Cat Matson Podcaster

In this episode, I'm talking to the introverts who don’t want to have ‘be extroverted’ to be an effective speaker. As someone who works with a lot of introverts, I help my clients embrace their authenticity to make a big impact as a speaker. I share some valuable tips for recognising and articulating your value and expertise, crafting your Earn The…

Today, we're talking about making an impact in a silly-short amount of time. Whether it's a 60-90 second reel, a 2-minute vote of thanks, or a 3-minute start-up pitch, it can be tough to get your message across in such a short amount of time. The key to success is identifying the core message you want your audience to get and the action you want th…

Do you ever find yourself over-explaining yourself or hyper fixating on minor mistakes after a presentation? Yep. Me too and it’s a more and more frequent conversation I’m having with neurodiverse people in my Impactful Presenters Program. In this episode, I explore some neurodiverse traits and how they affect your speaking confidence. I share valu…

Are you looking for ways to position yourself as an expert, generate sales, or advance your career? Well, speaking is your answer. Keynotes, conference presentations, even social media videos are all ways to share your knowledge and connect with your customers or peers at scale. It's so powerful and MUCH easier than you think. In this episode, I sh…

In this episode, we discuss a 5-step process for preparing a presentation that delivers impact. Instead of immediately opening your slide deck program, step one involves getting present to the who, what, where, why, and how of your presentation using a blank piece of paper and a pen. Step two is identifying your three key messages, and step three i…

In this episode of Speaking with Confidence with Cat Matson I explore the power of cropping for focus and impact. As an amateur photographer, I've learned the importance of cropping in the post-production process. It's amazing how just changing the frame can bring the subject into focus and make the photo more impactful. Last year, after Riverfire,…

In this episode, I'm talking about something that almost everyone struggles with in their communication: being succinct. Have you ever felt like you're using too many words to get to your point? Well, you're not alone! But being concise doesn't mean your whole conversation has to be 'tweetable'. I'll share how to recognise when to 'think out loud',…

Do you ever feel like an impostor? Like you're not good enough, smart enough, or experienced enough to be doing what you're doing? Yep, you’re not alone! In this episode of Speaking with Confidence podcast, I share three sure fire ways to overcome it so you can get on with being awesome, fabulous and brilliant (because, you are. Oh yes you are!) He…

In this episode of Speaking with Confidence, is all how negative speaking experiences can leave us feeling anxious about public speaking in front of others. The concept of "Bruises >> Brain >> Behaviour" is particularly powerful, and I share both my own and a colleague’s story of the bruises we’ve copped which affected our speaking confidence. The …

Have you ever had trouble communicating with someone and felt like you were speaking in tongues? You’re usually smart, intelligent and an effective communicator but with this person you just can’t land your message? It could be because the other person has a different learning or processing style than you. In this week’s podcast I talk about just t…

In this episode I talk about the importance of storytelling in to build credibility and interest in your topic, AND I share the three types of stories you should have in your kit bag: origin stories, brag bag stories, and social proof stories. The origin story explains why you do what you do and what impact you want to make in the world. Brag bag s…

Why do you do what you do? Why does it matter? Why do you care if people 'hear' your message? In the Speaking with Confidence facebook group the community spent a lot of time workshopping and brainstorming each other's Earn-The-Rights - a key platform to calm your nerves, overcome imposter syndrome and claim credibility. One part of that framework …

Hosting a powerful, interactive webinar can be a really impactful way of generating new sales, building profile or credibility or establishing thought leadership in your field. I recently ran a 4-day workshop webinar series, where each workshop built on each other, and I wanted to share my tips. Listen in to learn about: How to keep your messages, …

Let me guess … sales pitches aren’t your favourite thing to do. Me either! However, they’re an important part of growing your business, getting new clients and even pitching your ideas to other stakeholders (like the board, investors or even your team). In this episode I share how I’ve moved past the ‘ugh, I hate selling’ feeling and instead have f…

Speaking with confidence is one of those skills that we think ‘oh, wouldn’t it be nice’ to be a better speaker … but in talking with participants in the Impactful Presenters program I became VERY aware of the costs of not being a confident speaker. There are real financial costs, as well as emotional and mental costs. Listen to this episode to lear…

Everybody talks, right? So why is it so hard to SPEAK with clarity, authenticity and impact? Inspired by Anne Handley’s book, Everybody Writes, in this episode I explore how to take a an ability we all have (well, almost all), talking, and have it become a skill – speaking with confidence, clarity, authenticity and ultimately, impact. You’ll learn …

One of the things that trips most people up in their speaking is how they think about the WORDS they want to say instead of the MESSAGE they want to convey. In this episode I share my game-changing Frame Your Thinking method (the Impactful Presenters participants call it Post-It-Note-Magic) that helps you stay on message, calm your nerves and avoid…

For many of us, when we’re prepared, we can speak confidently. We have our slide deck, we’ve rehearsed, or we’ve mentally had the conversation with ourselves a few times. But when we’re put on the spot we’re struck dumb. Our mind goes blank. In this episode I share my life hack for collecting my thoughts quickly. And the awesome news is, this hack …

From what I’ve seen over the years, there are 6 different kinds of speakers in professional environments. And each speaker persona has its own challenges … but also their own solutions. Listen to this episode to find out which one YOU are and how can become a better speaker, instantly. Once you’ve listened, I’d love to know which kind of speaker yo…

Are you making these speaking mistakes? There are 'lots' of mistakes that people feel they make when speaking ... and there's generally always room for improvement ;-) But these 3 mistakes I think are the most common ones I see … and they’re not that obvious until you know what they are. Listen to find out what these 3 mistakes how, whether you’re …

It doesn’t matter what you’re trying to achieve in life, there are only two types of barriers to success. And, once you know what those barriers are, you can overcome them. In this episode I share what the two barriers are, how to overcome them, how they’re intertwined and how, over the years, I’ve moved through those barriers to achieve success. I…

It’s that time of year where we get caught up in new year’s resolutions and big goals for the year ahead. I love this time of year for just that reason … that notion of a fresh start and to build on the momentum or groundwork of the year before. But how do you align your goals with the impact you want to make? How do you keep impact front of mind a…

Noone wants to be that person who runs meetings that are boring, a waste of time or just plain ‘blergh’. Well, after the last two weeks of talking about panel discussions, it occurred to me that we could take what we know about moderating a panel discussion that your audience loves to run a meeting that not only doesn’t suck, but is fun, inspiring,…

Last episode we explored why panel discussions are such a powerful platform to increase your authority, reputation and profile in your field. In this episode I’ll show you how to host your own panel event that positions you as an industry leader, influences change AND is a lot of fun as well. As you think about your profile and influence goals for …

Panel discussions are such a powerful and EASY way to increase your credibility, establish your authority and build your profile in your field. I’ve been a participant in or moderated more panel discussions than I can count … they are hands down my favourite speaking format because they’re so fun, enjoyable, easy to prepare and such a great way to …

Frustrated that it feels like people aren't heeding your advice, or aren't jumping on board your cause? Ever wondered how effective influencers make their influence? Well, in this episode I explore the importance of investing in the long game of influence and how consistent ‘micro conversations’ are a key to making an impact. I also share a couple …

Ever wondered how messages become sticky? How to have your messages repeated back to you? Well that's exactly what I discuss in this episode and how I now have people 'giving back’ my key messages to me, or citing them in their own presentations and discussions. It's like the speaking version of a viral meme on social media … and it's powerful evid…

Social media videos – we know they’re important for getting our message out there, we know they’re important to the social media algorithm … but gosh, for so many people, they really SUCK. Or at least, that’s how we feel about them. In this episode, I share my top tips for delivering short format social media videos that are natural, authentic, eff…

Making the complex simple DOES NOT mean dumbing things down. In fact, I remember the theoretical physicist, Dr Brian Greene (who specializes in string theory) say something to the effect of, you do your audience, and humanity, a disservice, when you dumb your information down. Make your information understandable … but not dumb. Invite people ‘up’ …

Making magic is the ultimate outcome, for me, when talking about making an impact and it’s presented as the pinnacle of The Speakers’ Journey in the Impactful Presenters Program, where people move from Knowledgeable but Nervous, to Cautiously Confident; to Capable AND Confident then Spontaneously Confident, to Moderating and Facilitating Impact and…

The world seems to be a miserable place sometimes, doesn’t it? And sometimes, when I look at the ‘entertainment’ industry (TV, movies, books), I feel like people are competing for the ‘misery porn’ … how bad can we make people feel? Well, I don’t like feeling miserable … and I’ve personally never found it a motivating force for change. So in this e…

It’s awards season! Well, business awards season anyway! And I was asked by a member of the Impactful Presenters community for my tips on preparing for an acceptance speech as she’s a finalist (woot!) … so I thought I’d share my tips here too. Even if you’re not a finalist right now, listening may well encourage you to enter those next awards … bec…

There are SO MANY things to be upset, angry and frustrated about these days. Outraged, even. And in fact that white hot anger is often what drives us to lead change. To speak up. To listen to podcasts like this so we can make a difference. But moral outrage and righteous indignation are NOT ingredients for making effective impact. Especially when i…

Swearing when presenting? Can we? Should we? If you’ve seen me present in person you’ll know I’ve been known to swear a bit on stage. If you’ve had a conversation with me, you’ll know I can swear like a trooper! But when it comes to presenting with impact, does swearing help your hinder your cause? In this episode I talk about swearing when present…

Rambling is DEFINITELY not what we want when we’re aiming to speak with confidence and impact. But riffing, well, that’s a completely different story. But often times people think when they’re talking conversationally they’re rambling and therefore they’re not effective. But riffing is quite different to rambling and is a really powerful technique …

As experts, leaders, business owners and change makers, we often fall into the trap of thinking with need to tell our audience EVERYTHING we know in order to convince them of our credibility. The problem is, that has the complete opposite effect of our outcome …. and we instead bore or overwhelm our listener. In this episode I talk about how to MOV…

We've all been there! Yawning through a presentation that could have been delivered by email because the slide deck is saying what the speaker is. Sooooo boring. And yet, that's often the very thing we do ourselves when given the opportunity to present. In this episode you'll hear about a data-heavy, speaker-heavy event I recently MC'd where it cou…

There's a fine line we walk when we're trying to convince people to take action. And when we get so passionate, enthusiastic and even earnest about helping people, we can come across as 'telling', instead of ‘inviting'. And, as anyone who's ever tried 'telling’ anyone anything, you know it's not the most effective way to get people to take action. …

Have you ever had to pitch? Pitch your start-up idea, pitch for investment or grant funding or just pitch an idea at work? There's no doubt it can be daunting! Especially if you have a restrictive format you need to use and a tight time limit! In this episode I talk about how you can still bring authenticity and emotional connection into a restrict…

So, how do you find opportunities to speak? That is, if you're looking to build your business or professional profile through speaking engagements, how do you find and secure those opportunities? That was the question that was asked in the Speaking with Confidence Facebook group ... and here is the answer. Do you have a question you'd like answered…

In our desire to establish authority and credibility, we can overload our presentations or conversations with information, data, story and details. Or our nerves or imposter syndrome can have us over-share, ramble and drown our audience in information But that over-sharing can come at a cost. In this episode I explore why we say too much, the profe…

In this special Impact Makers episode I talk to Emma Rhoades on why she left her corporate gig to set up Her Leadership Journey, why she's on a mission to fix our workplaces and how speaking with impact has changed the game for her.Av Cat Matson

Meetings are one of the many ways that we become unconscious professionally. They're dreary, they feel like a waste of time and so we show up and not contributing, waiting for them to be over so we can get back to our task lists. But, chances are you spend a lot of time in meetings ... and if you're not proactive in all these professional conversat…

The ability to speak with clarity, confidence, authenticity and authority is the secret sauce to professional influence and success. It's not another degree, years more experience or waiting until you're in a position of authority. Which is awesome ... because it's SO MUCH easier to boost your speaking skills than investing years in those other thi…

Do you ever find yourself getting SO excited about all.the.things. you want to say to someone ... that you end up drowning them in information? They look shellshocked and you scramble to make them understand what it was you were trying to say? Well, that's what this episode is all about; how to convey your enthusiasm and excitement for a topic in a…

People often think that confidence is all you need to be an impactful speaker. Well, you can be confident, but still not be impactful (ask me how I know!). In this episode I talk about how I went from confident but not effective, to confident AND impactful. To ask me a question about how you can become more impactful when you speak, head over to th…

Now that we've emerged from the pandemic into a new normal, hybrid meetings, ones where we have people in person AND online, are becoming pretty normal. But they can really suck for the online attendees as they get forgotten ... because, after all, it's easier to engage with the people in the room than the ones online, right? That's what we're talk…

Ever felt like you 'fluff it' when it comes to introducing yourself at a networking event? In this episode I explain how to use the Earn-The-Right technique to introduce yourself in a way that your audience 'gets' you AND remembers you, so they mentally file you in their mind. For more on the Earn The Right framework I talk about, listen to episode…

When Breanna Barnes took a secondment role to support entrepreneurs go on overseas trade missions, she didn't realise just how important speaking with impact was going to be. In this special 'Impact Makers' episode of Speaking with Confidence, we talk about the value of exposing ourselves to new environments, the extraordinary startup talent we hav…

Meetings: for most of us are the the most regular and frequent place where we get to make an impact. Or not. So how do you get a meeting back on track when it's lost direction? That's the topic of this episode. Do you have a speaking question you'd like answered? Ask away in the Speaking with Confidence Facebook Group…