Speaking with Confidence with Cat Matson: communication coaching for humble leaders

If you overthink or second guess how you're going to express yourself in team meetings, this episode is for you.
In our reluctance to NOT appear 'bossy' we sometimes overthink our messages, try to facilitate a discussion when really, our recommendation is appropriate and prioritise consensus over getting things done.
Inspired by a real conversation in my Communicate with Impact program, in this episode I'm sharing some practical and mindset tips to help you say what you want to say, with authority and credibility, without sounding pushy, bossy without feeling awkwardly assertive.
Listen in to hear:
Mindset shifts for confident recommendations
How to own your expertise in meetings
Language hacks to soften any potential harshness
Moving from asking for permission to making direct recommendations
The impact of imposter syndrome on speaking up

Other episodes mentioned: # 7 - Why Me? Overcoming 'I'm Not Good Enough'

Get my FREE How To Stop Rambling Masterclass

I've become very present, recently, to how our work-from-home, online world, is reducing our casual conversations.
And with that, we're losing the key human skills of building relationships through conversations.
In this episode I'm 'working out loud' on this 'trend' ...
Listen in to hear:
my 'evidence' for this diminishing human skill of conversations and connection
why relationships are a key part of a successful (meaningful, satisfying) career or business
how conversations - imperfect, flawed, unscripted - are the building blocks to relationships
why I think we need to consciously create time to build relationships - and not just through asynschronous text and voice notes, or social media comments

I would love to know what you think. Leave a comment below.
I'd also love to answer your questions in a future episode - leave them below DM me on instagram
And if you'd like to better understand why you ramble, and how to manage it, you want my FREE How To Stop Rambling Masterclass

It will probably suprise you to learn that, despite being a communication and speaking coach, my natural tendency is to ramble.
In fact, it was my rambling, and my deep frustration that I wasn't making sense to my colleagues (despite my intelligence and experience) that inspired me to start my business and podcast.
So in this episode I want to share what I now understand to be the causes of my rambling, and how I manage it so I can be an impactful communicator, without stifling my thought process or my personality.
Listen in to hear:
how it was reading about split-brain experiements that was the 'a-ha' for me about what I now understand is verbal processing
the gorgeous experience with a friend that had me realise that verbal processing wasn't necessarily normal (who knew?!?!)
the reasons why verbal processing works for different neurodivergent minds (and what rings true for me)
how I signal to my listeners, when I can, that I am 'thinking out loud', so I can still 'think' but they don't have to follow the (crazy-to-them) details
why feeling like I need to defend my position will also cause me to ramble, differently to the verbal processing style
how I'm learning to trust my contribution without third party credibility
and how, when rambling really isn't ok, I manage to collect my thoughts and land them to move my listener closer to where I want the to be

Also mentioned in this episode.
My FREE SpeakEASY Community Call, Friday 3 July. Click here for details
My IMPACTFUL newsletter - subscribe to be the first to know of future SpeakEASYs and other events
The book: 'Who's In Charge? Free Will and the Science of the Brain' by Michael Gazzinaga
Want to ask a question? Let me know what resonated? Instagram is the best place to do that, or, if you're listening on Spotify, simply comment here!

What happens when you take a few deep breaths?
You feel better. Every time.
Well, your messages need breathing space, both at a micro-level as well as at a macro-level, and that's what I'm talking about today.
As I click over into the next century(!) of this podcast with episode 201, I'm changing the pace and style (a smidge) of these podcasts.
Listen in to hear:
how the algorithm-obsessed rule of 'consistency' does not mean frequency (even though we've conflated the two)
why any good message needs space around it to breathe and to be received
how I'm approaching visibility and 'findability' while pushing back on the notion of volume
why I think less really is more
my thinking on more 'working out loud' episodes rather than 'teaching' episodes
Mentioned In This Episode
Episode 200! (it's the episode before this one!)
How To Stop Rambling Masterclass - it's free and it's on-demand. Get it here

A milestone episode, the 200th, deserves a celebration! 🥳
To do just that, in this episode I’m answering a series of listener questions about speaking, podcasting and speaking highlights, as well as sharing what I’ve learned, and what’s coming next, for the Speaking with Confidence with Cat Matson podcast.
Listen in to hear:
The most popular episode of all time

The common mistakes people make when they start working on their speaking skills

The ‘thing’ that keeps coming up, over and over again, in my coaching work

The number one insight I’ve gained, as in, the ONE THING that is most impactful when communicating

What surprises me the most about this podcast and this work

My speaking highlight (and no, it’s not the biggest stage I’ve spoken on)

How I record these episodes without a script and keep my voice calm and inviting

Why I think speaking in THE MOST valuable skill you can have

What I’ll be sharing in episodes 201, onwards

Also mentioned in this episode:
The most popular episode of all time - How To Get The Right Words To Come Out
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6zvje5YEEpFaEejTa9TFay?si=0c4f43ba393841d2
The interview with Denise Duffield-Thomas
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4Yfa9VK2Hf0r7Dj50W07v1?si=9J3n_ebUQD2hCH58z2kBzg
The interview with Dr Martine Rothblatt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp5w47HjLKM 
My newsletter, Impactful, on substack (best way to hear about the cool stuff coming up)
https://catmatson.substack.com/
Instagram - where you can chat with me about anything ☺️
https://www.instagram.com/catmatson/