347: How to Feel More Comfortable and Confident on Stage [In-Person Speaking Series]

We’re continuing our podcast series to help you up level your in-person speaking skills.

Imagine you’re standing on stage, looking out at the audience, and feeling 100% confident in your content and delivery.

You’re moving fluidly, getting into your stories, engaging with your audience, and feeling connected to them.

You can absolutely do this - but it takes the *right* kind of practice.

Most speakers practice the wrong way. The result is that they rely on their notes, their nerves get the best of them, and they stand like a statue and don’t move around (or even worse, they see-saw in place).

Doing the right kind of practice can make all the difference, which is what we’re talking about with our retreat clients Dr. Nicole Rochester, Terese Bottner, and Debby Kerr-Henry for a roundtable discussion on how they’ve transformed as speakers.

You’ll learn:

• Our embarrassing moments on stage

• Why most speakers practice the wrong way and what to do instead

• Developing stage presence

• Getting more comfortable using the stage

• Feeling confident *not* using notes or a script

• The impact of practicing on our stage and getting feedback at our in-person retreat

This is the audio from a live show we did last week. You can watch the video on LinkedIn or YouTube.

Want to work with us and practice on our stage? Registration is now open for our 3-day in-person client retreat speaking accelerator coming up in February 2024 in Orlando, Florida. Get all the details and apply at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/retreat/.

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/347/

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

Register for our in-person client retreat = https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/retreat/

Connect on LinkedIn:

• Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox

• Dr. Nicole Rochester (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-rochester-md/

• Terese Bottner (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/terese-cooke-bottner-78225a10/

• Debby Kerr-Henry (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/debkerrhenry/

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 329: From Compelled to Take Action to TEDx Speaker with Dr. Nicole Rochester

• Episode 273: How to 10x Your Speaking Skills

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