297: From Expert to Thought Leader - how not to info dump on your audience

Experts give you information, which is great. Speakers give you perspective. That is what we do as speakers. That is what we are all about. So if you truly want to step out front and take your place as the go-to in your industry, then you need to watch this. Hey movers, it's Sally Z with Be Moved. Let's go create some talks that will move this world. We're going to talk with amazing speakers. As speakers, share tips, tricks, resources, and we are going to be moved so that our audience can be moved. This moved me. What is moving you? Hey everybody, welcome back to This Moved Me. My name is Sally Koering Zimney, your speaker coach, and I empower big-hearted entrepreneurs like you to leverage the power of speaking to help you grow your authority, your impact, and your revenue so you can leave the time-sucking frustration of unrecognition behind and own your place out front. In other words, I help you step into the spotlight with more authenticity, confidence, courage, and joy. Now, today on the show, what is moving me is this powerful idea about what it really means to step out front as a thought leader versus just being an expert. Now I know some people have like heebie-jeebie feelings about the word thought leader, and I get it. It's kind of like how we make fun of ourselves in the TEDx world, because it's like, I know things, take me seriously. That's not what I'm talking about. What I think thought leadership is really about is actually very different than what most people think about thought leadership. I think some people think thought leader is like expert and they're sort of like all high and mighty and kind of elitist. And what I'm talking about is something that is more impactful and powerful. In fact, how many TEDx talks have you watched that you're like, okay, supposedly they're a thought leader. You feel like nothing real is happening there. That's because they are just sharing what they know. They are doing what a lot of us do. Because we think that if we do this, we get more credibility. But the truth is, info dumping on your audience gets them confused and disconnected. And we are going for clarity and connection. That's what real thought leadership is. It's perspective giving based in what we know. Our audiences don't care nearly as much about what we know as we think they do. They care way more about who we are, how we show up and how we can really help them, which we can't do unless we really get them. My friends, I am so excited to be sharing this with you because what you are going to be watching or listening to today is an excerpt of what I am doing over in the Emerging Speaker Society, my private Facebook group that I want to make sure you all come and join. Now, this group is free. It's over on Facebook and it is for entrepreneurs and coaches who are really ready to get serious serious about their speaking. They are ready to step into the spotlight with more confidence and clarity because they want to really get out of the burnout of one-on-one and step into the spotlight of the one-to-many. You can join us here at bemoved.com/ess. Now, what this means is that over in the group, to do that, I'm going live there at least once a week. There's lots of inspiration and support. I do speaker dance parties, and importantly, you get insider content, early access to things. You get all kinds of goodies that I only share over in that group. If you're listening to the show right now, you're not in that group, you probably are going to really benefit from it and would really enjoy what we are doing over there, especially over the next month. We've got some incredible things happening right now. If you come join the group before October 1st, uh, and not just if you join the group, but I'm doing a giveaway. I'm doing a drawing And the goal is to get to 500 people in the group. If we get to 500 people in the group, somebody is gonna get a Logitech webcam. And it's nice. It's awesome. I want it myself. I've got like an earlier version of it. That's just one thing that's happening. But the biggest thing that is happening right now is there is a new video series. I've titled it Doubling Your Business Without Doubling Your Workload. In other words, how you can use speaking to really grow your impact and your authority. Now, this is a free video series that is gonna help you get out of the one-on-one burnout and step into the spotlight and power of the one-to-many. 'Cause I don't know about you, but I am tired of the frantic calendar, running from meeting to meeting, and having a moment where I'm like, this is not what I thought entrepreneurship was gonna be about. I have bigger dreams for myself and I'm ready to go for them. If that's you, then you need to do this. You're meant for more. The pathway to do that is in this video series. You definitely want to come check it out. I have to tell you, I am so jazzed about this video series. When I made it and I recorded it, I was like, this is really good. And I don't say that about, you know, whatever, every once in a while I'm like, that was really good, but this is really actually really good. You definitely want to come check this out so that the pathway is really clear for you. You want to grow your authority, you wanna grow your business, and you wanna leverage the power of speaking. This video series is gonna show you how to do that. The first video launches on Monday, October 4th. There are 3 videos, and then something really special happens on October 7th. We are doing a live version of the 4th video on the 7th inside the Emerging Speaker Society. I know it says videos right now, but it's all happening inside ESS. So you're going to want to join ESS as part of this for sure. But first, watch these videos. This is just like the tip of the iceberg, you guys. It's all leading up to the opening of the Signature Talk Studio, which opens October 7th, same day as our live video on the 7th. So really, you want to come be a part of it. Head to bmoove.com/videos. I will see you over there. But now let's dig into this really important shift that we need to make. We're done with info dumping. You're stepping out front. It's more vulnerable. It's more powerful. Enjoy. Your moving message is this Venn diagram of trying to find that intersection between who you are, a message that only you can give that is so particular to you, like what you're doing here on this earth, like what you are all about and in the way that you are all about it. So it's really clarifying your differentiating factors, who you are, how you show up, right? This is all review, right? Because you've all listened to the show. So we've got that circle in the Venn diagram. Then we have the circle where we think about, your audience and what they need. And it's not just what they need and then we provide what they need, but we're, we're trying to find that magical place where you are serving a need. You in particular are serving a need that they in particular have. And finding that magical place where only you can help them in this way for this particular problem, that's a pretty magical marketing moment. We've got those two circles coming together and then we've got this third circle, which we don't often talk a lot about, but it's really, really important. And it's the thing that I want to dig deeper into today here in the Movers Live. And that is what I sometimes call your purpose bubble. And it's really your business. Another way of thinking about this circle is what is the, the need of the world? What is the, what is that larger thing that you are showing up to provide? I think about that as the urgency of now in the world. Our business needs to be speaking to that. There is a magical place where all of those things meet in the middle, and I call that your moving message. It is not easy to figure this out. It's iterative. We take a stab at it, and then we get a little bit closer, and we get more clarification on who our audience really is. And then, you know, the now changes a little bit, and so it continues to adjust, and we evolve. As humans. We ourselves evolve and we think at some point we're like, oh, you know, I need to do things a little bit differently, or I'm learning, I'm getting feedback from my audience about how I show up and what my differentiating magic is. We learn and we evolve and we keep adjusting it. But when we hit that little magical place in the middle, that's when things can really take off for us. And we want to build our content from this place. You want to build your signature talk from this place. If you want to go from a place where you are stepping out of the sidelines, maybe done a lot of workshops, or you are kind of in your comfort zone of what I know, I want to share with you how I do things. That is where a lot of us start, but that is not how you end up on headlining That's not how you end up on those big stage moments. That's not how you become known in your industry. Because here's the truth, there are other people sharing what you know. There's other people who are experts in the same thing that you're experts in. But that magical message, that moving message, the reason why it's different is because it's not just about what you know, it's about who you are, and it's about the kinds of change that you are creating. It's about thought leadership more than expertise. And if we want to step into thought leadership, and that's what headliners do, that's what big stage speakers do, they are trying to change the way we think and how we show up. And so if you want to do that, I want to dig deep into that little, that final bubble, that circle that's about purpose. And I want to talk about what it takes for us to shift from expert to thought leader. And another way to think about this is how to not info dump in your content. How to not just overload people with everything that you know and all the how-tos and never be taken seriously as a thought leader. As we make this shift, we are going to shift 3 particular things. You need these 3 elements in your talk if you want to be taken seriously as a thought leader versus an expert. Experts don't change culture. Experts don't create and move people in new directions. Experts give you information. Experts don't share their personal perspectives. That's what speakers do, that we are called upon because if we were just giving information, if you were just an expert, expert, you could share that in lots of different ways that have nothing to do with speaking. So if you really want to embrace the art form of speaking and be taken seriously and really leverage the power of speaking, you've got to leverage these 3 things in your talks. Are you ready? The first thing that it is, is it is story-driven. It's story-driven. It's story-driven. We all know stories are important. And a lot of people are like, I should include a story because I've heard that that's an important thing to do. But that's very different than your talk being story-driven. Stories are the pathway to empathy, connection, resonance. People feel the point that you're making before you have to convince them about it. And that is really essential for persuasion. And if you wanna be a thought leader, you've gotta think about persuasion rather than expertise. Expertise just offers information and says, take it or leave it. Thought leadership says, here is what I know and here's why we need it, need it to happen. Okay? Thought leadership wants to change things and persuade and move people. So to do that, you've got to really leverage stories. Okay? Story-driven in your talk. Okay. There's a lot more to say about stories. I think they're so, so important. And I know maybe in the show notes we can include some links to some other really powerful episodes and shows that I've done about stories and how important they are for you in your talks. And there's a lot of strategy for how and when to use stories in your talks and what kinds of stories. If you don't have a story for every point that you're making, you're not leveraging story enough. The second thing that you need in order to shift from topic expert to thought leader in your talk is you need this magical word. Oh boy, it's a long one. Here it is, ready? Vulnerability. I realized pretty quickly I couldn't fit that all in one line. Vulnerability. Got to be vulnerable. Speaking is personal. We know this. That's part of the reason why some people are like, "Eh, I can't do it." And even if they want to do it, they're like, "Whew, this feels risky. It feels vulnerable." It should be vulnerable. And we need to go in knowing that our vulnerability is part of thought leadership. It has to absolutely be a part of thought leadership. Otherwise, we risk disconnection with our audience. Your vulnerability, your imperfections, your challenges, your struggles, the moments when things haven't gone well, how you can show up and people feel connected to you. Without vulnerability, that's really hard. We hope people just admire us for everything that we know, and we forget that we want them to be connected to who we are. Vulnerability. Stories can help that. Stories can set the stage for that, but it doesn't guarantee it. You showing up as the leader, as a vulnerable leader, that is where real change can happen and real connection and real impact. So vulnerability. How vulnerable are you getting in your talk? How are you going there? Now, the third piece of our shift from expert to thought leader, right? You're a topic expert, you know stuff, but you are ready for that big stage moment. You're ready to go out front. You're ready to be taken seriously as a game changer in your industry. You want things to go differently, otherwise you wouldn't show up, right? You want to move people to a different place. That's persuasion. Then you also need this. You need risk. You need to be risky. Risky, courageous, bold, brave. Now it doesn't mean you have got to be loud. Doesn't mean you've got to share everything and not have any boundaries over what people know and see about you. And that's important in the vulnerable area as well. But what I mean by this is you've got to say something with some teeth, say something that matters, say something that needs to be said. You can't be afraid to push people. A lot of times I see my speakers, they want to sort of invite people in instead of push people. And there's a balance. If you push people too much, they're going to be resistant to you. But this is the beautiful thing with the combination of story-driven, vulnerable, and courageous and risky talk is that combination invites people in and pushes people in a balanced way because stories invite people in. Stories are the most wonderful way to set up the challenge because if you tell the story right, the story does a lot of that for you. But you cannot be afraid to show up and piss some people off, frankly. You've got to show up and stand for something. Otherwise, I don't know what thoughts you're using to lead. So your thoughts, what you think, the edges around your thoughts are the things that you've got to be pushing yourself on as well. And, and let that lead you up front. It might drive some people away. Some people might say, oh, not for me. But isn't that a relief? Then you know. And it will absolutely make sure that you are drawing the right people in. Now, we also don't want to just be speaking to the choir, and that's really important part of persuasion, is to be able to find that magical place where people are willing to hear you out. Otherwise, we can't change people's minds. If we are only talking to the people who already believe in us, we're missing that opportunity for persuasion and change. So I'm not saying be flagrant and dismissive and divisive and degrading in the risky. That's not at all what I'm saying. I'm not saying screw everybody who disagrees with you. That's not helpful for the world, and it's not how we create change. But you still have to be ready and willing to speak your truth. That's courageous, that's risky, and we want to do it in a way where people come along with us and consider their own actions and make change, 'cause that's how we create disruption and change in the industry, in our world, in our communities. But there's always gonna be people who are just like that, you're not for me. That's fine. Not everybody's for me. Not everybody's for you. If you are ready to shift from the sidelines to center stage, into the spotlight, to step into thought leadership, persuasion, industry changing, that's headliner. That's main stage. If you're ready to do that, then you need to embrace story. Your talk needs to be story-driven. You need to step out front with vulnerability to let people see you and not just the brilliant easy stuff where you've succeeded because that can be so disheartening for an audience. They might admire you but they won't feel connected with you and they won't follow you. And then we need to say something with our talks. We need to embrace risk and courage and let that be the pathway to creating new thinking and moving our audience. Yes? Yes! This is all a part of leveraging a signature talk and the kinds of signature talks that can help you be on the main stage. And that's really the point of a signature talk. It's a beautiful, incredible asset. Signature talks, they are an asset to you in your business, and they can be pulled apart and used in all kinds of different scenarios. And part of thought leadership is showing up and as an authority and being present. And you want to be able to be known around an idea, then you need a signature talk because you pull it apart and you can use it every day in all kinds of moments from that big stage headliner moment all the way to the way that you show up on a podcast, to the way that you show up on your Facebook Lives, to the way that you, um, respond to questions, how you write a blog post even. It's an orienting piece of content in your business, and it is the pathway, the first step towards real thought leadership and being taken seriously as a go-to in your industry. If you currently have a signature talk, I want you to do a check check against what I just said here. Do you have enough story in your talk? Do you have enough vulnerability? Do you have enough risk and courage and teeth in your talk to create change? And if you don't yet have a talk, this is what I want you aiming for. You need, you need to do it. It's a really essential asset for you in moving forward and growing your speaking. Which, P.S., in about a month we are launching the next cohort of the Signature Talk Studio. So be on the lookout. There's gonna be a lot more coming to you about that. As always, always so thrilled to invite in new members into STS, into my community to support you in your speaking journey and to help you really leverage the power of speaking to grow your authority and your impact and your revenue. Cuz that is what a signature talk can do. Profitable, repeatable, scalable signature talk. It's worth a lot. Thanks again for joining us here on This Moved Me. I hope that moved you. It moved me. And as we talked about at the beginning, it's a huge few weeks here, and I'm throwing all kinds of goodies at you. The most important one I want to make sure that you did not miss out on this. Is this one right here: bemoved.com/videos. Join us for this free series. It launches on October 4th, but you can sign up right now. There's some support that's going to come alongside when you join us for that video series, and then join us live on October 7th for the final installment. I will see you there. Kind of having a speaker dance party moment.