Shortcuts to Communication Success

82. Welcome to Shortcuts to Communication Success

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 15:10:42 +0100

Welcome!

This podcast is returning with a new name and a broader focus. If you used to listen to Shortcuts to Public Speaking Success, you're in the right place. And if you're brand new here, this is a brilliant place to start.

In this episode, Shola shares the story behind the podcast's evolution from public speaking into the wider world of communication and what that means for you as a listener.

Whether you're a quieter, more thoughtful person who wants to make more of an impact, a leader who wants to communicate with greater confidence, or simply someone who knows they have something valuable to say, this podcast is for you.

Go to www.sholakaye.com/everything for resources, downloads and more information.

81. Interview with Silicon Valley Exec Coach Billie Shepard: Transform your speaking with acting techniques

Wed, 26 May 2021 11:00:00 +0100

Billie Shepard has been an actor and an acting coach for forty years. Twenty years ago she recognized business speakers have the same performance anxieties that actors deal with and so she founded the Billie Shepard and Associates Acting Academy.

She uses acting techniques to transform all types of business speakers into powerful presenters. Now Billie is what with some amazing and super well-known clients like Facebook... READ MORE

Find out more about Billie's work at billieshepard.com

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

80. Interview with EDI Consultant Baljit Kaur: Get your voice heard in difficult situations

Wed, 12 May 2021 11:00:00 +0100

Baljit Kaur is an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Consultant. Listen to learn about how to foster inclusiveness in the workplace, applying transactional analysis principles for effective communication, the importance of understanding individuality and personal experiences in organisations to build a good culture... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

79. Interview with Harley Street Coach Olivia James: Overcome your fear of speaking

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 11:00:00 +0100

Olivia James is a Harley Street Therapist who works with people suffering from fear of speaking and who have experienced trauma.

Watch this interview to learn a simple technique Olivia has used to help her clients overcome speaking anxiety.

WATCH THE INTERVIEW HERE

Find out more about Olivia's work https://harleystreetcoach.com

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

78. Interview with 'How to be a D.I.V.A. at Public Speaking' Audiobook Narrator Kristin Aiken Salada

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 11:00:00 +0100

I am so excited today because I have a wonderful guest here with me on today’s show, who has helped me no end to bring the message of How to be a D.I.V.A. at Public Speaking to the masses.

A little while ago, I decided that I would find a wonderful voiceover or voice recording artists to help me to get the book... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

77. Behind the scenes: AV for your presentation

Tue, 19 May 2020 11:00:00 +0100

Are you ready to be connected under any circumstances? If you are going to make a presentation, do you have what it takes to connect up your presentation with the AV at the venue under any circumstances?

I’m sorry if you are listening to this on my podcast you cannot see this bunch of cables I have in my hand. I urge you to jump onto my website www.sholakaye.com/blog and check out this episode there because you will be able to watch it all in video format... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

76. Exercise for a breathy voice

Tue, 05 May 2020 11:00:00 +0100

Do you ever feel that your voice doesn’t cut through? Perhaps because it’s too breathy?

One of the problems with a breathy voice is you don’t get very much volume when you’re speaking. Another problem with having a very breathy voice is that it can become fatiguing to listen to by the audience... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

75. Do you need to tone it down?

Tue, 21 Apr 2020 11:00:00 +0100

Is it time for you to tone it down a bit for your audience? Interesting question, right? I’m going to explain a little bit more what I mean in just a moment.

Just recently an agency contacted me, they’re based in Miami, and they asked me if I was available to do a professional speaking gig. I was available so I said yes... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

74. Eat the food of champions

Tue, 14 Apr 2020 11:00:00 +0100

I want to ask you today have you eaten the food of champions before? If you haven’t then you need to stay tuned and watch the entire video.

And I’m not talking about Atkins diet, or whether you’re a vegan, or whether you are… I don’t know there’s so many different diets out there… I’m not talking about dieting. I’m talking about the food of champions which is otherwise known as feedback... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

73. How to stop judging yourself

Tue, 07 Apr 2020 11:00:00 +0100

When you speak and perhaps you forget a couple of words, or it doesn’t go as perfectly as you had hoped, do you beat yourself up?

Do you sometimes find you are judging yourself while you’re speaking and you can’t be 100% present with the audience and focus because that little negative voice is chatting away?

Today I want to share a tip that you can use. A little hack that will help you to stop judging yourself... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

72. Should you slow down?

Tue, 31 Mar 2020 11:00:00 +0100

Do you need to speak slower when you are in front of an audience? That’s the question that I am sometimes asked so let’s have a chat about it today, shall we?

A few years ago, I was participating in online dating and I went on a date with a guy who spoke really slowly. So slowly that after about five minutes on the date I was desperate to get away... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

71. How to keep improving

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Are you through a person that continually wants to improve at whatever it is that you do, speaking being one of those things? If so, then I’m going to share a little step by step process you can use to regularly improve your public speaking... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

70. How to ace panel discussions

Tue, 17 Mar 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Have you been asked to speak on a panel? I know some people love speaking on panels and they like that group aspect to it. Others, like me, prefer to have a more conventional speaking format and just speak on my own to the entire audience.

There are different reasons why we like one or the other. Typically, if you’re on a panel there are a few different things to look out for... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

69. Six key areas to help you improve

Tue, 10 Mar 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Do you have a deadline for improving your speaking? I have a few tips for you coming up if you’re under a bit of pressure to improve your communication in your public speaking.

What we’re going to talk about today are some of the areas that you may want to look into if you are under pressure to improve your communication ready for a big moment, a big event, or a high-stakes meeting or high-stakes conference... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

68. Don't forget to be human

Tue, 03 Mar 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Are you adding the human touch to your speeches?

Now, we all know that the robots are here. There’re here and there are going to be more of them coming, but you don’t need to be one. What do I mean by that? Well, one of the things that makes us as speakers different than perhaps using Siri or Alexa is... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

67. How to avoid audience overload

Tue, 25 Feb 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Are you the world’s pre-eminent expert on widgets and you have a speaking opportunity coming up and you want to share everything you know? EVERYTHING!

Well in today’s video podcast I want to share why that may not be the best thing for your audience... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

66. How to make your speech more interactive

Tue, 18 Feb 2020 10:00:00 +0000

How do you make your talks more engaging and more interactive? That’s what we’re going to look at today.

If you have a formal topic and you're finding it hard to plan in some interactive activities, what’s an easy way that you can use to get people involved throughout?... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

65. Remember to ask don't tell

Tue, 11 Feb 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Are you struggling a bit with your public speaking?

You are struggling with your public speaking.

What’s the difference between those two? Well, in the first situation, of course, I asked. And in the second situation I told. We’re going to look today at the difference between asking and telling your audience and the impact that this has upon them... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

64. A quick and easy confidence hack

Tue, 04 Feb 2020 10:00:00 +0000

When you stand up to do a bit of public speaking, do you ever feel like “oh, I don’t have the confidence to do this… I’m not good enough… I shouldn’t be here…”.

Well, today I want to share a tip with you, a little hack if you like, that will hopefully diminish and reduce those feelings of lack of confidence. So if you bear with me for just a moment I’m going to share that hack with you... READ MORE.

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

63. Five different speech types

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 10:00:00 +0000

When you create a speech or write presentation, do you know what the purpose of it is and you know which of the five categories of speech that it falls into? That’s what I get to discuss today... READ MORE.

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

62. Overcome your fear of speaking: Interview with Olivia James

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Olivia James is a Harley Street Therapist who works with people suffering from fear of speaking and who have experienced trauma.

Listen to learn how she helps her clients overcome speaking anxiety.

Some of the techniques Olivia teaches are visual. You can watch this on video HERE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

61. Why you should just say yes!

Tue, 14 Jan 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Just say yes. But make sure you know what you’re saying yes to! In this particular case I think you should just say yes to public speaking opportunities because it’s not only an opportunity to speak but it’s an opportunity to grow... READ MORE.

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

60. Should you memorise your speech word for word?

Tue, 07 Jan 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Today let’s explore whether you should use bullets to practise your speech or go for learning every word! I’m often asked which approach is better so let’s take a look... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

59. Why practise out loud

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 10:00:00 +0000

When you write a speech, presentation or a talk, do you practice it silently in your head? Or do you practice it out loud? Because it can make all the difference!... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

58. Behind The Scenes: How to choose the right coach

Tue, 10 Dec 2019 10:00:00 +0000

Have you ever thought of employing a coach to work with you to help you get to the next level? This is not going to be me selling myself as a coach, no. I want to share with you some considerations that you might want to put into practice before you choose the next coaching professional to work with you because I had an experience recently that I think is useful to share with you... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

57. Remember to walk tall

Tue, 03 Dec 2019 10:00:00 +0000

Today I want to share with you why it’s so important when you’re public speaking to walk tall. When I say walk tall I’m not saying be conceited, be arrogant, be full of yourself, but have that quiet confidence. The kind that comes from knowing you’ve done the prep, you’re ready to speak to the audience and you’re being your authentic self... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

56. Behind The Scenes: Vlogging & Podcasting

Tue, 26 Nov 2019 10:00:00 +0000

This is one of my behind-the-scenes videos. I will explain how I create videos for my vlog and how I set up my podcast. I will share with you a few bits of hardware that I use... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

55. Getting support at meetings

Tue, 19 Nov 2019 10:00:00 +0000

Do you ever have problems speaking up in meetings at work? That’s what I want to chat about today.

Years ago, I used to hate being in meetings and I would never ever speak up, to the extent where I was actually cautioned by my employer because they weren’t seeing the value that I was adding. I wasn’t really connecting... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

54. Getting testimonials

Tue, 12 Nov 2019 10:00:00 +0000

Are you exploiting your speaking opportunities? Recently, I was working with a client who had created an amazing opportunity for her herself to get in front of an audience and give her first talk as a business owner.

She was particularly ingenious because she was able to get six video testimonials from one talk, six! What she was also very clever about doing is that... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

53. Why less is more when networking

Tue, 05 Nov 2019 10:00:00 +0000

Do you go business networking? If you have to stand up and give a 60-second pitch that is a form of public speaking. That’s why today I want to talk about what you include in your 60 second pitch. Because sometimes less can be more. I want you to remember this little phrase: if you want to impress, say less... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

52. Behind The Scenes: Finding time to keep learning

Tue, 29 Oct 2019 10:00:00 +0000

This is one of my behind-the-scenes episodes and I want to share how I find time to keep learning. Have you ever thought I would love to learn to do XYZ but I don’t have time?

I want to share with you what I do to find time to keep learning. I’m one of those unfortunate types who likes to learn stuff for its own sake... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

51. Using humour - pt2

Tue, 22 Oct 2019 11:00:00 +0100

This is the second episode of a two-parter, which is looking at humour and some ways you can add a little bit of gentle humour without having to kill yourself with studying comedy or working too hard to get those laughs.

In the last video, number one of this two-part series, I talked about poking fun at yourself. In this one, I’m going to talk about how to set up a joke using what we call subversion of people’s expectations... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

50. Using humour - pt1

Tue, 15 Oct 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Do you try and add some humour to your presentations and your speeches? Or does it seem like a huge mountain to have to climb to try and be funny and it’s something you want to steer well clear of?

I want to share over the course of two videos a couple of simple tips that you can use to be a bit funnier... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

49. Behind The Scenes: Why I hold an off-site for one

Tue, 08 Oct 2019 11:00:00 +0100

I am starting off a new series in my videos my vlogs and my podcast and it’s called Behind The Scenes. While I absolutely love to share speaking tips with you I also get questions about the way I run my business and why I do certain things.

I want to talk about why I have started running corporate off-sites for one person. And that one person is me. I’ve got a small business ... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

48. Get help from live streaming

Tue, 01 Oct 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Do you use live streaming as a tool to help you with your public speaking? Because if you’re not using it to help you with your speaking you might be missing a trick.

A lot of my clients are small business owners who want to get out there and make more of an impact and grow their businesses. Of course, live streaming is a big deal these days because we can livestream on pretty much all the social media platforms... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

47. Are you prepared to act it out?

Fri, 27 Sep 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Are you prepared to act it out? Now, I didn’t say "are you prepared to act up and be difficult?", but are you prepared to act it out. An act out is a specific tool that we can use in public speaking to add a bit of drama and a bit of life to our presentations.

Why would we include act outs when we present?... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

46. Take control of the stage area

Tue, 24 Sep 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Are you prepared to take control? And I’m not asking you to march into the audience, start telling them what to do and become a little dictator towards them. No, the question is are you prepared to take control of your stage area?... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

45. A formula to engage your audience

Fri, 20 Sep 2019 11:00:00 +0100

What do you do when you’re in front of the audience? And they don’t seem to be in the right mood, or in the right state of mind, to listen, and to absorb your message?

What I want to share with you today is a little story about my time in the performance world and what I’ve taken from that to the world of public speaking. And how that applies to engaging your audience. Especially when they seem like they’re not in the mood to listen to what it is that you’ve got to say... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

44. Always close with added value

Tue, 17 Sep 2019 11:00:00 +0100

When doing your public speaking, I want you to think carefully about how you close your presentation. The reason I’m raising this topic now is because I was lucky enough to watch 24 speeches back to back as the judge of a public speaking contest and it was clear where somebody put some time and thought and energy into how they were going to end vs "oh, I don’t know how I’m going to finish this, I’ll just make my last point" and then effectively kind of dropped the mic and walk off. ... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

43. People love universal themes

Fri, 13 Sep 2019 11:00:00 +0100

When you speak, one of the themes that run through your presentations, are they love, hate, gratitude, fear? Whatever they are, let’s talk about that today. I want you to not be afraid of universal themes because they come back again and again.

And quite often we feel that we need to be creating something outside the box and doing something really different, but universal themes can have a huge impact on your audience... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

42. How to grow your business with public speaking

Tue, 10 Sep 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Would you like to grow your business and increase your impact with public speaking? Well, if that’s the case, then this episode is for you, because I’m going to show you and teach you how to be a STAR.

This framework is one that I put together, which is called the STAR framework. And STAR is an acronym that stands for the four things that you must do, if you want to go out there and win business through public speaking... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

41. Was Aristotle a DIVA speaker?

Fri, 06 Sep 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Today I want to ask and answer the question: was Aristotle, the father of public speaking, a DIVA? And when I say was he a DIVA I don’t mean, was he a difficult bitchy woman - but was he a DIVA, a public speaking all-arounder?

Aristotle passed down a framework that we still use today. He showed us the ideal of what every speaker needs to include in their presentation, for them to be persuasive. Aristotle said that to be persuasive, a speaker needs the three following elements... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

40. Why chair a conference

Tue, 03 Sep 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Now, I have another couple of episodes on how to as your conference speaking, but this one is about how to get another opportunity from conference speaking, which is quite a handy opportunity. And that is to be the chairperson at a conference.

Recently, I was the chairperson at a conference called Women in Law here in London for more than 1000 women at this summit that took place over a day. And there were six different streams, expect them in six different rooms... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

39. How to be an all-rounder

Fri, 30 Aug 2019 11:00:00 +0100

If you are wanting to be a better public speaker and to have a nice little framework that will help you to check all the boxes every time you speak, then this is the episode for you because I’m about to teach you how to be a DIVA at public speaking... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

38. How to ace that conference speech - pt2

Tue, 27 Aug 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Do you need to speak at a conference? Then follow these tips. This is my second episode in a series of two about speaking at a conference. And maybe you’ve seen the first one, maybe you haven’t. But this one will also help you to as your conference speaking... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

37. How to ace that conference speech - pt1

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Are you about to speak at a conference or a summit or any sort of large event? If so then this episode is for you.

Earlier this year, I was a conference chair at a big event in London, which was called the women in law summit. And as conference chair, you are lucky enough to hear multiple speeches in a day... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

36. Get the best from business networking

Tue, 20 Aug 2019 11:00:00 +0100

This time we explore why business networking can be great for your public speaking.

Clients and members of my Facebook Group frequently ask me where they can find more speaking opportunities... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

35. Try to enjoy yourself

Fri, 16 Aug 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Is it really possible to enjoy yourself on stage?! Of course it is!! And in today’s post let’s look at why you should try to have a good time in front of your audience.

The opportunity to speak in public is an honour, and not some form of cruel punshiment, so let’s treat it that way... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

34. How to have more stage confidence

Tue, 13 Aug 2019 11:00:00 +0100

So how do you become confident enough to stand on stage and speak? That’s what we look at this week... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

33. Is it enough to have a great story?

Fri, 09 Aug 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Back when I used to run my regular monthly Speak Up Like A D.I.V.A. events, I was routinely contacted by would-be speakers. They would tell me they had a great story, and that I’d be missing out if I didn’t invite them along to the meeting to share it with my attendees. So today, we look at whether having a fantastic life story is enough... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

32. Do this to get more speaking gigs

Tue, 06 Aug 2019 11:00:00 +0100

If you’re a business owner wanting to promote what you do, or a budding speaker, where do you find your speaking opportunities? And what do you do to stand out?

It can be a bit of a downer seeing so many people responding to seemingly scarce opportunities. Good news… there are more speaking gigs out there than you may think!

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

31. Speaking for a special occasion

Tue, 30 Jul 2019 11:00:00 +0100

In this post, I share a few tips and insights around occasion speeches and how to approach them.

A number of my clients come to me for help with these kinds of speeches and typically, they’re people who don’t make speeches regularly at work. The clients are often slightly freaked out at the thought of having to speak up at an important event like a wedding or a funeral... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

30. The importance of practice

Tue, 23 Jul 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Yep, of course, it’s obvious that we need to practice but… lots of people don’t enjoy the act of rehearsing their speech.

And little wonder.

We all want to be good at the things we do, and it can be painful to have to go through that messy period where our speech is half-formed, we can’t remember what to say and we’re worried about how well the content will go down with the audience... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

29. So you want to be a motivational speaker?

Tue, 16 Jul 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Here I share a few tips and insights about getting started as a motivational speaker.

I share how you can get started and a chance for you to make a huge difference in people’s lives... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

28. Put the spotlight on your audience

Fri, 12 Jul 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Are you afraid that your audience is looking at you and trying to take you apart in their minds, finding fault, and analysing your every move?

If so, listen to this episode or click below to read the full summary!

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

27. How important is body language

Tue, 09 Jul 2019 11:00:00 +0100

We’re frequently told that body language is more important than the words that come out of our mouths.

And that when we’re on stage, our movements need to be as carefully planned as the stunts in a James Bond movie.

But…is this really the case?

And can we excel even when we don’t follow the body language rules and regulations?

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

26. Are you sharing your back story?

Fri, 05 Jul 2019 11:00:00 +0100

This week I’d like to know…are you sharing the stories about you and your business that enrich your clients’ and prospects’ views of you?

Watch the video to find out why I think this is important. This is just a super short summary... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

25. The truth about my TEDx Talk

Tue, 02 Jul 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Here I share a few of the screw ups I made before and during my TEDx talk last year.

I know that most people don’t like to air their dirty linen in public but, I’ve created my vlog so you can learn… both from what I know to be best practice, and also from my mistakes. So how could I NOT share the goss behind my TEDx? The blunders I made, the silly decisions, and my efforts to put things right... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

24. How to be more persuasive

Fri, 28 Jun 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Let’s talk about how you can get people to say a resounding YES to you, when you’re selling or sharing your products and services (or even just your ideas) from the stage.

Listen for a full description, including the story of how, as a graduate student, I was persuaded to part with hard-earned money I didn’t have by a wily car salesman... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

23. A useful framework for client stories

Tue, 25 Jun 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Whether you’re public speaking or making a pitch at a networking session (still public speaking!) there’ll probably come a time when you want to share success stories – either your own or that of a client.

There’s a handy framework for doing this. HR people love it as it’s useful for sharing your competencies during job interviews, but it’s also useful for bragging (just a teeny bit) about your business success... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

22. Preparing for a technical presentation

Fri, 21 Jun 2019 11:00:00 +0100

In today’s episode, I discuss what it takes to make a great technical presentation. I recently ran a workshop for business owners on how to get better at presenting. One of the attendees was a chiropractor who wanted to help people know more about their bodies and how to avoid common problems that arise from poor posture, unnatural walking stances and the like.

He clearly knew his stuff, but struggled to share it in a clear and concise way. Understandably so, because it was complicated information... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

21. Dealing with a hostile audience

Tue, 18 Jun 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Let’s look at how you should deal with a hostile audience or at least with a few unfriendly faces!

When we’re on stage, just a raised eyebrow or a frown from an audience member can be enough to unsteady us and make us question ourselves. Here are a few suggestions to help you cope with a tough audience... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

20. Finding your voice

Fri, 14 Jun 2019 11:00:00 +0100

What does it mean to find your voice? Well, there are lots of different interpretations of that particular phrase but to my mind, it’s really about having the confidence to be you and to speak up as you truly are.

A lot of my clients come to me and they say that they just want to find their groove on stage, they want to get into their groove, be who they are, be natural, be comfortable during public speaking.

Here I share my three tips for finding your voice... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

19. Should you stay behind?

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Today, I want to discuss the reasons why you should hang around after you’ve given a talk or made a presentation. Often, when we’re done presenting all we want to do is run away. We want to blow off steam. We want to be by ourselves or with close friends. We want some time to think through what just happened... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

18. Start to develop your own style

Fri, 07 Jun 2019 11:00:00 +0100

The idea of having your own style – the way that you do things when you’re on stage – may seem like a luxury to you at the moment. Typically, especially if we leave our preparation to the last minute, elements such as style and flair fall by the wayside because there’s no time left to work on them!! READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

17. Be aware of your energy

Tue, 04 Jun 2019 11:00:00 +0100

A client came to me recently and described feeling surges of fear before speaking. The feeling is actually quite normal – it’s just the body pumping us up with energy in anticipation of our speaking opportunity... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

16. Is your diction letting you down?

Fri, 31 May 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Speaking with more clarity, making sure that your diction really does help you articulate your message, can make a huge difference. Early this week, I was running a workshop called “The Speakers Toolkit”... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

15. Why bother with coaching

Tue, 28 May 2019 11:00:00 +0100

This week, let’s discuss why you might want to find yourself a public speaking coach. In fact, any kind of coach! Early this week, I received a phone call from a business owner who’s based in the Middle East. He’s been struggling a little bit with his communications... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

14. Enjoy your stage time

Fri, 24 May 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Today’s question: do you enjoy your time on stage in the spotlight? OK OK, your answer might well be a resounding ‘no’. After all, if you’re here looking for public speaking tips that probably means you lack a bit of confidence on stage and need a little encouragement... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

13. A quick & easy speech structure

Tue, 21 May 2019 14:03:36 +0100

Today, let’s talk about speech structure. Obviously, it’s important to organise your content – for audience comprehension as well as ease of delivery! If you have a quick and easy speech structure at your disposal, then that also means you will be able to prepare yourself very quickly... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

12. Top 3 reasons to outsource your research

Fri, 17 May 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Most of us in business want to do the thing that lights us up. Sometimes, marketing tasks like researching companies or researching opportunities feel like a real drain and a real struggle for us to get into. Here I share my top reasons you should hire help when looking for speaking opportunities... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

11. Why you need to do your audience research

Tue, 14 May 2019 11:00:00 +0100

In this episode, I want to talk about something that’s very important if you want your event to go right, and that’s doing your audience research. I'll give you key questions you want to ask before your next (and every) gig and tell you why... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

10. An easy way to overcome fear

Fri, 10 May 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Public speaking fear is a huge issue. There are so many different reasons why people can be afraid of getting up and speaking in front of the group. One of the reasons why people often get themselves tied up in knots is because they have what I called “Performing Monkey Syndrome”... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

9. Make your stories more engaging by doing this

Tue, 07 May 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Today I want to give you guidelines for your next public speaking gig, and how instead of just recounting a simple story, you want to talk about how important it is for the main character to succeed and what’s at risk if things go wrong... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

8. The importance of follow up

Fri, 03 May 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Today, I want to chat about the importance of follow-up, not only in terms of securing public speaking opportunities but also in terms of your business overall. I'll cover email follow up, social media follow up and systems to secure Public Speaking opportunities... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

7. Does it help to have a book?

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Reasons why writing a book is worth your time and effort:

1. Enhances your credibility as a speaker

2. Sweetens the pot/provides an incentive to hire you for public speaking

3. Provides content for repurposing

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

6. Negotiating your worth

Fri, 26 Apr 2019 11:00:00 +0100

This episode will cover the basics of fee negotiation:

1. If someone asks you to speak at their event

2. If they want you to speak for free

3. If you’re being paid a fee

4. When it’s time to flee

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

5. Tell your story to build your business

Tue, 23 Apr 2019 11:00:00 +0100

I want to share a very simple storytelling framework that you can use with your audience to tell your personal story.

It’s called the Now-Then-How framework... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

4. Business Networking: why it's important to stand out

Fri, 19 Apr 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Achieve visibility and get hired. Highlights on this episode:

1. People buy people.

2. A good pitch should intrigue people or arouse curiosity.

3. You want to differentiate yourself and your company.

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

3. Create your own signature system

Tue, 16 Apr 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Hear about the D.I.V.A. model and the main reasons for having your own system:

1. Shows you mean business.

2. Shows that your thoughts are organised.

3. Gives your client a road map... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

2. Why you MUST tell stories

Fri, 12 Apr 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Here I share some of the reasons it’s so important to tell stories during public speaking.

Highlights:

Stories allow us to connect emotionally with our listeners
Stories give people hope
Client stories are a powerful way to show off your expertise... READ MORE

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.

1. My story

Tue, 09 Apr 2019 11:00:00 +0100

In this episode I'd like to welcome you to Shortcuts to Public Speaking Success by sharing my journey. I went from getting fired from a job for being too quiet to becoming an international speaker, singer and communications coach.

Go to www.sholakaye.com for useful freebies, tips and more.

Create a speech stress-free and fast with my free guide 5 frameworks to ace a short speech.