The Speaking Coach Who Can't Stop Analyzing Every Presentation She Sees | Speaking Story (Intro)

Brain science is cool, and that's why we use some brain science.

Here we go. Here we go. Welcome, welcome to episode number 1 of the Speaking Story audiobook. We are diving in, and as promised, we are publishing this work part by part. So every week we'll drop a whole nother part, several episodes at once every week. And I think in part 1, I think we have like 8 episodes. Is that right? Let me see. Oh, 10! 10! You get 10 episodes here in this first drop, and you can listen to them in one, you know, flow if you want, or Guess what? You can take them a little bit at a time. Here's the deal. I, I actually recorded the book. Here's the story behind the book as we step into this prologue, because the prologue is, uh, it's not the shortest chapter in the book, but it's pretty short. It's pretty short. So this episode, um, each episode will vary in length. This first one's short. Uh, I recorded this in in December of 2024. December 2024. I think that's right. My goodness. And my whole goal was, oh, when I hit the year mark, because I had released it in February of 2024, so I was like, I'll release the audiobook at the year mark. And just could not get my poop in a scoop or get my shit together. As they say. Is it cool, you guys? I'm just gonna swear sometimes. I feel like the old me, the like, "This moved me" of the first 250 episodes probably didn't swear. I don't know exactly where the evolution began. It's always been in me. But as you talk and talk and talk about— as me, I'm talking about me right now— as I talk about discovering your own self-trust and allowing yourself to be seen, the reality is it's so hard to do that even as an expert on it, and me being somebody who can cultivate it in other people really, really well, it is a gift that I have, for myself, there are plenty of moments where I'm skimming on the surface and it, uh, don't always drop into what's real because it's vulnerable. It's fucking hard. And as the stakes have gotten higher and higher for all of us in this world, as a mom of 3 kids, as a citizen, as a Minnesotan, I just— the fucks have dropped away. So, I'm gonna ask for your openness to, I don't know, like version 75 of Sally in this evolution and growth of life, and to invite you to drop into the same sense of truth in who you are, to let the facade drop away as you can. Like I said, it's not easy to do. I talk about it all the time and I aim for it, but doing it is hard. But that's my goal. That's how I want you to show up and this is how I'm going to show up. So we are not aiming for perfection as we step into this.

Yay!

And we might leave in—

the audiobook itself has been perfected to some degree, but you'll hear mistakes in there too.

That's totally cool with me. I am, I feel very comfortable with that because it is a human experience storytelling, and you listening to my voice, I want to feel like a human experience to you too. And especially in these intros, I want it to feel raw and real, like we're just, I'm giving you a little bit of context with these intros. This is part of what you get when you listen to this here versus over on Audible. Audible, it's just kind of your true-to-form, beginning-to-end audiobook, although there's some really fun human stuff in there too. But you'll hear that here as well. But these intros will give each chapter a little bit of context with a little note from me. And yeah, you might hear the doorbell ring and Bailey have a say about that. Who's coming to the door?

Ah!

That's, that's what she does.

And we love her.

We do. So let's just take a minute. Ha! Pause. All right. All of that background and context and talk about the first line of this book, of the prologue. It starts, you belong on stage. And then I like feel like I have to insist on it. You do.

You do.

Even if you don't believe it yet. That's how the book begins.

And it is a mantra that I say even to people who pay me to help them get paid as a speaker.

They believe in this dream so much that they've hired a coach to help them do it. And I'm still reminding them that they belong on stage, even when there's a tiny little part of you that wonders if it's true.. And when we use the word stage, I just want you to know that means you in front of other people in all the various forms we do that. So that's how we begin this book. And I, and I want you to hear it right now before we go any further. And if you are new to this, I wanna make sure you know who this random voice is. My name is Sally Zimney Koering Zimney. And you are about to join us on the adventure of the Speaking Story audiobook. And it is available to you completely free right here on this podcast and over on YouTube. And every week I'm dropping another section, another part of the book, which includes a handful of chapters. And I am genuinely so glad that you are here. Because you belong on stage. You do. Even if you don't believe it yet. Let's get started. Woo woo woo!

Hey everybody, and welcome to This Moved Me, a podcast about creating talks that move the world.

With me, your host, Sally Koering Zimney.

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 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 1: Stories are the Tool. The stories we tell literally make the world. If you want to change the world, then you need to change your story. Michael Margolis. I was standing up in front of about 150 7th graders. It was as smelly as you might think and as frustrating and as difficult, but it was also so much fun. 7th graders are the most amazing combination of heartbreaking and uplifting, and I love speaking to them because if you can win their trust, they will go with you 100%. I was speaking for Youth Frontiers, a national youth-serving organization, and it was our job to show up and convince an entire class of teenagers to treat one another differently. We We talked about big universal ideas like kindness, courage, and respect in large group activities, small group conversations, and two 20-minute TEDx-style talks. It was a week of camp all jammed into one day. That day I was speaking about courage. As you can imagine, 7th graders are not so into courage, although I think it takes a lot of courage to be a 7th grader. I remember standing at the front of the packed gym, microphone in hand, feeling this sense of disconnect. The students were squirrely, looking behind me, turning to their neighbors, just being really chatty. I was pouring my heart into these big ideas, and I wanted so badly for them to take in these messages. But in that moment, it was painfully obvious that they didn't give a crap about courage yet. They didn't really know what it looks like. They didn't know what impact it could have on their lives. They didn't know why it would ever be worth the risk. And why should they care? My simply telling them to care is just another adult telling them what to do without showing them why they should do it. Every parent on the planet eventually learns this hard lesson. These 7th graders were not with me. So I made a game time call. I skipped past the next 5 minutes of what I'd planned to share, which were some seriously powerful one-liners that they weren't going to listen to anyway, and jumped right into a story about John. John was a student I had met a few weeks back at a different event. He was one of those kids who was so excited to spend the day with us. He came in with so much energy and a positive spirit, and as an adult, I was like, "Aww, what a sweet kid!" I immediately loved him. But thanks to the unique perspective I had from the front of the room, I also noticed that John was alone a lot. He sat by himself during lunch. Nobody would sit with him when we gathered in a large group. I had a feeling that John was having a rough time at school and didn't have a lot of friends. At the end of this retreat experience, we invited the students to walk into the center of the room and share how they're going to act with courage more in their lives. The first student to get up was John. He walked to the middle of the room, picked up the microphone, looked around at his classmates, and said with a shaking voice, "I hear what you all say about me. I want you to know that it hurts, and my act of courage is to ask you to please stop." And the whole feel of the room changed. Talk about an act of courage! John's classmates responded in the most beautiful way. By supporting him, making commitments to change, and even being more present with him, it was a remarkable moment that I will never forget. Which is exactly why I decided to share that story with my squirrely 7th graders. As I talked about John and his act of courage, our whole room changed. The students were quiet and leaning in. I could almost see their brains processing, empathizing, thinking, wondering, "If that was me?" Would my classmates respond like that? How would I respond if the John in my class got up and did that? I felt the sense of focus and commitment, and I thought, "Wow, story is so powerful." It became clear to me in that moment that story is how we get those big, beautiful, important ideas into the 7th graders' hearts and minds. Even when they are initially resistant. Without story, our messages don't have a chance. Whatever change you want to make, whether it's a new product, a new program, a different way of being, a new policy, an innovation, or a stand you want to take, the revolution or change you want to make needs the tool of story to work. Take, for example, the rapid pace of change in the realm of LGBTQ+ rights over the last two decades. That change was fueled very intentionally by stories. Here in Minnesota, where I grew up and am now raising my own family, there was a proposed ban on gay marriage during the 2012 midterm elections. At the time, I had 3 young kids and I felt deep within me that I wanted to protect the rights of my LGBTQ+ friends and family. So one day, between toddler music classes and story time, I took my littles to the Say Yes to No office to grab a yard sign to proudly display my support. Now, I have strong feelings about things, but I'm also a proud Minnesotan and a do-gooder and people pleaser, and, well, I don't like conflict. I don't love the inherent divides that are created when we publicly say, "This is what I believe," through a sign or a button, because, of course, humans are more complex and nuanced than what most signs or buttons can fairly communicate. It puts us into distinct camps against one another, instead of finding common ground. But on this issue, I knew I needed to overcome my desire to moderate and people-please in order to protect the LGBTQ+ community. So I grabbed that sign and explained to the kiddos that we would be putting it in our yard because love is love, and if two women or two men love each other, they should be able to get married to show their commitment, and the world should understand their commitment to each other as well. You know Stephanie and Morgan? I asked my kids.

Yes!

They love our friends Stephanie and Morgan. They love each other and deserve to get married, I said, just like me and Daddy.

They get that.

Mom and Dad are married and they love each other. Morgan and Stephanie love each other, so why can't they get married? It's the universal love story of two people wanting to commit their lives to each other and to have the world recognize and understand their level of commitment. As we were leaving the office, one of the workers handed us a flyer encouraging us to talk to others about why we support stopping the ban. On the flyer, they shared their core strategy, and it went something like this: Share your stories. Share about the people in your life who are and have been affected by laws like this. Share your values around marriage and how those values are the same ones that lead heterosexual couples to want to get married. In other words, it was asking us to tell the love stories of these folks because underneath the categories and divisions is the same story: we met, we fell in love, we longed for a deeper commitment, and we invited the world to recognize that commitment as we build our life together. Minnesota defeated the ban on gay marriage, thanks in part to story. That same approach has been used again and again to humanize issues where people stand staunchly in disparate camps. The more stories we tell, the more change happens. Because once you know the story of Stephanie and Morgan, you recognize your own love story in theirs. And though that particular story is about love—this is not squishy stuff we're talking about—stories are at the heart of every idea and human aspiration that has ever existed. Behind the Mission to Mars? Story. Behind every fictional and non-fictional writing project? Story. Behind your bold new idea? A story. Stories are the currency of empathy, connection, resonance, and trust. Stories can create and dissolve business partnerships, tap into innovation, or alienate and exclude through fear. Stories are the tool of the revolution, whatever revolution you're working on. Whether your world is 150 7th graders, a business conference room, the TEDx stage, your words and stories are what will move it. That's the end of this chapter of Speaking Stories. 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/unspeaker. All right, Movers. This moved me. What is moving you? See you next time.