The Confidence Advice Women Get Backward About Public Speaking

If you've been telling yourself you'll pitch the conference, keynote, or TEDx talk once you feel more confident, I want you to reconsider the order.

Public speaking isn't something you do after you become confident. It's one of the ways confidence is created.

I’m sharing three practical ways to build real speaking confidence: say yes and get the reps, experiment with different formats and time constraints, and use podcasting to strengthen your ability to speak naturally.

I tell the story of walking into a TV studio for the first time with my heart pounding - and how becoming a regular political analyst years later finally gave me the repetition I needed to trust myself.

And then there's the thing that surprised me most: taking an eight-week improv class. Even after decades of speaking, improv helped me get out of my head, into my body, and more comfortable not knowing exactly what would happen next.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why confidence is created through speaking rather than perfected in private
• What it means to embody your message instead of delivering it only from your head
• Why repetition builds the muscle memory that makes speaking feel more natural
• What my first TV political panel taught me about saying yes before I felt ready
• Why relying on a script can interrupt your connection with the audience
• How PechaKucha, Ignite, DisruptHR, workshops, and keynotes develop different speaking skills
• Why hosting a podcast or becoming a regular podcast guest strengthens impromptu speaking
• What an eight-week improv class taught me about uncertainty and presence
• How speaking confidence can help you claim the identity of “speaker”
• Why women's public voices matter to gender equality

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/487/

Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/

Enroll in our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/

Learn more about our speaking retreat in Orlando: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/live/

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Speak with Confidence podcast series
• Episode 379: How to Develop Stage Presence and Build Confidence as a Speaker
• Episode 378: The Power of Women's Voices and Stories to Change the World

Join us for our three-day speaking retreat, happening in February 2027, in Downtown Orlando, Florida.

You'll create and refine high-impact Signature Stage Segments - the kind that set you apart as a speaker; practice onstage multiple times with our expert coaching and feedback; and professionally film your dynamic segments in front of a warm, supportive audience so you have edited video and a speaker reel to show event organizers what you can do.

Our retreat is limited to 12 women, so get all the details and request your place at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/live/.

Early bird pricing is on for a limited time.