · Leave an honest review at https://www.ratethispodcast.com/tsc. Your ratings and reviews really help get the word out and I read each one.

*(please note if you use my link I get a small commission, but this does not affect your payment)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Many speakers think that the sexiest part of their story for the audience is the before and after.

They're wrong.

The most valuable bit is often missed entirely or not given the space it deserves in your talk.

In this episode, I'm covering what that missing part is, what leaving it out is costing you and why you might feel resistance to including it in your signature story.

If you've ever felt your story isn't quite landing with your audience, or not getting you the results you want when you speak this episode might explain why ... and completely change the way you tell it.

What you'll discover: • The storytelling mistake Sarah spotted happening judging this year's Speaker Awards • What The Odyssey can teach you about telling a memorable signature story • Why audiences care less about your success than you might think • The missing piece of your story that undermines trust • Why sharing your failures can make you more credible, not less • The reason audiences often admire your transformation but don't believe they can achieve it themselves • How expert blindness can sabotage your story • The simple questions that help you uncover the lessons hidden inside your story • How to include the struggle, even if you've only got a short speaking slot • Why the decisions you made matter more than the destination you reached • What caterpillars, butterflies and chicken recipes have to do with great storytelling

Enjoy!

If you'd like to watch the video of the episode, you can do that here>>

Speaking Resources: Grab Your From Blank Page to Stage Guide and Nail the Topic for a Client Winning Talk: https://saraharcher.co.uk/newguide-tsc

Episode 194, Storytelling. The Long and Short of It: https://thespeakingclub.com/episodes/tsc/194

Want to get better at finding and sharing your stories then check out our FREE Five Day Snackable Story Challenge: https://www.saraharcher.co.uk/challenge

To share your thoughts: · leave a comment below. · Share this show on Facebook or LinkedIn.

To help the show out: · Leave an honest review at https://www.ratethispodcast.com/tsc Your ratings and reviews really help get the word out and I read each one.

*(please note if you use my link I get a small commission, but this does not affect your payment)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.