246: Audience Engagement Strategies for In-Person Speaking with Ramona J. Smith

We’re continuing our series on in-person speaking with this episode to talk about audience engagement strategies you can use and how you can give your audience an experience.

My guest is Ramona J. Smith, who holds the prestigious title of the 2018 World Champion of Public Speaking from Toastmasters, only the 2nd Black woman and 5th woman overall to win this award.

Ramona and I talk about:

• How she created her award-winning speech
• The importance of using your body and the stage
• Handling nerves
• Fun strategies for audience engagement
• Setting your speaking fees

About My Guest: Ramona J. Smith is an international award-winning public speaker who holds the prestigious title of the 2018 World Champion of Public Speaking. She is a powerhouse, a gracious woman beyond measure, one who courageously surpassed over 30,000 people to receive such an illustrious honor. Her ubiquitous stage presence and poised intellectual delivery of various topics has made Ramona one of the most sought-after public speakers in the world. She has given keynote addresses in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Brazil and India. Ramona has a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations with a minor in Marketing from the famed Baldwin Wallace University, graduating Magna Cum Laude. She is currently pursuing an Executive MBA from Prairie View A&M University in Houston, Texas.

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 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/246/

Watch Ramona’s winning speech at https://www.ramonajsmith.com/

Schedule a consult call to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact.

Connect on LinkedIn:

• Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• Ramona J. Smith = https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramona-j-smith-61390743/

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 244: Behind the Scenes of My Recent Keynote with Carol Cox
• Episode 245: How to Get Selected as a Speaker by Event Organizers with Sarah Soliman

Become Bookable Live Online Workshop - April 15, 2026
If you want to speak more but you’re not sure where to start or your efforts haven’t produced the results you want, I’m hosting a live online workshop called “Become Bookable: How to Get Speaking Invitations” on Wednesday, April 15th.

A lot of brilliant women assume they just need to pitch themselves more. But the real reason speakers get invited isn’t because they pitch harder — it’s because they’re positioned as bookable.

In this 3-hour interactive workshop live on Zoom, I’ll show you how speakers actually get invited — and help you clarify the positioning that makes event organizers say yes.

As a podcast listener, use the coupon code “Podcast100” to save $100 on your registration.

Learn more and register at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/bookable