Kevin Appleby and Susana Serrano-Davey, GrowCFO Mentor, dive deep into the topic of communicating with confidence in this insightful episode. Susana, who is writing a book on confidence, shares her own experiences of overcoming nervousness in public speaking. She emphasizes the importance of stepping out of one’s comfort zone, whether it’s joining a public speaking club like Toastmasters or taking on a daunting challenge like a stand-up comedy course. The two discuss a range of techniques to enhance communication skills, from reducing the use of filler words to structuring presentations for maximum impact. Susana stresses the need to identify and challenge limiting beliefs about one’s communication abilities, a journey that Kevin himself has undertaken, moving from avoiding presentations to becoming a confident speaker.

The conversation also explores the significance of adapting communication styles to different audiences and personalities, as well as the role of ambition and continuous practice in building confidence. Susana and Kevin share valuable insights and personal anecdotes, providing listeners with a roadmap to improve their communication prowess and unlock their full potential as confident, impactful communicators.

Key topics covered include:

• 
  
• Importance of confidence in communication
  
• Susana’s upcoming book on confidence
  
• Recommendation to join public speaking clubs like Toastmasters
  
• Susana’s experience overcoming nervousness in her first Toastmasters meeting
  
• Susana’s experience taking a stand-up comedy course
  
• Importance of stepping out of one’s comfort zone
  
• Techniques for effective communication
  
• Identifying and reducing the use of filler words
  
• Importance of slowing down and being clear in speech
  
• Effective presentation structure: introduction, main course, and conclusion
  
• Techniques for structuring presentations
  
• Importance of understanding the audience’s needs and preferences
  
• Adapting communication style to different personality types
  
• Importance of having ambitious goals to build confidence
  
• Identifying and challenging limiting beliefs about communication
  
• Importance of continuous practice and exposure to build communication skills
  
• Susana’s experience with Toastmasters and the impact on her confidence
  

• 
  
• Susana Serrano-Davey on LinkedIn
  
• Kevin Appleby on LinkedIn
  
• GrowCFO Mentoring
  

• 
  
• 0:00:10 – Introduction and welcome
  
• 0:00:35 – Susana’s work on communicating with confidence
  
• 0:01:11 – Susana’s experience with Toastmasters
  
• 0:02:24 – Overcoming nervousness in public speaking
  
• 0:05:29 – Stepping out of your comfort zone
  
• 0:07:29 – Techniques for effective communication
  
• 0:09:04 – Reducing the use of filler words
  
• 0:11:05 – Kevin’s journey from avoiding presentations to becoming a confident speaker
  
• 0:12:29 – Structuring presentations for maximum impact
  
• 0:15:50 – Using visual aids effectively
  
• 0:17:41 – Adapting communication to different audiences
  
• 0:20:28 – Identifying and challenging limiting beliefs
  
• 0:23:24 – Importance of practice and building confidence
  
• 0:26:14 – Cultivating ambition and setting goals
  

If you enjoyed this podcast, you can subscribe to the GrowCFO Show with your favorite podcast app. The GrowCFO show is listed in the Apple podcast directory, Spotify and many others. Why not subscribe there today? That way, you never miss an episode.

GrowCFO is a great place to extend your professional network. Join GrowCFO as a free member today and participate in our regular networking events and webinars. Premium members can also access our extensive training center and CFO Digital Toolkit. You can enroll in our flagship Future CFO or Finance Leader programs here.

You can find out more and join today at growcfo.net