Speaker Dynamics | Leadership, Communication & Public Speaking

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

Presenting to senior leaders gets messy fast when someone hijacks your time with a tangent that pulls the room away from what you came to say. You need a way to reclaim control without seeming rude, and this episode delivers exactly that.   Karin Reed, an Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist and four-time author, hosts Speaker Dynamics. She built the technique from an unlikely source: a newscast earpiece that once fed her live directions from an impatient producer telling her to cut a guest off mid-answer.   In this episode, she breaks down the “paraphrase and pivot” technique, a meeting facilitation skill she still uses today. She walks through what happens when an executive derails your presentation with a question you never planned for, and how to answer without losing your place or your time slot.   She also applies the technique to panel moderation, describing the panelist who loves the sound of their own voice and the exact line she uses to hand the floor to someone else. Her example shows how to communicate with influence when time is short and everyone in the room has an opinion worth hearing.   Karin ties it all back to leadership communication that respects the room without letting one voice take it over, whether you're in a boardroom, on a panel, or in a weekly team meeting.   Press play to learn the phrase that keeps you in control the next time you're presenting to senior leaders.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Karin Reed's Live TV Story Behind the Paraphrase and Pivot Technique 01:46 How to Use Paraphrase and Pivot When Presenting to Senior Leaders 04:07 Staying in Control of Your Message During Executive Pushback 05:20 Applying Paraphrase and Pivot to Panel Moderation 08:23 Using Paraphrase and Pivot in Team Meetings and Where to Find the Checklist 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

You work hard, deliver results, and still get overlooked. This episode shows you how to build executive presence without changing who you are or pretending to be the loudest voice in the room.   On Speaker Dynamics - Own The Room, host Karin Reed sits down with Lorraine K. Lee, keynote speaker and bestselling author of Unforgettable Presence, to unpack why professional presence grows through small daily moments rather than big stage appearances.   Lorraine was a founding editor at LinkedIn. She was known for being influential and well-liked, yet the promotion she wanted never came. After a colleague received a promotion, they repeated one sentence from their manager that made the reason painfully clear. Lorraine reveals the full story, plus the promotion strategy to put in motion at least six months before review season.   You also get her pre-call checklist for on-camera confidence, a practical framework for leaders who often make their first impressions on screen. Introverts get a roadmap too. Lorraine names three hidden strengths, then explains how preparation can ease imposter syndrome and nerves around communication. Karin and Lorraine close with a lesson on articulating your value so senior leaders grasp your impact in seconds.   Press play to learn the small, intentional steps behind lasting executive presence and a career people finally notice.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Why You Feel Like the Best Kept Secret at Work 01:07 The Story Behind Lorraine K. Lee's Book, Unforgettable Presence 04:12 Executive Presence vs Professional Presence 05:36 Common Mistakes That Hold Back Your Presence 06:48 How Introverts Can Stand Out at Work 10:59 Building On-Camera Confidence With the TEA Method 12:53 Why You Have to Explicitly Ask for a Promotion 15:29 Working Smarter Not Harder to Protect Your Reputation 18:14 Quick Wins for Improving Your LinkedIn Presence 23:25 The Power of Video Content on LinkedIn 24:10 One Mindset Shift to Be Seen as a Leader 26:02 The Big Takeaway on Building Lasting Presence   Connect with Lorraine K. Lee: Connect with Lorraine on LinkedIn Follow Lorraine 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