In this podcast excerpt, Sally Koering Zimney introduces Chapter 2 of her book Speaking Story, framing speaking as a form of leadership in action. She explains that while stories can be shared through many media, speaking them—whether in person or virtually—creates a unique embodiment of ideas through the speaker’s physical presence, voice, and tone. Zimney emphasizes the vulnerability and public commitment required to speak one’s story, arguing that this act pulls speakers out of anonymity and aligns with the risks leaders take. The episode also provides context for the free audiobook release, notes that the world has shifted since the original publication, and promotes her Unspeaker Simple Storytelling audio course and the Be Moved Institute as resources for developing authentic, impactful speaking. The segment closes with a call to listeners—whom she calls “movers”—to apply these principles and continue the journey of moving others with their words.
Chapters
Thank you, Bailey.
Hello, hello, hello, amazing movers. That's you. If you're listening to this, you are a mover. Welcome to the Speaking Story audiobook, available to you completely free right here on the podcast, on YouTube. Every week we drop another part. Of the book Speaking Story that was written by me, Sally Koering Zimney. I am a keynote speaker, a coach, and turns out an author of this book called Speaking Story. Because I believe in this idea so much, I'm making sure that you can get it for free right here. The ad-free version will be over on Audible, so you can always go over there, but one of the things that's cool about doing this here on this podcast feed and on YouTube is that I get to give you just a little bit of context about what each of these sections— what it means. Because the truth is, the book is a few years old, and the audiobook is also a few years old, and the world has changed just a little bit. So my role here as the speaking coach, really that is the perspective that I bring to this book and to this audiobook and this time together. It is a bit of an obsession of mine that I cannot escape. I truly cannot move through life anymore without thinking about how we can move each other with our words. It's a bit of an occupational hazard. And in this first chapter, it's really an introduction. I want to share with you what I've been studying all this time and why I think it is so, so important that you're here. So let's dive in. Hey everybody, and welcome to This Moved Me, a podcast about creating talks that move the world.
With me, your host, Sally Koering Zimney.
This complimentary listening of this Speaking Story audiobook is brought to you in part by the Be Moved Institute, or as I lovingly refer to it, Be Me. Leadership almost always comes with a microphone, movers, whether that's a meeting, a presentation, a tough conversation, a keynote conference opportunity that you have. I mean, even if you would never call yourself a speaker or a storyteller, you are one. You just might not have the tools that you need yet or the support that you need yet. And that's why I created the Unspeaker Simple Storytelling audio course. It's like having me right alongside you on your walk or in the car on your commute, and it guides you through simple, powerful exercises to find the leadership stories that are already inside you and that will move your people. It's $49, but it's truly priceless, and I'm really excited to give you the opportunity to come join me over there. All you have to do is head to Sally Koering Zimney sallykoeringzimney.com/unspeaker to get started. And while you're there, join the waitlist for the Be Moved Institute, an incredible 2-day experience where we are giving corporate leaders the tools to present with power and clarity and authenticity and support. Now let's get into the chapter.
Chapter 2: Speaking is Leadership in Action. "Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today." Robert McKee. There are lots of ways for you to share your stories. Speaking them is only one way. You can write it, draw it, put it in a commercial, write a memoir, or plaster it on your blog. All of those ways are fine and good, but in my opinion, they're not quite as impactful as speaking it. There is something about the particular art of standing up and speaking your story, even virtually. When I stand on stage to talk about stories, I'm trying to get people to understand something you can only understand when you experience it yourself. You are standing up for an idea, literally. This is leadership in action. It is the embodiment of your idea in the human form of your physical presence, your body, your words, your tone, and your actions.
Ya can't fake it.
Well, you can try, but it won't work very well. We'll see through it. So it challenges us in a particular way to publicly commit to this idea and story as a part of us. It pulls us out of our anonymity. If you are speaking your story, it's important to note that it means you are not a writer. I mean, you may also be a writer, but that's not what we're talking about here. I want you to shift your thinking from "I'm going to write this story" to "I'm going to speak this story," and watch how that changes you and how you feel about it. There is something about the act of getting up on your feet and saying words out loud that gets your heart pumping in a different way. The risk of vulnerability in speaking puts you on the line in a way that nothing else does. If I'm gonna stand up and say this, I better believe it. It's gotta be in me, because I am literally standing for it. And as we do this, we are talking about leadership as much as we're talking about speaking. It's a beautiful parallel development because the risks we take as leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers reflect how we show up as speakers because speaking is leadership in action. So as you bring your message and story out into the world more, it requires leadership to do it well and to do it with the kind of impact you really wanna have. That's the end of this chapter of Speaking the Story.
If you want to keep listening ad-free, you can find the full audiobook on Audible or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube. And if this chapter stirred something in you, if it, shall we say, moved you, let me suggest that you start with the Unspeaker Simple Storytelling Audio Mini Course at sally-zimney.com. Www.thesallykoeringzimney.com/unspeaker.
