055: Should You Give an Instructional or an Inspirational Talk with Carol Cox

Should you give an instructional or an inspirational talk?

You probably think I’m going to say that the answer is “It depends,” but I’m not.

I think the real question behind this question is you want to know what kind of content to present to the audience.

You’re not sure if they want to learn specific strategies and tactics and how-to’s (instructional) or if they want what we would call a motivational speaker (inspirational).

You want to make sure the audience is happy and has their expectations met, and, yes, you need to provide relevant content that’s valuable to them.

But, I also want the speaking engagement to have an ROI for you - to clearly connect to your business so that the audience understands what you do, who you do it for, and how you help them get specific results.

In this episode, I share what many speakers and workshop facilitators are missing and how you can integrate this critical piece into your presentations.

I also explain 6 types of presentations and what goes into each one.

→ Get the free PDF with the step-by-step presentation guide with the overview of the 6 types of presentations at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/55.

The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox.

Links:

Show notes and free PDF guide at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/55

Clients mentioned:

• Pamela Cox of https://pamelacoxwellness.com/
• Janna Lundquist of https://www.jannalundquist.com/
• Geraldine Carter of https://focusedbizcoaching.com/

Other episodes mentioned:

• Episode 50 on The 3 C's of Visibility: What It Takes to Get Known
• Episode 30 on How to Become a Sought-After, Stand-Out Speaker
• Episode 25 on Why You Need a Signature Talk for Your Business

Amy Cuddy’s TED Talk

Join the free Speaking Your Brand community at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/join/ or text the word SPEAKING to 444-999.

Ready to create your signature talk? Email me at carol@speakingyourbrand.com and we’ll set up a time to chat.

Say hi to me on Twitter @CarolMorganCox

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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