3 Steps to Becoming an Authentic Speaker

Hey everybody, in today's video we're gonna be talking about 3 steps that you can take to become a more authentic speaker. Yes, I use the buzzword authenticity. You might be thinking, aren't you either authentic or not? But no, that's not how this works. In fact, I'm gonna share with you 3 things you can do to become a more authentic speaker. Hey everybody, my name is Sally Koering Zimney. I am the speaker coach at Be Moved and I coach purpose-driven entrepreneurs to utilize speaking more in their business by unleashing their authentic voice, help them to step on stage, virtual or live, with more courage and more clarity so they can leave self-doubt and obscurity in the dust. And as always, I'm so excited for you to be coming along on this journey with me because I love to walk with speakers on their journey to become a more authentic, impactful speaker. So hit the subscribe button if you are new here so that you don't miss a thing. Now listen, we all know those speakers who are kind of like phoning it in or They're just doing it like so-and-so. They're not really showing up as themselves. And you can tell because it just seems like they're not even comfortable in their own skin. Yes, we know what that's like from an audience perspective. You might even know what that's like from a speaking perspective. Those days where you just kind of feel out of body. A lot of us start off that way because speaking can be kind of uncomfortable. I mean, it's really pushing us in big ways, especially if it's not something that we have done a ton of. But here's what I want you to know, and this is a really foundational idea, and that is that it is okay for you to do things a little bit differently. It is okay for you to show up as you. In fact, we really want you to. We need you to. Otherwise, we create that feeling that you're just not yourself up there. And that creates disconnection, and I'm not gonna listen to what you have to say. So I want you to know that right off the bat. There is room for you to show up exactly as you are. And what that means is that your authentic voice is your speaking superpower. That's right. Do we need to say that again? That's a big one. Your authentic voice is your speaking superpower. My gosh, that's the thing that helps you become the most impactful, most successful, move your audience kind of speaker. It's what makes you a mover. So let's talk about the ways in which we can get there. And I think a really good place to start is back in high school. Well, at least for me. When I was in high school, I was on the speech team, probably not a surprise. And we were at this national tournament about to walk into these national rounds and everybody was feeling pretty nervous. So Jenny gathered us up and she turned to my teammate Brian and Coach Jenny said, Brian, you are so smart. 'Your intelligence is what is so powerful about you as a speaker. It's such a sophisticated talk. Just let your intelligence shine and know that that is so powerful.' And I was like, 'It's so true. Brian is so smart. Like, this talk is so good and it's so well thought out. It's amazing. Like, yes, Brian.' And then Jenny turned to my teammate Missy And she said, "Missy, you are so passionate. You are vivacious up there, and your belief in and passion about this idea is so clear, and I cannot help but be moved by that. Like, Missy, know that your passion is your gift." And I turned to Missy, I was like, "That is so true. You are so passionate. It's just beautiful and amazing and powerful up there." I was like, Yes! And then Jenny turned to me and I was like, oh my gosh, what's she gonna say? What is it about me that makes me such a great speaker? And I just couldn't wait to hear. And Jenny said, Sally, and she kind of shrugged, people just like you. I was like, what? That's great, but that's not like a a skill or a talent. What am I doing that has anything to do with that? I mean, it just kind of deflated me a little bit. But fast forward a long time, 20+ years, and here I am embracing that idea because I think Coach Jenny was right. She was right about Brian, she was right about Missy, I think she was right about me. I didn't see it as a gift then, but now I do. So step 1 for you as you are trying to embrace your authentic voice is to number one, know thyself. Gonna use fancy language here today. Know yourself, know who you are, know what gifts you bring to this world. And truthfully, sometimes it's hard to get an accurate picture of ourselves. Like we do not have a real accurate self mirror for ourselves, do we? Or the impact that we can have. So we might start out by having a coach or a colleague or a friend or a partner Give us some accurate information about how we come off, our energy, how impactful we are, what our approach is really like. And that can give you a good place to start. What are some common affirmations that you get in your evaluations or your feedback? Maybe people are saying things like, "You're so engaging. Your information is so helpful. The way you told that story was so powerful. You made me feel like you were talking just to me. You have such great energy." Pay really close attention to what other people say about your approach and use that as you're thinking about who am I and how do I show up? Those are all clues for you as you are thinking about what your natural gifts really are that an audience is getting from you. Now, a quick way that you can start getting even clearer on how you move an audience is, well, I like to think of it as your speaking superpower. And I've got a quiz that you can actually go take that will give you much more information that puts you in one of 4 different buckets and lets you know here's the way in which you are likely most effectively moving your audience. And it also gives you some ideas for ways that you can dig even deeper, become even more effective. You guys want to check this out? Let's look at it. I know what can be. Better than losing, winning can be. Head to right down here, bmoove.com/speaking-superpower-quiz, and you can get lots more info about how you can really show up to be your most effective, most authentic self, to really lean into what that gift is that you have. I do have to tell you, there's always a risk in sharing that your speaking superpower is that people like you 'cause that's not a very likable thing to do. Forgive me. Here's why I'm telling you this. Because our first reaction to our own superpower is often met with some resistance. Because this is a process of getting to know yourself. It's taken me a long time to not cringe in telling that story. Ugh. It might take you a while to get there as well, which brings us to the second idea that we've got to embrace. Which is to accept thyself. First we've gotta know ourselves, but then we've gotta walk the long road to really accepting what it is that we have to offer, even if it's not exactly what we thought it was going to be. It feels kind of like finally accepting that I have strong legs, big legs. Yes, I have really strong legs. I can run really far. I'm super fast. I've raised 3 children with these legs, feel strong now instead of big. Doesn't do us any good to know it until we can fully accept those strengths as well. And where I want us to get is for you to be able to say, yes, this is my #SpeakingSuperpower. After you take the quiz and you figure out what your superpower is, I want you to share it. That brings us to number 3, and this is why we are here, of course, which is to share thyself, right? We know ourselves, we're gonna accept ourselves, and then we've got to share who we are. It doesn't mean share all. Not everybody gets to see everything. That's a great life lesson, is, you know what I mean. But we are here because we have a message to share, we have an idea that we're passionate about, we have a business that we want people to know about because we know it can change lives. And so to do that, we've got to share this gift, this superpower. So once you know thyself and you have accepted thyself, I want you to share thyself. That's what we are doing here today. So if you are not sure where to start, this quiz that I talked about earlier can really get you moving in the right direction. Now there are 4 types of speakers, and you can check out the other videos in this series. To learn a little bit more about those types and maybe self-identify for yourself, but the quiz is going to give you the best information. BeMoved.com/SpeakingSuperPowerQuiz. All right, my friends, that is it for me. Let's go create some talks that'll move the world. Yes? I'll see you next time. Bye. Oh my God. Oh my God, I hate this right now. I've said this story like a million times. What is my problem? I gotta, I gotta itch my nose.