This Moved Me

Hey everybody! I’m so excited to be with you today - mid-way through my Signature Talk Studio launch… The cart closes on Thursday so I wanted to address one of the big needs and questions I’m getting about the course… Like - In the time when so much of our work is done virtually…why would I invest in creating a signature talk? What’s the value of a signature talk when we can’t be live with people for awhile? Well - besides the fact that event planners are now booking speakers for 2021 (so now is actually the PERFECT time to work on your signature talk!… cause when they opportunity knocks you want to be ready!) - But there will also be lots of opportunities to share that talk virtually, before 2021 - and after. According to an April 2020 survey of 1,776 PCMA event planners, 66% have postponed their events – and 7 out of 10 respondents have moved a face-to-face event partially or fully to a virtual platform. And your signature talk is the core of ALL of your messages that you share - whatever the context. So -

I’m thinking back on the thrill of getting a request to speak.    Especially when those gigs are a few months away, it feels like you’ve got all the time in the world to create your talk.    A month out - you think - I should work on that - but I still have some time. I’ll get to it… later.  You know, waiting on that brilliant spark of inspiration.   And then suddenly you’re two weeks away, and panic sets in. No brilliant spark of inspiration - just a rock in the gut, realizing you’ve got a lot to do in a little time - and if you want to do this well you probably should have started… YESTERDAY.    The next two weeks are miserable. Stressful. You’re snapping at the people around you, staying up too late, not taking care of yourself (cause you’re doing this ON TOP of everything else…  Why does everything always happen at the same time, you ask yourself?!   And then - the moment comes - and you step out front… and instead of feeling like a rockstar cause you’re totally prepared - you feel scattered, scared, and

When I was in grad school studying persuasion (yes, that’s a thing), I was at this 10-day residency intensive, where we did an incredible deep-dive into our subject areas with the help of these incredible professors and mentors. In those 10 days, we had to create our plan for the semester… and it was INTENSE. And because I’m an ideas person, I had a bajillion of them… Lots of ideas - lots of hard work - but focus? Not so much. My brain would swirl, and I’d start down one path and then question where I was going and then wonder what I was doing and then veer into another direction. Every day I’d show up to my mentor’s office and say “I’ve got it!” I’m going to do this! - … and then I’d spend a day getting inspired by someone’s talk or a discussion with some brilliant professor - and I’d be off in another direction. Every few days I would freak out and say - I’m not going to get there! I’m not going to figure it out. And my awesome mentor would say - “Trust the process.” Kind of like when I was in theater and w

Every few weeks I get the question of - How can I navigate through my fears? Or - how can I handle my pre-talk jitters? I love this question, because it owns the reality of our pre-talk jitters, and that we ALL get them… And let me say - i sure HOPE you’re getting some pre-talk jitters!!! Cause that means you’re about to do something big, and potentially awesome! Yes, it also means it could be potentially BAD to the same degree but in the opposite direction - but guess what? It doesn’t help to think about that… So instead - we’re going to talk about ways to get our brain focused - our heart ready - and our bodies strong so that we walk into that moment (or turn on the camera for that moment) - and feel ready to be brave… I think of my prep in three areas: Body, Mind and Spirit. BODY: This is a big one because your body is your instrument. And it’s essential that you keep it healthy and ready! MIND: This is all about MANAGING your mind. SPIRIT (HEART): This is about getting your HEART in the right place. Who

Hey Movers! On the show this week, I get to share with you one of my awesome speakers, Kate Fitzsimons. She is a youth motivational speaker from Australia - and speaks with teens all over her country about resilience… She is But then she got the opportunity of a lifetime: the next “bigger” stage, as I like to put it… and she realized she wanted a little extra help. Didn’t want to leave anything on the table Didn’t want to get to that moment and feel like she *should have, could have, done more… When you have a ‘high-stakes’ opportunity - that’s often the point where we say… I need some help. I want to make sure I nail this. I want to feel like I’ve done what I can, I don’t want to leave anything to chance. So she hired me to help her develop her American talk. And Kate is one of my most hard-working speakers… gives 110% in everything she does, and it shows. I’m so excited for you to hear about the process of creating her new signature talk… I thought it would be awesome to also talk with Kate about how she’s

Getting our content out of our heads and into our bodies is ESSENTIAL - and it applies to ANY MESSAGE…virtual, in real life, in a keynote, on a webinar, on your IG LIVE video, on that podcast … DELIVERY is purely how a message lives in your body - and how it is experienced by the Audience. PS - this is ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT when we’re not in the same room! Because our delivery is the ONLY thing tying people to our content! Many of us *know* this… are left with HOW we can create more embodied talks and delivery that is present and focused… Well - it takes time to find it - but I want to share with you one of the key strategies I use to help people take the first step from the script into their bodies - and that’s the Walk and Talk. I have seen this strategy free people from the confines of memorization - and help them deliver with more authenticity… help people discover the REAL words behind their scripts And get out of their heads and into their bodies allowing them to find a little more self-trust and flexibi

Our audiences are meeting us virtually, which has pushed (and pulled!) many of us out front. And yet - for many people it’s not a comfortable prospect. All of us battle some Imposter Syndrome, and meeting our audiences virtually can be both liberating creatively - and especially daunting. So - in this time when our visibility is so essential, how can we get more comfortable with getting more visible?   #1 - BeCLEAR about your WHY. I have been more visible in the last 3 weeks, gotten over myself in some ways because I feel DRIVEN by my PURPOSE. What’s your WHY?…and what do your people NEED? Key Question: What are they struggling with right now?   #2 - BeAUTHENTIC. Own YOUR particular expertise. This is not just about your topic - but your TAKE on that topic! Key Question: Coming at it in the opposite way: What do you DISAGREE with? What trend in your area of business are you willing to stand up and say - NO to? As thought leaders - we need to be saying something NEW, and lead people in a NEW direction. #3 -

Tiffany spent the last 20+ years being an expert and trusted “facilitator”, teacher and workshop leader - but NOT a speaker. Which is what brought her to me. Tiffany knew that speaking is good for her business - for her brand - for her movement and for her message. She WANTED to do it. She planned and strategized around it. She worked with a coach. She was thrilled to get the opportunity to step on stage as a keynoter at this big conference. And she was also scared. “I’m not a speaker” - she said. What?! You speak all the time!, I said! You lead workshops, and get on Lives and create videos… Why not be a speaker?! This has been our conversation over the last few years as we’ve worked together - and finally she had a breakthrough. At one of her recent speaking engagements, she finally felt like a SPEAKER. How about you!? Are you ready to BE a speaker? Are you ready to step through whatever invisible barriers exist that are keeping us from those big stage moments? So embrace the potential of our power and leade

Time. Do you have an abundance of it all of a sudden?   Or - at least different kinds of time. TIME has freed up in the some incredible ways… and it opens up possibilities for us…    I was on a Zoom call this morning (sound familiar?!), and this amazing entrepreneur I was talking to told me that speaking was "always on the list, but never at the top of it - Until now."  Her business has slowed a bit, and now she has TIME - and she is taking that time to invest in her speaking skills, among other things.

I was on Zoom with an entrepreneur recently who said - "You keep saying Signature Talk - and I *think* I know what that means - but I’m not sure." So let me get clear for you - because whatever we call it - we all need one: Signature talk - that one idea you’re known for - what no one else can talk about or do like YOU… Sometimes Signature Talks are in the form of TED Talks - or Branded talks or Keynote talks or get re-purposed in all kinds of ways in podcast conversations or Creative Mornings talks or video messages in courses or marketing messages in webinars and workshops But it all starts with your Signature Talk. - or you might hear me just short-cut it to call it your TED-Talk. Cause we all get what that is - and the TED talk approach is both what audiences now expect, and many event planners are looking for. Do you have a Signature Talk?

Today I have a special bonus episode for you, sharing my most recent Movers Live - a monthly Q&A show where I take on your speaking and presentation questions. I took your questions about video - and how to present virtually, with confidence and authenticity.   Then - I brought on screen with me YouTube Vlogger Josh Johnson, whose spirit comes to LIFE on video! Josh and I worked together for many years, and he's both a wonderful speaker and a wonderful person. He shared with us some of his key tips and strategies for reaching our to your audience, speaking to the camera, and simple tech tips to get you going.   Hope you enjoyed this bonus episode - and I'll be back with you all on Monday talking about why NOW - yes now! - is the time to start working on your Signature Talk. (Not sure what a signature talk is? We'll talk about it!)

You cannot speak (well) without fear. And as we take on any new risk, new venture, new challenge  - we want to move through fear so that we can experience FREEDOM in our speaking.    Getting to FREEDOM means we want to act FEARLESS, even though we are afraid.    In this new virtual world - we need to be fearless in a powerful way.  Talking to an empty audience? - Move through your fear - your audience still needs you.  Attempting a Webinar for the first time to share your message? Move through that fear - your audience still needs you.  Trying a totally new approach in your message sharing? Show up, do the work, even when you’re afraid - your audience still needs you.    And on today's on the show I’m talking with Scott Savage - a pastor and frequent guest on This Moved Me - because he brings a passion for the craft of speaking and combines it with his wise and generous spirit. I wanted him to talk about how he’s moved his speaking virtually - and what that means for him - AND, I wanted to talk with him about

What I am hearing from you is that you are moving quickly - thinking of new ways of reaching your audience - and working hard to pivot your message so it’s on context of the NOW, which is soooo important.    So - here are some things I want you to do as you adjust your content to be attuned to the context of NOW.  and this is soooo important because messages work that RESONATE.    If you GET your audience -  feel them understand the pain, the struggle, the hopes… I think the way forward it clearer.    But let me lay out a few key things that will help.

If you know me at all, you know I LOVE live audiences! I love live events. It’s at the heart and core of what we do. But we can’t do them right now - and that’s ok.  It really is! Because there’s power and purpose in video that allows for NEW connections and impact… IF we can embrace and brave video. So - I want to share with you a few key tips that have helped me do better videos, and speak with more confidence virtually.

Connected and yet disconnected together – and yet apart focused and yet so overwhelmed by the world hopeful about possibilities and yet…afraid.   I am feeling it all, I promise you. And I know many of you are, too.   Here’s what I want you to know: Your voice is still needed. Your message matters, now more than ever.  Your audience still needs you.  And you can do this…   Not only will you get through – but we are going to discover new ways of connection, creation and impact BECAUSE of this.    Not that I’m glad it’s happening, but it is happening. And we are going to focus on loving up our audience – being there WITH THEM and FOR THEM – and we’re going to embrace a new way of connecting and serving.    Tomorrow I’ll be sharing 5 simple tips for your video messages so that you an confidently embrace that art form…. live events will never go away, they’re too special, and I think we’ll learn to appreciate them even more. But this is also a time when we’ll all learn and realize the power of virtual events. Th

In the past week, the world has changed dramatically for many speakers in the United States.  I spoke with one speaker friend who said that in 72 hours she lost 4 months of revenue. Many of my clients' conferences are being delayed or canceled. Many leaders I know are reeling - trying to figure out how to continue to connect, tell their story and have an impact in this world where we cannot be in the same room with our audiences.  And for good reason. I'm all about keeping our distance right now - for the good of all.  So what do we do?  How can we continue to have an impact and make a difference with our messages?  I have been feeling the pain of the community, and want to help. I believe in coming together, focusing on what’s possible, and seeking out joy.  Here's what I am going to do to love you all up, and continue to serve you in the best way I know how:  First - I'm offering a free webinar this Thursday to help us embrace the power of video, find our confidence in that arena, and continue to make conne

Julian Treasure is a world-renown speaker whose TED talk is one of the 10-most watched TED talks of all-time, and whose vision is to transform the world by inspiring people to listen consciously and speak powerfully. He is author of the books How to be Heard and Sound Business. I am so thrilled to have Julian back on the show to talk about how we can tune into our audiences, listen to what they're telling us - and speak so that people will listen. Enjoy!

Welcome to the NEW BeMoved! In this episode my husband Andy Zimney digs in with me all about the big changes coming your way! Why the new name? What else is different? Why did you make some of the branding choices you did? How's the process been? What do you hope to bring to your speakers in 2020 and beyond? Check out the new Courses, Community and Coaching!  

Travis Thomas from Live Yes, And holds a wide array of identities... improvisor, leadership coach, personal development guru, teacher, social entrepreneur - and of course, speaker. In fact - speaking is where all these ideas blend together and come to life! In this week's episode, Travis and I have a pretty 'meta' conversation about the ideas of improv - and how we can not only USE them in our speaking to help bring our ideas to life - but how we NEED them as speakers and entrepreneurs.

I'm so thrilled to jump back into some awesome interview episodes to share with you that are FULL of some speaking goodies.  Starting with Mike Parkinson, a fellow Presentation Summit presenter, keynote speaker and presentation designer. He is a GEM of a human who brings so much energy and love for his audience up in front with him. So, I wanted to talk with him about how we can love up our audiences, even when it seems they might not be loving us back. Take a listen!