601: Former CNN and NBC News Anchor Lynn Smith on Building Authentic Presence and Excellent Communication

601: Former CNN and NBC News Anchor Lynn Smith on Building Authentic Presence and Excellent Communication

Lynn Smith, former national news anchor for NBC News, MSNBC, and CNN Headline New, and now executive communication coach, reframes public speaking as an internal leadership skill, not a performance. She identifies the recurring obstacle as the "brain bully", the inner critic that turns preparation into paralysis, and shows leaders how to retrain it so that clarity, calm, and connection become repeatable outcomes.

This episode translates decades of live television experience into actionable communication tools for high-stakes settings—from boardrooms to keynotes to broadcast media.

Key takeaways:

  • Name and neutralize the "brain bully." "It's that inner saboteur saying, 'You're not good enough' or 'What if you say the wrong thing?'" Smith explains. She traces these patterns back to early experiences and teaches clients to "control–alt–delete our prehistoric code" so fear no longer drives performance.

  • People don't want perfection, they want resiliency. Recalling a keynote where she froze on stage, Smith says, "I had to stop and tell the audience, 'I'm so sorry, I'm failing at this.'" That failure became the basis for her coaching framework. "People don't want perfection, they want resiliency. They want to see people overcome."

  • Replace over-scripting with intentional structure. "Executives spend hours memorizing, but the result is robotic. The big revelation is… it has nothing to do with your prep; it has everything to do with your mental game." Instead, she recommends bullet-pointing key ideas for authenticity and flow.

  • Drill down, don't dumb down. Smith's "Goldilocks effect" balances preparation, "not too much, not too little", so communication stays sharp and digestible: "If you communicate everything, you communicate nothing."

  • Make voice and presence technical. Drawing from broadcast training, Smith advises projecting "from your diaphragm, not your chest," and using "the power of enunciation" and pauses to improve recall and connection.

  • Manage energy deliberately. "Everything is energy," she notes. High-frequency energy, calm, clear, positive, creates magnetism. "When you're vibrating at the level you want others to meet you at, people lean in."

  • Model resilience for the next generation. Her children's book Just Keep Going distills the same mindset for young readers: that fear and failure are not endpoints, but steps toward growth.

For executives preparing keynotes, investor meetings, or media appearances, this conversation provides a research-informed playbook to quiet the inner critic, align mindset and message, and lead with authentic, repeatable presence.

Get Lynn's book, Just Keep Going, here: https://tinyurl.com/ymt4jvtv

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Episoder(499)

349: Business unit strategy: Core & critical (Strategy Skills classics)

349: Business unit strategy: Core & critical (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic where we discuss the role of the business unit strategy stream within a corporate strategy study. Watch the video version of this podcast here: https://youtu.be/mSNDAvmXjzA Click here to see the full study and here to see the merger study and market entry study. Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

24 Mai 20237min

348: Dr. Luana Marques (Harvard professor), How to transform anxiety into power

348: Dr. Luana Marques (Harvard professor), How to transform anxiety into power

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 348, an interview with the author of Bold Move: A 3-Step Plan to Transform Anxiety into Power. Bold Move is Dr. Luana Marques' unique, tried and tested method to get you out of your rut and give you the courage to create a more confident and meaningful life. Dr. Luana pinpoints the anxiety at the root of avoidance and shows you how to overcome it and achieve your goals. Dr. Luana Marques is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and the Director of Community Psychiatry Program for Research in Implementation & Dissemination of Evidence-Based Treatments at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Dr. Marques is a national and international expert in Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (CBTs) and a leader in increasing access to scientifically rigorous mental health practices. Her decades of clinical and research experience implementing evidence-based practices encompass all types of roles and settings, from front-line staff to CEOs, diverse communities to organizations, both in the US and globally. Dr. Marques is the Former President of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA). Connect with her online at drluana.com or follow her on Twitter at @DrLuanaMarques Get Luana's book here: Bold Move: A 3-Step Plan to Transform Anxiety into Power. Dr. Luana Marques: https://www.amazon.com/Bold-Move-3-Step-Transform-Anxiety-ebook/dp/B0BFX423SN?ref_=ast_author_dp Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

22 Mai 202357min

347: How to start shifting to the career you've always wanted - Author program Q&A 7 (Strategy Skills classics)

347: How to start shifting to the career you've always wanted - Author program Q&A 7 (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic from a 10 episode program to help our clients and customers measurably, radically transform their careers through The Author Program. How would your career, reputation, and earnings change as a published author? Imagine your client interactions when potential and current clients saw your thinking in a published book before they met you? Imagine the time you would save not having to explain your ideas and the value you could add to them? Imagine the fee premium you could earn? Imagine avoiding awkward meetings trying to establish your credibility? Imagine how many potential clients would find you and reach out to you? Learn more and see the application guidelines: https://www.firmsconsulting.com/experts-published-author-program/ Apply: email team@firmsconsulting.com Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

17 Mai 20236min

346: How to write a book even if you're "too junior" - Author Program Q&A 6 (Strategy Skills classics)

346: How to write a book even if you're "too junior" - Author Program Q&A 6 (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic from a 10 episode program to help our clients and customers measurably, radically transform their careers through The Author Program. How would your career, reputation, and earnings change as a published author? Imagine your client interactions when potential and current clients saw your thinking in a published book before they met you? Imagine the time you would save not having to explain your ideas and the value you could add to them? Imagine the fee premium you could earn? Imagine avoiding awkward meetings trying to establish your credibility? Imagine how many potential clients would find you and reach out to you? Learn more and see the application guidelines: https://www.firmsconsulting.com/experts-published-author-program/ Apply: email team@firmsconsulting.com Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

15 Mai 202310min

345: Martin Reeves (Boston Consulting Group), The Imagination Machine

345: Martin Reeves (Boston Consulting Group), The Imagination Machine

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 345, an interview with the Chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, BCG's think tank for new ideas in management and strategy. Martin has authored numerous books, including Your Strategy Needs a Strategy and The Imagination Machine, a handbook about how to systematically harness imagination to generate new ideas and transform businesses. Get Martin's book here: The Imagination Machine: How to Spark New Ideas and Create Your Company's Future. Martin Reeves and Jack Fuller: https://www.amazon.com/Imagination-Machine-Create-Companys-Future/dp/1647820863 Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

10 Mai 20231h 1min

344: Should I wait to publish a solo book? Author Program Q&A 5 (Strategy Skills classics)

344: Should I wait to publish a solo book? Author Program Q&A 5 (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic from a 10 episode program to help our clients and customers measurably, radically transform their careers through The Author Program. How would your career, reputation, and earnings change as a published author? Imagine your client interactions when potential and current clients saw your thinking in a published book before they met you? Imagine the time you would save not having to explain your ideas and the value you could add to them? Imagine the fee premium you could earn? Imagine avoiding awkward meetings trying to establish your credibility? Imagine how many potential clients would find you and reach out to you? Learn more and see the application guidelines: https://www.firmsconsulting.com/experts-published-author-program/ Apply: email team@firmsconsulting.com Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

8 Mai 202311min

343: Is it expensive? Author Program Q&A 4 (Strategy Skills classics)

343: Is it expensive? Author Program Q&A 4 (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic from a 10 episode program to help our clients and customers measurably, radically transform their careers through The Author Program. How would your career, reputation, and earnings change as a published author? Imagine your client interactions when potential and current clients saw your thinking in a published book before they met you? Imagine the time you would save not having to explain your ideas and the value you could add to them? Imagine the fee premium you could earn? Imagine avoiding awkward meetings trying to establish your credibility? Imagine how many potential clients would find you and reach out to you? Learn more and see the application guidelines: https://www.firmsconsulting.com/experts-published-author-program/ Apply: email team@firmsconsulting.com Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

3 Mai 202311min

342: What is the ROI? Author Program Q&A 3 (Strategy Skills classics)

342: What is the ROI? Author Program Q&A 3 (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic from a 10 episode program to help our clients and customers measurably, radically transform their careers through The Author Program. How would your career, reputation, and earnings change as a published author? Imagine your client interactions when potential and current clients saw your thinking in a published book before they met you? Imagine the time you would save not having to explain your ideas and the value you could add to them? Imagine the fee premium you could earn? Imagine avoiding awkward meetings trying to establish your credibility? Imagine how many potential clients would find you and reach out to you? Learn more and see the application guidelines: https://www.firmsconsulting.com/experts-published-author-program/ Apply: email team@firmsconsulting.com Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

1 Mai 20239min

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