1 00:00:00,020 --> 00:00:02,300 Carol Cox: I'm sharing with you how you can find and 2 00:00:02,300 --> 00:00:04,400 develop your big idea for your thought 3 00:00:04,430 --> 00:00:07,280 leadership and signature talk on this episode 4 00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:09,140 of the Speaking Your Brand podcast. 5 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:15,770 More and more women are making an impact by 6 00:00:15,770 --> 00:00:18,500 starting businesses, running for office and 7 00:00:18,500 --> 00:00:20,510 speaking up for what matters. 8 00:00:20,540 --> 00:00:23,510 With my background as a political analyst, 9 00:00:23,540 --> 00:00:25,250 entrepreneur, and speaker, 10 00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:28,100 I interview and coach purpose driven women to 11 00:00:28,100 --> 00:00:30,620 shape their brands, grow their companies, 12 00:00:30,620 --> 00:00:33,470 and become recognized as influencers in their 13 00:00:33,470 --> 00:00:36,650 field. This is speaking your brand, 14 00:00:36,650 --> 00:00:39,110 your place to learn how to persuasively 15 00:00:39,110 --> 00:00:42,470 communicate your message to your audience. 16 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:44,540 Hi and welcome to the Speaking Your Brand 17 00:00:44,540 --> 00:00:45,770 podcast. I'm your host, 18 00:00:45,770 --> 00:00:46,620 Carol Cox. 19 00:01:10,670 --> 00:01:12,650 Today's episode is all about finding and 20 00:01:12,650 --> 00:01:13,880 developing your big 21 00:01:31,850 --> 00:01:34,790 Ideas are incredibly powerful. 22 00:01:34,790 --> 00:01:37,040 Ideas can live on for years, 23 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:40,280 for centuries, even for millennia. 24 00:01:40,310 --> 00:01:43,310 Ideas can spark movements for political and 25 00:01:43,310 --> 00:01:44,600 social change. 26 00:01:44,630 --> 00:01:47,930 Ideas help us as humans understand ourselves, 27 00:01:47,930 --> 00:01:50,640 each other, and the world around us. 28 00:01:50,660 --> 00:01:53,870 But here's the thing your big idea doesn't 29 00:01:53,870 --> 00:01:56,300 have to be something people have never heard 30 00:01:56,300 --> 00:01:59,900 of before. That's unlikely to happen as most 31 00:01:59,900 --> 00:02:01,850 things have been talked about before, 32 00:02:01,850 --> 00:02:03,260 and that is okay. 33 00:02:03,290 --> 00:02:06,380 It's actually completely fine that your 34 00:02:06,380 --> 00:02:08,600 audience is already somewhat familiar with 35 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:10,490 your topic, because then you can consider it 36 00:02:10,490 --> 00:02:12,350 to be more of a warm audience. 37 00:02:12,350 --> 00:02:14,000 They know where you're coming from. 38 00:02:14,630 --> 00:02:17,930 But your big idea is part of the four layers 39 00:02:17,930 --> 00:02:20,000 of thought leadership that I talk about. 40 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:22,140 The bottom layer is your expertise. 41 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:24,680 The second layer on top of that is your big 42 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:27,350 idea. The third layer is your story, 43 00:02:27,380 --> 00:02:28,400 your personal journey. 44 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:30,470 And then the fourth layer is the emotional 45 00:02:30,470 --> 00:02:32,900 courage that only to dig deep into your 46 00:02:32,900 --> 00:02:35,750 story, but really to put your idea out there 47 00:02:35,780 --> 00:02:39,650 because you are the messenger for your idea. 48 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:42,440 That idea has come to you for a reason. 49 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:44,480 And now I know you want to have something 50 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:46,980 interesting and unique to talk about. 51 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:49,250 You want to make a positive impact on your 52 00:02:49,250 --> 00:02:51,170 audience, and you want to develop your 53 00:02:51,170 --> 00:02:53,750 thought leadership. And having a strong idea 54 00:02:53,750 --> 00:02:55,300 is all part of that. 55 00:02:55,310 --> 00:02:58,340 But like most of us, you may not be sure 56 00:02:58,340 --> 00:03:01,070 which of your ideas is the best one. 57 00:03:01,100 --> 00:03:03,120 You're not sure what makes a good idea. 58 00:03:03,140 --> 00:03:05,000 Maybe it all feels a bit messy and muddy. 59 00:03:05,030 --> 00:03:06,950 You have a lot of ideas swirling around in 60 00:03:06,950 --> 00:03:09,260 your head. Know that you are not alone. 61 00:03:09,260 --> 00:03:10,590 This is most of us. 62 00:03:10,610 --> 00:03:12,860 I also get stuck in trying to figure out 63 00:03:12,860 --> 00:03:15,050 which idea that I'm working on is the best 64 00:03:15,050 --> 00:03:17,420 one. This is why our clients come to us, 65 00:03:17,420 --> 00:03:19,700 because this is exactly what we help them to 66 00:03:19,700 --> 00:03:22,130 do. We've worked with hundreds of women 67 00:03:22,130 --> 00:03:24,800 entrepreneurs and speakers over the years. 68 00:03:24,830 --> 00:03:27,890 I myself have given well over my career 69 00:03:27,920 --> 00:03:30,800 hundreds of presentations and talks and 70 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:33,200 keynotes, and you can kind of think of me as 71 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:37,130 your idea whisperer, because when I work with 72 00:03:37,130 --> 00:03:40,070 you, when we work with our clients in the VIP 73 00:03:40,100 --> 00:03:41,990 days to create their signature talk and the 74 00:03:41,990 --> 00:03:43,220 Thought Leader Academy, 75 00:03:43,220 --> 00:03:46,340 I put myself in the role of both the audience 76 00:03:46,340 --> 00:03:48,050 and the event organizer. 77 00:03:48,050 --> 00:03:50,150 So I'm thinking about how does this idea 78 00:03:50,150 --> 00:03:52,160 resonate with me if I'm sitting in the 79 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:55,640 audience? And also, is this idea appealing to 80 00:03:55,640 --> 00:03:58,310 me? If I was an event organizer looking to 81 00:03:58,310 --> 00:03:59,990 book a speaker for my event. 82 00:03:59,990 --> 00:04:02,180 So you're going to hear in this episode what 83 00:04:02,180 --> 00:04:04,820 I'm looking for when I'm sitting in those 84 00:04:04,820 --> 00:04:07,130 roles. Now, if you're interested in joining 85 00:04:07,130 --> 00:04:08,990 us for our Thought Leader Academy, 86 00:04:08,990 --> 00:04:11,690 our next start date is in January and we are 87 00:04:11,690 --> 00:04:13,400 enrolling now. So we're accepting 88 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:14,630 applications now. 89 00:04:14,630 --> 00:04:17,390 And we're having zoom calls with women who 90 00:04:17,390 --> 00:04:19,730 are interested in joining us in the Thought 91 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:22,520 Leader Academy. We spend eight weeks together 92 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:24,440 so that you can develop your thought 93 00:04:24,470 --> 00:04:27,140 leadership message, create your signature 94 00:04:27,140 --> 00:04:29,840 talk, learn how to tell great stories. 95 00:04:29,840 --> 00:04:32,480 Learn how to add layers to your talk to make 96 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:34,820 it more memorable and impactful. 97 00:04:34,820 --> 00:04:37,220 We also talk about the business of speaking 98 00:04:37,220 --> 00:04:39,590 and of course, preparing for and delivering 99 00:04:39,590 --> 00:04:42,620 your talk. The Thought Leader Academy is it 100 00:04:42,620 --> 00:04:45,800 consists of eight weekly group zoom calls. 101 00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:47,720 It's a small group. It's limited to eight 102 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:50,720 women. And then you also get a one on one 103 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:54,380 virtual VIP day, where we take you through 104 00:04:54,410 --> 00:04:57,290 our entire framework to create your talk from 105 00:04:57,290 --> 00:04:58,790 beginning to end. 106 00:04:58,820 --> 00:05:00,410 If you would like to join us, 107 00:05:00,410 --> 00:05:02,780 you can submit your application today at 108 00:05:02,780 --> 00:05:05,870 Speaking Your brand.com/academy. 109 00:05:05,900 --> 00:05:06,860 Again, that's speaking your 110 00:05:06,860 --> 00:05:08,960 brand.com/academy. 111 00:05:08,990 --> 00:05:11,450 On that page you can get all the details, 112 00:05:11,450 --> 00:05:14,420 including pricing as well as the link, 113 00:05:14,450 --> 00:05:17,000 the button to submit the application form. 114 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:18,620 I hope to talk to you soon. 115 00:05:18,650 --> 00:05:20,540 Now let's get on with the show. 116 00:05:24,390 --> 00:05:26,770 What exactly is a big idea? 117 00:05:26,790 --> 00:05:28,830 As I mentioned in the introduction, 118 00:05:28,860 --> 00:05:31,050 your idea doesn't have to be something that 119 00:05:31,050 --> 00:05:33,450 no one has ever talked about before. 120 00:05:33,450 --> 00:05:35,400 Number one, that's unlikely, as most things 121 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:36,960 have been talked about, especially in this 122 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:38,640 day and age with the internet. 123 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:40,200 Most people have heard of things, 124 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:43,050 but also it's actually good that people are 125 00:05:43,050 --> 00:05:44,940 already somewhat familiar with your topic, 126 00:05:44,940 --> 00:05:47,370 because then you can take them further than 127 00:05:47,370 --> 00:05:49,620 they otherwise would be able to go. 128 00:05:49,890 --> 00:05:53,130 A big idea is your angle on your topic. 129 00:05:53,130 --> 00:05:55,050 So whatever your topic is kind of your big 130 00:05:55,050 --> 00:05:57,300 umbrella topic, what is your angle on that? 131 00:05:57,300 --> 00:05:58,980 And I'm going to give you some questions here 132 00:05:58,980 --> 00:06:00,870 at the end for you to start thinking about 133 00:06:00,870 --> 00:06:04,020 that. Your big idea should add to the 134 00:06:04,020 --> 00:06:06,420 conversation that is already happening and 135 00:06:06,420 --> 00:06:08,490 really move the conversation forward, 136 00:06:08,490 --> 00:06:10,740 or provide a different lens or different 137 00:06:10,740 --> 00:06:13,170 perspective on that conversation. 138 00:06:13,170 --> 00:06:14,970 I think about one of our recent thought 139 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:16,080 leader Academy grads. 140 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:17,700 She's going to be on this podcast in 141 00:06:17,700 --> 00:06:20,370 December, and her big umbrella topic is 142 00:06:20,370 --> 00:06:21,810 around climate change. 143 00:06:21,810 --> 00:06:23,910 But then in her signature talk, 144 00:06:23,910 --> 00:06:27,480 her big idea is giving moms in particular, 145 00:06:27,510 --> 00:06:30,030 a framework for thinking about and for 146 00:06:30,030 --> 00:06:31,380 addressing climate change. 147 00:06:31,500 --> 00:06:33,360 You know, an issue that is so overwhelming 148 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:35,580 for most of us. But then how can moms, 149 00:06:35,580 --> 00:06:38,010 in particular, move that conversation 150 00:06:38,010 --> 00:06:40,230 forward, actually do something productive 151 00:06:40,230 --> 00:06:42,150 within for their households, 152 00:06:42,150 --> 00:06:43,950 their kids, and in their communities? 153 00:06:43,980 --> 00:06:46,080 Another recent Thought Leader Academy grad 154 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:48,750 signature talk is all around the behavioral 155 00:06:48,750 --> 00:06:50,940 aspects of money management. 156 00:06:50,940 --> 00:06:53,100 So of course, most of us have heard about how 157 00:06:53,100 --> 00:06:55,440 much money mindset or how we think about 158 00:06:55,440 --> 00:06:57,390 money, the money stories we grew up with. 159 00:06:57,390 --> 00:07:00,300 Those behavioral things impact our 160 00:07:00,300 --> 00:07:01,590 relationship with money. 161 00:07:01,590 --> 00:07:03,840 So again, this is not a brand new idea. 162 00:07:03,840 --> 00:07:07,230 But then she's tapping into her unique story 163 00:07:07,230 --> 00:07:10,080 and her experiences and the way that she 164 00:07:10,080 --> 00:07:12,030 approaches this topic along with her 165 00:07:12,030 --> 00:07:14,880 expertise. And she combines all that into her 166 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:17,160 big idea in her signature talk. 167 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:20,800 What I see happen when I go to conferences or 168 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:23,110 I see speakers speak at events, 169 00:07:23,140 --> 00:07:26,740 is that so many speakers get stuck in topics 170 00:07:26,740 --> 00:07:30,640 and in presentations that are superficial, 171 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:32,770 like they just they don't go deeper into the 172 00:07:32,770 --> 00:07:34,490 topic or into the conversation. 173 00:07:34,510 --> 00:07:36,250 They're kind of the same old, same old that 174 00:07:36,250 --> 00:07:37,540 we've heard before. 175 00:07:37,540 --> 00:07:39,220 And they're kind of boring, 176 00:07:39,220 --> 00:07:40,510 really, because most of us, 177 00:07:40,540 --> 00:07:42,310 again, have already familiar with these 178 00:07:42,310 --> 00:07:45,520 topics, or these presentations just don't 179 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:48,130 really represent who that speaker is. 180 00:07:48,130 --> 00:07:50,560 They're kind of just parroting what they see 181 00:07:50,590 --> 00:07:52,870 everyone else talking about and not providing 182 00:07:52,870 --> 00:07:54,940 anything unique. And I feel like so many 183 00:07:54,940 --> 00:07:57,160 speakers do. This is because they think it's 184 00:07:57,160 --> 00:07:59,080 safe, like it's a safe way to go because no 185 00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:00,400 one's going to criticize them, 186 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:02,890 or they're not going to be seen as wrong or 187 00:08:02,890 --> 00:08:04,360 someone's not going to point something out to 188 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:07,090 them. They also don't want to turn off anyone 189 00:08:07,090 --> 00:08:08,650 in the audience, so they feel like if they 190 00:08:08,650 --> 00:08:10,240 just kind of do the same old, same old, or 191 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:12,370 just say superficial, that no one's going to 192 00:08:12,370 --> 00:08:15,790 be turned off. But what happens is what I 193 00:08:15,790 --> 00:08:18,160 call the expert trap is that these speakers 194 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:21,820 get so focused on just relaying information 195 00:08:21,820 --> 00:08:24,520 that they're not providing transformation to 196 00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:26,950 their audience. And as we all know, 197 00:08:26,950 --> 00:08:28,720 with all of the different information we 198 00:08:28,750 --> 00:08:31,720 consume all day long on our devices, 199 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:33,820 from social media feeds to the news to 200 00:08:33,820 --> 00:08:36,160 podcasts to videos, we have enough 201 00:08:36,160 --> 00:08:37,690 information. What we need, 202 00:08:37,690 --> 00:08:39,910 our insights. We need transformation. 203 00:08:39,910 --> 00:08:41,860 And that's what you want to provide with your 204 00:08:41,860 --> 00:08:44,380 idea and your signature talk as well. 205 00:08:44,410 --> 00:08:46,810 Now, you may have lots of ideas, 206 00:08:46,810 --> 00:08:48,940 or you may have lots of parts of ideas and 207 00:08:48,940 --> 00:08:51,190 you're not really sure which is a good idea. 208 00:08:51,190 --> 00:08:53,260 Which one, which direction should I go in? 209 00:08:53,260 --> 00:08:55,660 So I'm going to give you a handy acronym, 210 00:08:55,690 --> 00:08:58,090 a framework that I created for you to start 211 00:08:58,090 --> 00:09:01,120 thinking about how to look at your different 212 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:04,480 ideas and determine which is the one that you 213 00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:05,650 want to go with. 214 00:09:05,650 --> 00:09:09,850 So of course, Idea Idea is an acronym that 215 00:09:09,850 --> 00:09:10,930 stands for something. 216 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:13,150 The I in idea is for. 217 00:09:13,150 --> 00:09:16,510 Interesting. So yes, your idea needs to be 218 00:09:16,510 --> 00:09:19,540 interesting. It should provoke curiosity. 219 00:09:19,570 --> 00:09:21,910 When you tell someone your idea, 220 00:09:21,940 --> 00:09:23,950 you want the person to say, 221 00:09:23,950 --> 00:09:25,750 oh, tell me more. 222 00:09:25,750 --> 00:09:27,910 Oh, I hadn't thought about it that way. 223 00:09:27,940 --> 00:09:28,990 You know why? 224 00:09:28,990 --> 00:09:31,660 Why is that so you really want to provoke 225 00:09:31,660 --> 00:09:32,680 that curiosity? 226 00:09:32,680 --> 00:09:34,780 And the way you do that is you have that 227 00:09:34,780 --> 00:09:38,890 unique angle, that unique perspective on your 228 00:09:38,890 --> 00:09:40,240 topic. I'm going to give you some examples 229 00:09:40,240 --> 00:09:42,730 here in just a bit. So that's I interesting. 230 00:09:42,880 --> 00:09:48,460 D stands for debatable and defensible. 231 00:09:48,490 --> 00:09:50,020 Okay. So you may be thinking well I don't 232 00:09:50,020 --> 00:09:51,040 want to get an argument. 233 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:52,840 Why would I have to debate someone about my 234 00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:54,700 idea? I don't mean you actually have to 235 00:09:54,700 --> 00:09:57,280 debate someone about your idea, 236 00:09:57,280 --> 00:10:00,250 but other people have their own ideas and 237 00:10:00,250 --> 00:10:02,500 they probably have their own ideas around 238 00:10:02,500 --> 00:10:04,450 your topic. So kind of like your big umbrella 239 00:10:04,450 --> 00:10:07,420 topic, like whether it's climate change or 240 00:10:07,450 --> 00:10:09,160 it's about gender equality. 241 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:10,690 So that's your big umbrella topic. 242 00:10:10,690 --> 00:10:13,420 And other people may have their own ideas and 243 00:10:13,420 --> 00:10:17,050 it's okay if not everyone agrees with you. 244 00:10:17,050 --> 00:10:19,300 I actually think that's better because like I 245 00:10:19,300 --> 00:10:21,370 said, then you're adding to the conversation. 246 00:10:21,370 --> 00:10:22,840 You're moving the conversation. 247 00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:25,270 You're providing a different perspective on 248 00:10:25,270 --> 00:10:26,440 the conversation. 249 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:29,530 So your idea should be debatable in the sense 250 00:10:29,530 --> 00:10:31,000 not everyone's going to agree with you. They 251 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:33,550 have their own ideas, but it also needs to be 252 00:10:33,550 --> 00:10:36,940 a defensible in the sense that you can defend 253 00:10:36,940 --> 00:10:39,040 it through your own examples, 254 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:40,780 your own experiences. 255 00:10:40,780 --> 00:10:43,510 Those of clients or colleagues or people you 256 00:10:43,510 --> 00:10:46,250 know also could be defensible through a 257 00:10:46,270 --> 00:10:47,620 research and data. 258 00:10:47,620 --> 00:10:49,660 So this may be research and studies that 259 00:10:49,660 --> 00:10:51,880 you've done, or research and studies that 260 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:55,060 other well known institutions have done that 261 00:10:55,060 --> 00:10:56,080 you can pull from. 262 00:10:56,080 --> 00:10:58,300 Because if your idea is debatable and 263 00:10:58,300 --> 00:11:01,570 defensible, now, that also just makes it that 264 00:11:01,570 --> 00:11:03,700 much more interesting and people kind of perk 265 00:11:03,730 --> 00:11:05,080 up and want to hear more. 266 00:11:05,260 --> 00:11:08,950 The E in idea stands for empowering. 267 00:11:09,580 --> 00:11:12,580 You really want your idea to help people see 268 00:11:12,580 --> 00:11:16,120 something in a new way or a different way for 269 00:11:16,120 --> 00:11:17,770 a positive benefit. 270 00:11:17,770 --> 00:11:20,440 So a positive benefit for themselves, 271 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:22,960 for their businesses, their companies, 272 00:11:22,960 --> 00:11:25,030 their health, their relationships, 273 00:11:25,030 --> 00:11:27,250 their society, their community, 274 00:11:27,250 --> 00:11:28,990 whatever it happens to be, it really should 275 00:11:28,990 --> 00:11:31,660 feel positive and should feel empowering. 276 00:11:31,660 --> 00:11:33,520 So when you present your idea, 277 00:11:33,550 --> 00:11:36,670 you want people to to feel like that. 278 00:11:36,670 --> 00:11:39,550 This is something that if they kind of learn 279 00:11:39,550 --> 00:11:41,560 and adopt and latch on to that, 280 00:11:41,560 --> 00:11:43,780 there's going to be a benefit for them and 281 00:11:43,780 --> 00:11:47,140 for others. And then the a an idea is 282 00:11:47,140 --> 00:11:50,020 actionable. So not only can people hear it 283 00:11:50,020 --> 00:11:51,850 and kind of learn it and absorb it, 284 00:11:51,850 --> 00:11:54,460 but people also want to be able to do 285 00:11:54,460 --> 00:11:55,870 something with it. So they want to be able to 286 00:11:55,870 --> 00:11:57,130 apply it to themselves. 287 00:11:57,130 --> 00:11:58,990 They want to be able to build upon it. 288 00:11:58,990 --> 00:12:01,560 They want to share the idea with others. 289 00:12:01,570 --> 00:12:03,940 This is what I believe makes great thought 290 00:12:03,970 --> 00:12:06,910 leaders is they they don't hoard their idea 291 00:12:06,910 --> 00:12:08,710 and be like, oh, this is mine and no one else 292 00:12:08,710 --> 00:12:10,480 can talk about it and I don't want to share 293 00:12:10,480 --> 00:12:12,640 it, and I want to keep it private and I want 294 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:14,260 to keep it proprietary. 295 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:17,830 Instead, they share their idea, 296 00:12:17,830 --> 00:12:21,040 whether it's through Ted talks or books or 297 00:12:21,040 --> 00:12:24,610 through articles or whatever they're doing 298 00:12:24,610 --> 00:12:27,340 online or in person, because they want other 299 00:12:27,340 --> 00:12:28,600 people to take that idea, 300 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:30,610 build upon it, and share it. 301 00:12:30,610 --> 00:12:32,650 As a thought leader, you want people to 302 00:12:32,650 --> 00:12:34,810 spread it further because you can only reach 303 00:12:34,810 --> 00:12:36,580 so many people. You need more people to take 304 00:12:36,580 --> 00:12:39,340 that idea and spread it to the people who 305 00:12:39,340 --> 00:12:41,290 they can get in front of. 306 00:12:41,290 --> 00:12:42,910 So the Idea framework, 307 00:12:42,910 --> 00:12:45,430 that acronym again stands for interesting, 308 00:12:45,460 --> 00:12:47,350 debatable and defensible, 309 00:12:47,350 --> 00:12:49,900 empowering and actionable. 310 00:12:49,900 --> 00:12:51,940 So let's take a look at some examples. 311 00:12:51,940 --> 00:12:54,400 I'm going to name a few people who you 312 00:12:54,400 --> 00:12:56,740 probably recognize and then a few of our 313 00:12:56,740 --> 00:12:58,870 clients. And then I'll also share an example 314 00:12:58,870 --> 00:13:01,510 for myself. Brené Brown I'm sure you're very 315 00:13:01,510 --> 00:13:03,520 familiar with her and her Ted talks. 316 00:13:03,520 --> 00:13:07,510 Well, her big idea is that vulnerability is 317 00:13:07,510 --> 00:13:10,450 necessary for connection that we actually can 318 00:13:10,450 --> 00:13:13,450 have true, authentic connection with others 319 00:13:13,450 --> 00:13:15,520 or really with ourselves without 320 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:18,300 vulnerability. And then she says, 321 00:13:18,300 --> 00:13:21,150 but shame. Often time gets in the way, 322 00:13:21,150 --> 00:13:23,880 so shame gets in the way of connection, 323 00:13:23,880 --> 00:13:26,490 and kind of vulnerability is the solution to 324 00:13:26,520 --> 00:13:28,170 that. So that's her big idea. 325 00:13:28,740 --> 00:13:30,840 And I'm sure there are people out there who 326 00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:32,370 do not agree with her at all. 327 00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:34,650 I'm sure you can find those critics online 328 00:13:34,650 --> 00:13:35,850 somewhere, but that's okay, 329 00:13:35,850 --> 00:13:37,050 because this is her idea. 330 00:13:37,050 --> 00:13:39,240 And obviously thousands and millions of 331 00:13:39,240 --> 00:13:42,310 people have heard it and have done some, 332 00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:44,070 some something with it. It's been empowering 333 00:13:44,100 --> 00:13:46,410 to them. It's been actionable to them. 334 00:13:46,410 --> 00:13:48,120 And then they have shared the idea with 335 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:50,070 others. Another thought leader that you may 336 00:13:50,070 --> 00:13:51,690 recognize, Simon Sinek again, 337 00:13:51,690 --> 00:13:54,270 a very well known TEDx talk around starting 338 00:13:54,270 --> 00:13:56,610 with why, which he then turned into a book 339 00:13:56,640 --> 00:13:58,770 and into an entire consulting company. 340 00:13:58,770 --> 00:14:00,780 This is why ideas are so powerful, 341 00:14:00,780 --> 00:14:02,520 and public speaking is so powerful because it 342 00:14:02,520 --> 00:14:04,140 truly can build a career. 343 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:06,120 So his idea was around, 344 00:14:06,270 --> 00:14:07,530 was starting with why? 345 00:14:07,530 --> 00:14:10,020 And he explained that so many companies focus 346 00:14:10,020 --> 00:14:12,390 on their what. So what are they actually what 347 00:14:12,390 --> 00:14:14,460 are they creating the product or service. 348 00:14:14,490 --> 00:14:16,770 Maybe they look at the how so kind of their 349 00:14:16,770 --> 00:14:19,290 value proposition or what makes their product 350 00:14:19,290 --> 00:14:20,790 unique. But he says no, 351 00:14:20,790 --> 00:14:23,100 no, no. They need to back up even further and 352 00:14:23,100 --> 00:14:24,510 start with the why? 353 00:14:24,510 --> 00:14:26,400 Why are they in the business in the first 354 00:14:26,400 --> 00:14:29,220 place? What is the bigger change that they 355 00:14:29,220 --> 00:14:31,590 want to see? So that was his big idea. 356 00:14:31,590 --> 00:14:34,050 And again, there may be people who do not 357 00:14:34,050 --> 00:14:36,120 agree with him. I'm sure there are companies 358 00:14:36,120 --> 00:14:37,140 out there who just say, 359 00:14:37,140 --> 00:14:40,020 well, the bottom line is profits and we don't 360 00:14:40,020 --> 00:14:42,810 really care about our why or a bigger vision. 361 00:14:42,810 --> 00:14:44,850 We just want to make sure that our products 362 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:46,500 get into the hands of as many people as 363 00:14:46,500 --> 00:14:47,880 possible, and we make as much money as 364 00:14:47,880 --> 00:14:49,890 possible. So there are those people out 365 00:14:49,890 --> 00:14:52,470 there. But Simon Sinek is a thought leader 366 00:14:52,470 --> 00:14:54,480 because he's sharing his big idea. 367 00:14:54,510 --> 00:14:56,790 Now, let me give you an example of some of 368 00:14:56,790 --> 00:14:58,200 the clients that we worked with. 369 00:14:58,200 --> 00:15:00,990 Doctor Christina Madison is a pharmacist. 370 00:15:00,990 --> 00:15:03,210 She was on the podcast not too long ago in 371 00:15:03,210 --> 00:15:07,200 September, and she did a Ted talk back in 372 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:12,450 early 2022 about how public health messengers 373 00:15:12,480 --> 00:15:14,640 need to look like the communities that 374 00:15:14,640 --> 00:15:17,190 they're serving. Christina herself is a 375 00:15:17,190 --> 00:15:19,410 pharmacist in public health, 376 00:15:19,410 --> 00:15:22,440 and she has been on TV news hundreds of times 377 00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:24,650 since the start of the Covid 19 pandemic. 378 00:15:24,660 --> 00:15:26,190 Not only has she done that Ted talk, 379 00:15:26,190 --> 00:15:28,380 she's also been invited to the white House to 380 00:15:28,380 --> 00:15:29,430 serve on a panel there, 381 00:15:29,430 --> 00:15:32,070 along with the a lot of other visibility that 382 00:15:32,070 --> 00:15:35,790 she's done. But her big idea is around how 383 00:15:35,790 --> 00:15:38,940 much the who is the messenger, 384 00:15:38,940 --> 00:15:40,980 especially regarding public health, 385 00:15:40,980 --> 00:15:43,800 how that messenger looks like and is from the 386 00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:45,540 communities they're talking to is so 387 00:15:45,540 --> 00:15:46,740 incredibly important. 388 00:15:46,740 --> 00:15:49,560 Another example is one of our clients, 389 00:15:49,560 --> 00:15:53,190 Tammy Lalli, who did a Ted talk back in 2017. 390 00:15:53,220 --> 00:15:54,330 All around money. 391 00:15:54,330 --> 00:15:58,080 Shame. So Tammy looked at Brené Brown's work 392 00:15:58,080 --> 00:16:00,420 around shame and vulnerability. 393 00:16:00,420 --> 00:16:03,630 And of course, Tammy, like most of us, 394 00:16:03,630 --> 00:16:05,390 thought that it was incredibly valuable. 395 00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:07,320 But then Tammy noticed that Brené Brown 396 00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:09,450 didn't really talk much about money, shame. 397 00:16:09,450 --> 00:16:12,420 And sadly, Tammy had a personal experience 398 00:16:12,420 --> 00:16:13,920 with that in her family. 399 00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:16,740 So we created her Ted talk together all 400 00:16:16,740 --> 00:16:18,150 around this idea of money, 401 00:16:18,150 --> 00:16:21,270 shame. And because it was so powerful and 402 00:16:21,390 --> 00:16:23,250 this idea was very much unique to her, 403 00:16:23,280 --> 00:16:25,140 it went on to have over 2 million views, 404 00:16:25,140 --> 00:16:27,600 and it really transformed her business and 405 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:30,270 her life. I think about the university of 406 00:16:30,270 --> 00:16:32,790 California faculty, who we helped earlier 407 00:16:32,790 --> 00:16:36,150 this summer develop their Ted style talks. 408 00:16:36,150 --> 00:16:38,700 And again, we were helping them to identify 409 00:16:38,700 --> 00:16:41,520 what their big idea is from the research that 410 00:16:41,520 --> 00:16:43,890 they do. And I remember one speaker in 411 00:16:43,890 --> 00:16:47,160 particular, she's an engineer and does a lot 412 00:16:47,160 --> 00:16:49,650 of research around cement and concrete. 413 00:16:49,650 --> 00:16:52,140 I know, like it's so specific. 414 00:16:52,140 --> 00:16:54,990 But her Ted style talk was about how we can 415 00:16:54,990 --> 00:16:58,110 actually use building materials like concrete 416 00:16:58,110 --> 00:17:01,200 to help the climate, because obviously we 417 00:17:01,200 --> 00:17:03,390 have all this climate impact that we're 418 00:17:03,390 --> 00:17:04,860 seeing all of the time. 419 00:17:04,860 --> 00:17:06,750 And so how can we we're going to be continue 420 00:17:06,750 --> 00:17:08,190 to build. And that was her point. We're going 421 00:17:08,190 --> 00:17:09,990 to continue to build. We need to build roads 422 00:17:09,990 --> 00:17:11,400 and houses and everything else. But how can 423 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:13,920 we actually use building materials to help 424 00:17:13,920 --> 00:17:16,140 the climate? How can we look at what nature 425 00:17:16,140 --> 00:17:18,150 is doing and do the same thing in our 426 00:17:18,150 --> 00:17:20,040 building? So that was her idea. 427 00:17:20,310 --> 00:17:24,780 Now, for myself, I have one idea that I 428 00:17:24,780 --> 00:17:27,210 developed around a keynote that I gave last 429 00:17:27,210 --> 00:17:30,240 year, which is that as women in particular, 430 00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:31,710 when we use our voices, 431 00:17:31,710 --> 00:17:33,680 we go through three stages. 432 00:17:33,690 --> 00:17:35,940 The first stage is all around the promise. 433 00:17:35,940 --> 00:17:37,260 We're very excited about it. 434 00:17:37,290 --> 00:17:38,790 We have these things that we want to share 435 00:17:38,790 --> 00:17:41,370 with our audiences, and so we get a lot of 436 00:17:41,370 --> 00:17:43,470 validation and cheerleading and support when 437 00:17:43,470 --> 00:17:45,090 we initially go and do that. 438 00:17:45,270 --> 00:17:48,510 But then if we kind of challenge the status 439 00:17:48,510 --> 00:17:51,060 quo, which I encourage you to do, 440 00:17:51,060 --> 00:17:53,760 but when we do that, a lot of times we'll get 441 00:17:53,760 --> 00:17:55,710 pushback or criticism. 442 00:17:55,710 --> 00:17:57,780 So that's where for many of us, 443 00:17:57,780 --> 00:18:00,480 we enter stage two that I call peril. 444 00:18:00,510 --> 00:18:02,100 We feel vulnerable. 445 00:18:02,100 --> 00:18:04,230 We feel alone. We feel uncertain. 446 00:18:04,230 --> 00:18:06,360 We don't know if we should just kind of back 447 00:18:06,360 --> 00:18:08,790 off this idea or continue to press forward. 448 00:18:08,790 --> 00:18:11,730 And my argument and my big idea is that 449 00:18:11,730 --> 00:18:13,650 continue to press forward, because stage 450 00:18:13,650 --> 00:18:15,810 three is what I call power. 451 00:18:15,810 --> 00:18:18,420 When you do that, you actually develop a 452 00:18:18,420 --> 00:18:20,670 sense of confidence and self-assuredness, 453 00:18:20,670 --> 00:18:23,280 and you understand yourself in a way that you 454 00:18:23,280 --> 00:18:25,350 didn't if you just stayed in stage one. 455 00:18:25,350 --> 00:18:27,840 So I did a podcast episode about this. 456 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:29,820 I'll, I'll. Put a link in the show notes if 457 00:18:29,820 --> 00:18:31,230 you want to hear more about those three 458 00:18:31,230 --> 00:18:34,350 stages. So that's an example of my big idea. 459 00:18:34,350 --> 00:18:36,860 Again, other people may have different ideas. 460 00:18:36,870 --> 00:18:38,370 It could be debatable. 461 00:18:38,370 --> 00:18:42,120 And but I have stories and experiences and 462 00:18:42,120 --> 00:18:43,680 research to make it defensible. 463 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:45,060 I hope it's an interesting idea. 464 00:18:45,060 --> 00:18:47,610 I hope it feels empowering and it also feels 465 00:18:47,640 --> 00:18:48,660 actionable. 466 00:18:48,660 --> 00:18:50,910 So here are some questions that you can start 467 00:18:50,910 --> 00:18:52,350 asking yourself now. 468 00:18:52,350 --> 00:18:53,970 You can write these questions down as I say 469 00:18:53,970 --> 00:18:56,130 them, but you can just get them in our free 470 00:18:56,160 --> 00:18:58,260 guide, our free workbook that we have at 471 00:18:58,260 --> 00:19:01,050 Speaking Your brand.com/guide. 472 00:19:01,050 --> 00:19:04,080 Again, that's speaking your brand.com/guide. 473 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:05,730 You can just go there, 474 00:19:05,730 --> 00:19:07,230 put in your name and email address. 475 00:19:07,230 --> 00:19:10,770 And it's a 24 page guide in workbook all 476 00:19:10,770 --> 00:19:12,330 around thought leadership including these 477 00:19:12,330 --> 00:19:14,190 questions. So here are the questions to 478 00:19:14,190 --> 00:19:17,190 consider. What are other people saying around 479 00:19:17,190 --> 00:19:18,930 your topic. So kind of your big umbrella 480 00:19:18,930 --> 00:19:20,880 topic. What are other people saying about 481 00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:23,760 that. And then what is your unique viewpoint 482 00:19:23,760 --> 00:19:26,190 or perspective around that topic? 483 00:19:26,190 --> 00:19:29,760 What do you do or believe that's different or 484 00:19:29,760 --> 00:19:31,440 challenges the status quo? 485 00:19:31,470 --> 00:19:32,940 What gets you riled up? 486 00:19:32,940 --> 00:19:34,500 What gets you on your soapbox? 487 00:19:34,500 --> 00:19:35,940 So kind of think about that. 488 00:19:36,090 --> 00:19:38,520 And then what are people not seeing or 489 00:19:38,520 --> 00:19:40,530 understanding that you do see? 490 00:19:40,530 --> 00:19:42,780 And then what was your journey to see this? 491 00:19:42,780 --> 00:19:43,800 So what happened to you? 492 00:19:43,830 --> 00:19:46,200 Was there an experience you had that's 493 00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:48,270 impacted what matters to you now, 494 00:19:48,270 --> 00:19:50,640 and kind of the shift that you had? 495 00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:52,740 You can also think about what's something 496 00:19:52,740 --> 00:19:54,990 about you that many people don't know, 497 00:19:54,990 --> 00:19:58,470 but it's revealing about who you are and by 498 00:19:58,470 --> 00:20:01,500 extension, can help others learn more about 499 00:20:01,500 --> 00:20:03,090 themselves. So this is where you're really 500 00:20:03,090 --> 00:20:05,070 digging deep into that emotional courage to 501 00:20:05,070 --> 00:20:08,010 reveal something that you may not want to, 502 00:20:08,010 --> 00:20:10,680 or that you may feel like a little bit 503 00:20:10,680 --> 00:20:12,030 hesitant about, but really, 504 00:20:12,030 --> 00:20:13,620 you're helping others. This goes back to 505 00:20:13,620 --> 00:20:15,750 vulnerability. You're helping others see 506 00:20:15,750 --> 00:20:18,240 themselves. And then also consider what do 507 00:20:18,240 --> 00:20:19,830 you want to be known for? 508 00:20:19,830 --> 00:20:22,350 What's the lens through which you see the 509 00:20:22,350 --> 00:20:25,080 world? So all these questions together can 510 00:20:25,080 --> 00:20:28,800 help you to start finding and developing your 511 00:20:28,800 --> 00:20:32,440 big idea. This is exactly what we help you to 512 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:34,420 do in our Thought Leader Academy. 513 00:20:34,450 --> 00:20:37,180 We help you to develop your idea to validate 514 00:20:37,180 --> 00:20:40,030 it, which builds your confidence in your idea 515 00:20:40,030 --> 00:20:42,310 and putting it out into the world. 516 00:20:42,340 --> 00:20:44,830 Here's what some of our recent thought leader 517 00:20:44,830 --> 00:20:46,750 Academy graduates said. 518 00:20:46,780 --> 00:20:49,120 One said that she joined the Thought Leader 519 00:20:49,120 --> 00:20:50,710 Academy because she said, 520 00:20:50,710 --> 00:20:52,870 quote, I had too many ideas swirling in my 521 00:20:52,870 --> 00:20:55,690 head and I knew I needed outside expertise 522 00:20:55,690 --> 00:20:57,820 and guidance to help me organize my thoughts 523 00:20:57,820 --> 00:20:59,980 and create a cohesive narrative and signature 524 00:20:59,980 --> 00:21:02,170 talk. Now that I've graduated, 525 00:21:02,170 --> 00:21:04,150 I have so much more clarity on my core 526 00:21:04,150 --> 00:21:06,310 message and my thought leadership, and I have 527 00:21:06,310 --> 00:21:08,770 a cohesive signature talk and an actual 528 00:21:08,770 --> 00:21:11,320 strategy for how to bring that talk to my 529 00:21:11,320 --> 00:21:14,320 audience. Another recent grad said, 530 00:21:14,320 --> 00:21:16,420 quote, The Thought Leader Academy is the best 531 00:21:16,450 --> 00:21:18,700 online program I have invested in. 532 00:21:18,730 --> 00:21:21,010 You really aim to ensure your students get 533 00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:22,460 what they need to be successful. 534 00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:25,830 I so appreciate this entire experience. 535 00:21:25,840 --> 00:21:28,090 You can get all the details about the Thought 536 00:21:28,120 --> 00:21:30,730 Leader Academy, including pricing and 537 00:21:30,730 --> 00:21:33,340 speaking your Brand.com slash Academy. 538 00:21:33,370 --> 00:21:34,330 Again, that's speaking your 539 00:21:34,330 --> 00:21:36,460 brand.com/academy. 540 00:21:36,490 --> 00:21:39,190 We are taking applications right now for our 541 00:21:39,190 --> 00:21:41,270 next start date in January. 542 00:21:41,290 --> 00:21:44,320 We only have eight spots available. 543 00:21:44,320 --> 00:21:46,660 So this is something that sounds like you 544 00:21:46,660 --> 00:21:51,790 want to do You want to really hone in on your 545 00:21:51,790 --> 00:21:53,440 thought leadership, develop your signature 546 00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:55,990 talk. Put yourself out there as a speaker in 547 00:21:55,990 --> 00:21:58,390 a bigger way. The Thought Leader Academy is 548 00:21:58,390 --> 00:21:59,080 for you. 549 00:22:09,250 --> 00:22:11,410 So make sure to hit subscribe or follow in 550 00:22:11,410 --> 00:22:13,960 your podcast app if you haven't already. 551 00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:16,360 And until next time, thanks for listening.