A steel case office desk, from her father, provided Joan Moser of Spoken Impact with inspiration as a girl to study and learn bookkeeping skills. Her Grandparents in Connecticut prompted a love of board games.

Her first job at age 13 was at the Old Log Theater in Excelsior, Minnesota. The oldest theater in the state. This job of host helped her adjust to the move from Connecticut to Minnesota.

Through watching start-up technology presentations, she discovered a rewarding niche, the business of public speaking and marketing communications coaching. She and her team of eight employees with recent new hire, her husband of 30 years, Mike Moser, have a knack for building on what works. They facilitate an understanding in clients of their strengths and coach them on how to bridge the gaps in their speaking abilities.  They offer speaking classes and coaching to those early years in a career, mid-years of transition and change, and those in senior level positions who continue to expand their public speaking repertoire.

Joan opens this podcast with a Harvey MacKay quote, “This is the last time I’m going to talk.” Find out to what she is referring.

Keeping people connected to you while you are speaking to them is a skill. A common issue for new public speakers is information dumping. Joan and her team facilitate the mastery of what she calls the Adapted Styles of a Connected Communications leader. She describes the four styles: commanding, persuasive, influencing, and inspiring, and when to use them. Your audience matters. When is storytelling and metaphors needed? How do you motivate others to action? Which communication style is needed to shift thinking? How about speaking at senior meetings with Boards of Directors? Where does vulnerability serve you well? Are you an information dumper?

Joan’s motto: No matter where you are on the journey in your career, if you want to be a better speaker, we are there for you. www.spokenimpact.com

Download this episode. (right click to download)

Resources discussed during today’s mentoring conversation.

Mentoring Tips:

Explore ways to increase confidence in public speaking, marketing, and communications:

• Check out Joan’s public speaking video library, spokenimpact.com.
• Join The Business Edge Speaking Group through Joan’s company. Or, attend the December 6^th Communicating Change event.
• When preparing to speak publicly, think about ways to connect with the audience. Stay away from dumping too much information on them. Highlight and embellish the key take aways for the audience. Rely on copies of your content to fill in the details.
• Hire Spoken Impact to master the Adapted Styles of a Connected Communications leader.

Your Strengths and Bridging Public Speaking Gaps, Episode 49   www.spokenimpact.com

Next Monday’s Mentoring Conversation:

Kathy Flaminio of 1,000 Petals LLC will be in the studio. She is a trainer and consultant on the Science and Practice of Mindfulness and Movement. Kathy is the National Director of Training Development for Yoga Calm guiding over 8,000 professionals to integrate yoga-based movement, mindfulness, and social/emotional skills strategies into classrooms, hospitals, home care, and therapeutic settings.