In this free audiobook excerpt, Sally Koering Zimney introduces Chapter 26 of her book Speaking Story, focusing on speaker Jason Jagard’s presentation at the Story Conference. Sally frames the segment as part of a larger series that showcases how her Moment‑Meaning‑Move (3 M’s) framework comes alive in real talks. She provides context about her coaching philosophy, her collaboration with Jason, and the purpose of the series—to help listeners learn to craft talks that move audiences. The core analysis dissects Jason’s use of a metaphor‑driven opening (the “water‑park” metaphor) to create a compelling Moment, then leverages audience‑participation questions to generate Meaning, and finally shifts to a Move by extending the metaphor of water‑jet currents that steer behavior, urging listeners to change those hidden “jets.” Sally intersperses coaching commentary, offering pro‑tips such as consistently using the metaphor’s language throughout a talk to deepen meaning. The excerpt also features short testimonial clips from three clients—Kari, Tony, and Todd—who praise Sally’s coaching and the Be Moved Institute. The segment concludes with promotional calls to action for the Be Moved Institute waitlist and the $49 Unspeaker Simple Storytelling course, and a reminder to subscribe for future episodes.
Chapters
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Welcome back everybody to this Speaking of Story free audiobook version that you are either listening to on YouTube or you are listening in your podcast feed. Either way, welcome! I'm so glad that you are here. We are spending some time walking through chapter by chapter of the book Speaking Story. Uh, this is a book that I wrote a few years ago. My name is Sally Koering Zimney. I'm a keynote speaker and a coach, and this is my life's work. This is my passion, helping people, empowering people to move from the sidelines into the spotlight and really leverage the power of speaking to bring their idea to life, to help make a pitch, to find more confidence in your role as a leader. And stories are the tool, which is why I wrote a whole book about it called Speaking Story. And we are here, we're in part 5, and we're moving through. Part 5 is so awesome because it's where I get to highlight speakers and really hold them up and, and look at how the framework that I talk about in the book, Moment, Meaning, Move, the 3 M's, how that framework comes to life in actual talks with actual speakers, given how all the different ways that we can do this, that it's, as we've been talking about, it's more of an art than it is a science. And so I wanted to show you just an array of how all of these talks can come to life. And so in this section of the book, in this part of the book, we're highlighting speaker by speaker each chapter. We started with Hannah Brencher, who's amazing, and then Josh Shipp, and now we are on chapter 26 with the brilliant Jason Jagard. And Jason and I have spoken on the same stage a handful of times. But the first time I got to see him speak, and this is the, the story and kind of the part of his talk that I got to see when I was sitting in the audience at a conference called The Story Conference, which is just a really beautiful experience. And Jason really brings the moment, meaning, move idea to life, but in a slightly different way. So I'm excited for you to experience this. And as with all of the talks in this part, in this part of the book, I'm just analyzing it, assuming as if you've already watched it. And this is a talk that is not out there on the internet necessarily already. Some of the talks that I'm highlighting in this section are TED Talks, so you can find them on the internet. You could Google that person and Google their talk and probably find it. But this is a talk that the amazing producers of the Story Conference gave me permission to use and share. And it's just a little excerpt. It's just the first, I don't know, 3, 4 minutes where the moment, meaning, move idea comes to life. And because I can't help it, because I am a coach forever and ever, even when I'm speaking, I'm still a coach. And when I'm coaching, I'm a coach. It's just, it's kind of in me. It's sort of like how I show up in this world is making space for and with other people and helping empower them to move forward. There's, um, some ideas in here where I was like, I, I thought the way Jason did it was beautiful and super fun, but you know, I can't help it. I'm like, and maybe next time if I, if we were doing it again, if Jason and I were working together, I'd be like, oh, how about this? Or here's an idea. That is just really what I do. But I offer that not as a, this is what he should do, or this is a better way to do it, but because part of what we do as speakers is we iterate and we try and we say in this moment right here, but it could also be this. And so what I hope is that it's a tool for you to think collaboratively about your own talks. "how could this look for me? What does this look like if I take this idea and this framework and apply it in my own talk and my own ideas and my own message?" And there's no one way to do it. There's no even "right way to do it," quote unquote. There's just a lot of ideas to try out and bring it to life. So that is the spirit with which I approach all of these is like a, a collaborator, an idea person, and with full respect and honor of what was shared, because obviously I'm highlighting it because I think it's beautiful. Jason himself is one of those speakers, just so you know, if you ever get the chance to hear him. I hope that you will, because I've had some of these like really mind-expanding moments, aha moments, in my own life because of Jason. One time, this was I think the same conference, I went to his workshop partly because I was like, just thought his stage talk, his keynote was so good. I was like, oh my gosh, A, super talented and really skilled. But then I was like, well, now I have to go to his workshop because, because I am always assessing. And it's whatever, it's fine, it's not a burden, but I'm always analyzing, and I really wanted to— I, I just wanted to go where I could trust it was going to be good. And I was like, I'm going to Jason's workshop, I trust that it's going to be good. And he offered a framework in that workshop that I reference and, and think about all the time, and even have, have turned around and I will always quote Jason and that I learned it from him, but, but this idea to share it with my own speakers is just like so, so good. So I say all of that as context for the respect that I have for all of the speakers that I highlight here in this part of the book, but especially Jason here, because I think he's just super, super talented, and I'm really happy to introduce him to all of you. So enjoy Jason Jakard. Here you go.
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 the Speaking Story audiobook is brought to you in part by the Be Moved Institute, or as I like to call it, Be Me. I'm going to let a few people speak for me here. First, Kari, a senior leader who brought this work inside her organization.
As a leader in my organization, I am often in a position to be in front of people. Presenting to clients, running meetings, being asked to speak at a conference, moderate a panel. And working with Sally has really helped me hone my skills, specifically presence, my confidence, my warmth and competence on stage, and really has set me up for success to be a more confident representative for my company. So the ROI is incredible and really sets her apart. It's a repeatable system. Working with Sally has really changed our game.
And then there's Tony, a former Fortune 500 executive.
Regular speaking coaches is giving you, you know, here's how you package the message and here, be sure to stand over here. You know, Sally's brand is all about move, right? So be moved. And so she helps you to, to communicate from human to human and back.
And Todd.
She really focuses on each individual and what they need to get to the next place. She's so in tune with the moment and what you need at that moment that she individualizes everyone's journey. She calls herself a professional nudger. That is what she does. She keeps pushing in the most loving way possible.
The Be Moved Institute exists to bring this work into organizations at scale. The real work of helping your leaders communicate with clarity, courage, and genuine human connection. If that's something your organization needs, I want to talk to you. Join the waitlist at sally-z.com/institute. And if you want to start right now, today, for $49, the Unspeaker Simple Storytelling course is at sally-z.com/unspeaker. And that'll get you started. Now let's get into the chapter.
Chapter 26: Jason Jagard. I've seen Jason speak at the Story Conference where we've shared the stage together a few times. The first time I saw him speak, I was in the audience and I thought, "Holy cow, this guy's amazing!" But what I like about this story example is that Jason has a slightly different style and approach. He's following the structure, but he's doing it in in his own way. If you'd like to watch Jason's talk, you can find it by going to speakingstory.com and signing up for the toolkit, which will send you right to the link. The moment. Did you notice that Jason uses a metaphor at the beginning instead of a more traditional personal story? A metaphor is a story, and it has the same impact on the brain that a traditional story does. It's emotively grounded. It gives us a visual imaginative connection, and it sparks empathy and a deeper sense of meaning. Because I'm ABA-ing here, I'm thinking about what I would suggest if I were coaching a speaker. If I were coaching Jason, I would want to know about one time he went to the water park. That would be an even better setup for the metaphor. By engaging the audience and asking questions, what does it do? What was it like? What is it called? Jason is having the same impact on the audience that a story would. This is igniting each audience member's imagination, memories, and experiences. It has a similar structural effect on the brain, and it's how we get an audience to care about what it is we're talking about. The meaning. With his meaning, Jason creates resonance by simply taking that metaphor and asking, How many of you have ever felt like you are moving against the current in this, or this, or this, or this? That's all it takes. Through that simple question, we come to be a part of this experience, and sometimes that's all you need to do: ask a compelling and resonant question of your audience. The Move. Then Jason shifts to the move by saying, Underneath the surface of the water, there are jets that are taking you a certain direction, whether you want to go that way or not. Most people try to get you to swim harder. I want to talk about: how do we change the jets? So just for a few minutes, I want to talk about a few jets that unknowingly move our lives in certain directions that usually veer toward mediocrity, apathy, and a life that is less than what we're capable of. Dang, so good. He's using the language of the metaphor to continue the emotional story and connection. We already feel it thanks to the story and the metaphor, but now Jason's creating meaning from that feeling. Here's a pro tip: whenever you are pulling meaning from your moment, use the language of the metaphor and the story to increase your meaning-making You've already created connection and resonance through the language of the story. Continue to use it throughout your talk, and that will help deepen the meaning and create even more clarity in your message.
That is the end of this chapter of Speaking the Story. If you want to find the full audiobook ad-free, you can go grab that over on Audible, or you can subscribe right where you're at right now so you so you never miss the next episode. And if what Kari, Tony, Todd described earlier sounds like something your leaders need, that ability to get clear, to connect, and actually move the people they're leading, that's exactly what the Be Moved Institute is built for. It is not a one-and-done workshop. It's a system. So join the waitlist over at sally-zimney.com/BeMoved. Sallykoeringzimney.com/institute, or if you wanna start right now, go grab that Unspeaker course for $49 at sally-zimney.com/unspeaker.
All right, movers. This moved me. What is moving you? See you next time.
