Speaking Your Brand: Public Speaking Tips and Strategies

We’re continuing our series on in-person speaking with this episode to talk about audience engagement strategies you can use and how you can give your audience an experience. My guest is Ramona J. Smith, who holds the prestigious title of the 2018...

Show Notes

We’re continuing our series on in-person speaking with this episode to talk about audience engagement strategies you can use and how you can give your audience an experience.

My guest is Ramona J. Smith, who holds the prestigious title of the 2018 World Champion of Public Speaking from Toastmasters, only the 2nd Black woman and 5th woman overall to win this award.

Ramona and I talk about:

  • How she created her award-winning speech
  • The importance of using your body and the stage
  • Handling nerves
  • Fun strategies for audience engagement
  • Setting your speaking fees

 

About My Guest: Ramona J. Smith is an international award-winning public speaker who holds the prestigious title of the 2018 World Champion of Public Speaking. She is a powerhouse, a gracious woman beyond measure, one who courageously surpassed over 30,000 people to receive such an illustrious honor. Her ubiquitous stage presence and poised intellectual delivery of various topics has made Ramona one of the most sought-after public speakers in the world. She has given keynote addresses in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Brazil and India. Ramona has a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations with a minor in Marketing from the famed Baldwin Wallace University, graduating Magna Cum Laude. She is currently pursuing an Executive MBA from Prairie View A&M University in Houston, Texas.

 

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. 

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/246/ 

Watch Ramona’s winning speech at https://www.ramonajsmith.com/

Schedule a consult call to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. 

 

Connect on LinkedIn:

 

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JOIN US: Our in-person Speaking Accelerator Workshop is coming up in Downtown Orlando on October 30, 2025. Create and practice your signature talk in one day using our proven framework, so you can confidently share your message and attract more opportunities. It's a fun, supportive environment where you get personalized feedback, professional photos, and more. Limited to 15 attendees. Get the details and secure your spot at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/orlando/.

What is Speaking Your Brand: Public Speaking Tips and Strategies?

It's time to escape the expert trap and become an in-demand speaker and thought leader through compelling and memorable business presentations, keynotes, workshops, and TEDx talks. If you want to level up your public speaking to get more and better, including paid, speaking engagements, you've come to the right place! Thousands of entrepreneurs and leaders have learned from Speaking Your Brand and now you can too through our episodes that will help you with storytelling, audience engagement, building confidence, handling nerves, pitching to speak, getting paid, and more. Hosted by Carol Cox, entrepreneur, speaker, and TV political analyst. This is your place to learn how to persuasively communicate your message to your audience.