In this short solo podcast, Sally Z (host of Be Moved) shares a motivational framework for building speaking confidence by cultivating deeper self‑trust. She first invites listeners to the free Story Impact virtual event on October 6, where speakers will explore how to leverage story in speaking. Sally then explains that true confidence is fleeting and ego‑driven, whereas self‑trust—knowing you can handle any speaking situation—provides lasting power. She outlines three practical habits that high‑performing speakers consistently use: (1) “Show up anyway,” a consistency habit that means committing to speaking opportunities despite fear, rejection, or imperfections; (2) “Pause and connect,” a clarity habit that involves taking a brief breath before speaking to align the message with the audience’s needs and stakes; and (3) “Say yes,” a courage habit that encourages embracing new speaking invitations and challenges, even when they feel uncomfortable. By repeatedly applying these habits, speakers build evidence of their capability, strengthen self‑trust, and unlock greater impact and opportunities.
Chapters
Hey movers, it's Sally Z with Be Moved. Let's go create some talks that will move this world. We're gonna talk with amazing 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 serving you. So today we are short and sweeting this, extra short and sweet, talking about 3 habits that will help build your speaking confidence. Not just your confidence in life, although I tend to think that they are related, but your speaking confidence. How can we do that? Before we dive in anymore, I just want to make sure that you all have all signed up to join us at the Story Impact virtual free event. It is October 6th. It is 4 hours. I'm bringing in some amazing speakers. I will tell you more about that as I confirm them, but some people that you know here in the group, some people who you've probably heard of. Oh my gosh, I'm so jazzed. And of course I will be there too, helping emcee and facilitate in sharing some really powerful ideas on how to leverage story in your speaking. Story is the heart of your speaking. It's the heart of your business. And so if you feel like there's more that I can be doing with stories, I want you to come join us for that. The goal of that time together is to help you find a story that you can then turn and leverage with your audience in powerful ways. So wherever you are on your speaking journey, you are already out there scaling your speaking and bringing in the big bucks. Awesome. Come join us because we're gonna help you make sure that you're doing this intentionally. Every speaker I've ever worked with has come to me and realized I'm not doing enough with stories. I'm not really leveraging it enough. Okay. If that's you, okay, come join us. If you are just getting started on your speaking journey, if you're in the other end of that experience spectrum and you're like, okay, I know stories are important. I know I need to get speaking. This will help get your momentum. Going so that you can turn and leverage it in the everyday, on the free stages, and on the big stages that are calling for you. That's why we're here. Okay. So today, I'll see you on the 6th. Come join us there. But today we're talking about building your speaking confidence and 3 habits that I have noticed of the speakers who are killing it. They are rocking it out there. Here are some of the things that they do. Are doing right now. Before we dive in too far into that, I wanna talk about this distinction because we're talking about building confidence, but the real thing that I'm helping you build is a phrase called self-trust. Okay? I'm not actually going for confidence for you because confidence is fleeting. Confidence is about results. Confidence is more ego than it is— it's not totally ego, but it's got more ego in it than self-trust. Self-trust looks like you walking into a situation that you can't control and trusting that you will be able to handle it. That is what I want for you. I want you to be able to trust yourself. To walk into any situation, virtual, real, live workshop, keynote, Instagram Live, LinkedIn Live, um, and know that you have it all within you already. You've done the work and you're ready. You can trust yourself. So when I say we're building confidence, we are. But we're actually building something even deeper and it is called self-trust. That is what it's all about and that's what we're gonna be doing. So let's talk about these 3 ideas. The first one, and you have heard this here a lot, it's to show up anyway. Okay, we're talking about these 3 C's. If you're— are you on my email list? If you're on my email list, you saw a little preview of this. These 3 C's that will help get you to a place where you're like, yes, I'm ready to do this. I want to keep going. Turns out, Sally, surprise, surprise, I am a speaker. Okay. Most people don't start their process with me believing it. They're like, I want it, but I'm a facilitator. I'm not really, really owning it. And part of how build into that belief is by showing up anyway. Not showing up at all costs, not showing up because it's like, you know, ex— totally expected of you, but showing up despite our fears, showing up despite rejection, showing up despite not having makeup on, showing up despite the baloney that gets in the way, because it's baloney. Let's just be honest about that. A lot of it is baloney. So that is habit number 1. We show up anyway. You put it on the calendar, you commit, and you make good on that commitment. When we show up anyway, when we have consistency with our speaking, You start to build self-trust because you start to look back and see the evidence of what you've done. You're like, oh, actually I can do this. Oh, I have dealt with something like this before. It's gonna be okay. It's not gonna be perfect, but it's gonna be okay. And I can do this. Habit number 1, consistency. We show up anyway. The second habit that we're gonna build is around clarity, because part of the expertise of speaking is getting really clear on your message. Okay? And how do we do that? Okay, there's lots of different things that I could highlight for you around clarity, but clarity partly comes because we show up anyway and we just try, and the more we do it, the clearer we get. Okay? But there's a really important habit called pause and connect I wanna share with you, and that is just taking a moment before you speak in any context and pausing and connecting what you are about to say with your audience. Why should they care? What does it matter? Being able to articulate that is the clarity that matters the most. Having the cool frameworks is great, but why should they care? Because for you right now, this matters because without self-trust, you're not leveraging your speaking and your stories. Your impact is dissipating versus you trusting yourself, believing that you are a speaker. And putting yourself out into the world more in order to take advantage of it. So we show up anyway, we pause and connect, and then, okay, let me just say one more thing about pause and connect. This is not like a take a day to figure out your content. Sometimes you might need a day. For most people, it is it's truly just a deep breath and you take a moment and get into the minds and hearts of your audience and say, what from this do they need to hear? What is at stake? Pause and connect. And the last little bit, which is not going to surprise anybody, which is the habit of saying yes. I like this habit. Have you ever done like a, a yes day? My neighbors who are amazing, they did a yes day for their daughter for her birthday last year. And at one point I got a picture, my daughter got to go along on, on the yes day and I was like, you guys are amazing. I've never had the courage. I've never had the courage to say yes to a yes day. I'm like, oh man, my kids, you know, and I know you can put up boundaries and blah, blah, blah. It seems like something I would do, but for whatever reason, I just have not had the courage to say yes to a yes day. But these two, these two amazing parents said yes to a yes day. And some of the things that they did together. Were just so delightful and amazing. There were costumes, there were balloons, there was ice cream, and in the morning, and all kinds of really fun things. What would happen if you said yes more to things, even though you're a little bit afraid, even though you're like, whoa, this sounds like a This sounds scary. This sounds unknown. I don't know if I can. I don't know if I have what it takes. What happens when we say yes more? That's how it happens. That's kind of the bottom line on that. Saying yes is how it happens. And so that is my encouragement for you. Is to lean into courage, to say yes. Okay? Say yes to the invite. Say yes to the LinkedIn Live. Say yes to the Instagram Live. Even if you're like, what are we gonna talk about? And I don't know. Say yes. Pause and connect. Take a moment to connect why this matters to your audience so that it is not just you talking. What is at stake for the people you're talking to? And then be consistent about it. Okay? That is how we get better. It is how we learn, and it is how we build into self-trust because we start to see the evidence of our what we're really capable of, what you're really capable of. And you are capable of so much. You are, but you need to say yes more. Pause and connect so you can find the clarity and show up anyway. You got this. All right, my friends, thank you for being here. It's a short and sweet one, but I am excited to see these habits come to life more for you. Say yes, pause and connect, show up anyway, because your self-trust is the pathway to more impact. Your self-trust will allow you to enter in to bigger opportunities, to put yourself out there, even if they don't happen, but it is the momentum maker. That leads you on the path to more speaking and more impact. All right, friend, thanks for being here. We'll see you soon. Bye-bye.
