Speaker Dynamics | Leadership, Communication & Public Speaking

When headlines have your team on edge, the energy you carry into a room sets the tone for everyone in it. Speaking with confidence in a politically charged environment starts with knowing whether you are steady enough to lead the conversation at all.   Karin Reed welcomes Tinna Jackson to Speaker Dynamics - Own the Room. Tinna is President and CEO of Jackson Consulting Group and author of The Power Play Journal. Born and raised in Washington, DC, she built a career in politics, including work on Capitol Hill and in the U.S. Senate, before moving into executive coaching and leadership development.   Tinna explains how the energy leaders bring into a room shapes the way others respond. She shares why leaders should sometimes postpone a meeting rather than walk in emotionally unprepared. She also discusses three factors she believes influence promotion decisions, including one that often sparks disagreement. Tinna explains why insecurity can follow you into a new leadership role, why learning to delegate is part of the adjustment, and how a lack of self-awareness can undermine even the strongest message.   With politics affecting workplaces in different ways, Tinna offers advice on when leaders should address political issues at work and how to keep personal emotions from driving business decisions.   Press play for practical advice on speaking with confidence, leading difficult conversations, managing your emotions, and communicating clearly under pressure.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Why Politics Feels Impossible to Avoid at Work 01:18 From Southeast DC to Capitol Hill 05:33 Why Ego Keeps Your Message From Landing 07:34 Speaking with Confidence Starts With Your Energy 08:44 Skip the Meeting When You're Not Regulated 09:45 The Three Real Reasons People Get Promoted 13:43 Why You Don't Outgrow Insecurity 15:58 Should Leaders Address Politics at Work? 21:02 Building a Leadership Program for Women 22:47 Permission to Put Yourself First   Connect with Tinna Jackson: Visit the Jackson Consulting website Get your copy of The Power Play Journal Connect with Tinna on LinkedIn   Connect with Karin Reed: Visit Speaker Dynamics Explore Speaker Dynamics University Follow Speaker Dynamics on Instagram Connect with Karin Reed on LinkedIn Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Your virtual presence can change the second the red light goes on. Sometimes the problem is not what you know, but how you adjust your communication to the space.   Host Karin Reed opens this Speaker Tip Spotlight on Speaker Dynamics - Own The Room with a live interview that took a sharp turn. A warm, engaging professor went into full lecture mode the moment the cameras rolled, and Karin has a theory about why it happened. Her answer explains why experienced speakers sometimes sound stiff or overly formal on camera. Karin is a four-time author, Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist, and communication expert who helps people own the room in person and virtually.   You will hear who Karin names as one of her favorite communicators of all time, and he hosted a kids' show. She explains why his approach is a master class in authentic presence on video. Karin also shares how she decides when to turn her energy up or pull it back, plus the mental picture she uses when speaking through a webcam. If speaking on camera and leading virtual meetings are part of your work, her advice offers a simple way to strengthen your virtual presence and communicate authentically. And her unexpected video role model makes the bonus content especially worth seeing.   Press play, try the mindset shift on your next call, and find out how to match your virtual presence to the space you are in.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Karin's Surprising Pick for Favorite Communicator 00:50 The Live Interview Where the Professor Turned Stiff 03:02 Treating Every Presentation Like a Conversation 04:05 Dialing Up Your Energy for a Big Room 05:05 Speaking Through a Webcam Means Dialing Back 06:20 Virtual Presence Starts With Picturing Your Viewer 07:27 Steve From Blue’s Clues as a Video Role Model 09:53 Where to Find the Bonus Content   Connect with Karin Reed: Visit Speaker Dynamics Explore Speaker Dynamics University Follow Speaker Dynamics on Instagram Connect with Karin Reed on LinkedIn Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Your voice can only take so many back-to-back meetings before it starts to give out. If you've ended a day of calls with almost no voice left, this episode explains why and what to do about it.   On Speaker Dynamics – Own the Room, Karin Reed talks with Kimberley Bentley, a professional singer, voice teacher, and vocal health coach, about the habits that protect your voice and the ones that quietly wreck it. Kim has spent years training singers and coaching presenters, educators, and other voice-dependent professionals, giving her a clear perspective on the habits that can put extra strain on your voice.   They get into why vocal fatigue from talking isn't only about how much you speak. Tension, volume, pace, and the way you use your voice can all play a role. Kim shares a quick trick for releasing that tension before a big presentation, and Karin offers a more discreet variation you can use while you're on stage.   Karin and Kim also cover staying hydrated for public speaking, including why Kim personally prefers room-temperature water and how speaking louder during virtual meetings can add to vocal fatigue.Kim breaks down breath support for public speaking and shares a few vocal warm ups for speakers that take less than five minutes.   Whether you are presenting, running a meeting or simply engaging in a one-on-one call, you need your voice to hold up. Press play and start treating vocal health like part of the job.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Why Vocal Health Matters for Every Communicator 01:52 Kim Bentley's Background as an Opera Performer 03:32 Classical Training, Jazz, and Finding Your Voice 04:28 Defining Vocal Health: Technique Versus Daily Hygiene 06:50 The Microphone Habit That Protects Your Voice 09:15 Releasing Physical Tension Before You Speak 12:28 Why Virtual Meetings Drain Your Voice Faster 13:10 Hydration, Steam, and Recovering From Vocal Fatigue 16:49 The Truth About Cold Water and Warm Drinks 27:21 Treating Speakers Like Vocal Athletes   Connect with Kimberley Bentley: Visit Kimberley's website Follow Kimberley on Instagram   Connect with Karin Reed: Visit Speaker Dynamics Explore Speaker Dynamics University Follow Speaker Dynamics on Instagram Connect with Karin Reed on LinkedIn Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Facts fade. Stories stick. That's the core lesson behind business storytelling, and it's the reason only 5% of listeners in one study could recall a presentation's data points while 63% remembered the story woven through it.   In this conversation, Karin Reed sits down with Andrea Brody, Speaker Dynamics Senior Communication Coach and creator of the Inspiring Through Storytelling workshop. Andrea spent years as a television reporter before she turned her storytelling instincts into a framework that helps professionals communicate with influence in high-stakes rooms.   Andrea breaks down the three-step formula she uses to help even self-described non-storytellers uncover material they didn't know they had. She explains why a “first, last, best, worst” exercise can surface a moment strong enough to move an entire room, and she walks through the different types of stories, from founder stories to customer stories, that build persuasive leadership communication depending on your audience.   You'll also hear the story of an NFL prospect who used one on-field moment to prove he was a leader worth drafting, a real-world example of how memorable messaging and business storytelling work together to earn buy-in for ideas far beyond the boardroom. Listen to hear how inspiring teams through communication starts with a story you already have.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 The Corporate Case for Storytelling Skills 01:57 Andrea's Journalism Roots and the Workshop Origin 04:02 The Research Behind Business Storytelling and Memory 05:24 The Neuroscience of Why Stories Move Us 08:19 Four Story Types Every Leader Should Know 10:14 What to Say to People Who "Can't" Tell Stories 12:03 Finding Everyday Stories With One Simple Exercise 14:18 A Workshop Breakthrough Moment That Changed the Room 19:54 The NFL Prospect Who Won the Room With One Story 22:27 Using Story to Inspire Teams Through Hard Times   Connect with Karin Reed: Visit Speaker Dynamics Explore Speaker Dynamics University Follow Speaker Dynamics on Instagram Connect with Karin Reed on LinkedIn Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Most professionals never think about how their clothes are already talking for them before a meeting starts. Karin Reed sits down with wardrobe stylist and certified color analyst Claire Roberts to fix that blind spot. What you wear shapes your executive presence before you say a single word, and Claire, owner of Claire Roberts Style, has spent nearly two decades helping people get that right.   Claire works primarily with executive women who are focused on strengthening their executive presence by using their wardrobe as a personal branding tool. She breaks down color analysis, a process for identifying the colors that work best with your natural coloring. She also explains why so many women reach for black assuming it slims them, and why that assumption often works against their specific coloring.   Karin and Claire dig into enclothed cognition, a concept backed by published research examining how what you wear can influence how you think, feel, act and perform. Claire connects this to confidence at work, explaining that when clients feel good in their clothes and stop second-guessing what they’re wearing, they can focus more fully on the job in front of them. She also shares how body language when presenting changes depending on what a person wears, from posture to how they move on stage.   Listen for Claire's take on vibrant color and stage presence, plus her advice for building a wardrobe that supports authentic leadership communication instead of working against it. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 The Closet Dilemma Every Professional Faces 01:30 Claire Roberts Joins Speaker Dynamics 02:17 From J.Crew Catalogs to Wardrobe Styling 05:26 Who Claire Works With and Why 07:45 How Office Dress Codes Shifted Since COVID 09:17 Connecting Wardrobe to Executive Presence 10:29 What Color Analysis Actually Means 13:05 The Myth That Black Is Always Slimming 15:07 Inside a Color Draping Session 17:01 Vibrant Colors and Executive Presence on Stage 20:52 The Science Behind Enclothed Cognition 22:36 Where to Find Claire's Bonus Content   Connect with Claire Roberts: Visit Claire's website  Follow Claire on Instagram  Connect with Claire on LinkedIn  Read Claire's interview on Voyage Raleigh   Connect with Karin Reed: Visit Speaker Dynamics Explore Speaker Dynamics University Follow Speaker Dynamics on Instagram Connect with Karin Reed on LinkedIn Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm