Speak by Design

Why Bringing Your Whole Self to Work Is a Trap: Authenticity and Executive PresenceAuthenticity is everywhere in leadership advice. Be yourself. Be vulnerable. Bring your whole self to work. But almost no one tells you where that advice quietly backfires, or how oversharing can cost a strong performer their credibility.In this episode, Stephanie Bickel sits down with Dominique Murray, a marketing and technology leader, author, and longtime Speak by Design University member whose first impression is so strong Stephanie calls her a northbound train. Together they unpack the difference between authenticity that builds trust and authenticity that becomes a liability, why adapting how you show up is not the same as being fake, and how the best leaders use vulnerability with precision instead of spilling everything.You will also hear the small set of changes that completely shifted how a room responded to Stephanie, and why none of them cost her a thing.You'll learn:→ The difference between good vulnerability and bad vulnerability→ Why "that's just not me" is usually resistance, not authenticity→ How to adapt to a room without feeling like you are performing→ Where transparency helps a team and where it quietly erodes trust→ The one reframe that changes how you walk into any roomWhether you are leading a town hall, navigating a new team, or deciding how much of your personal life belongs at work, this episode gives you a clear way to stay genuine without giving everything away. Authenticity is not the goal. Trust is.Dominique's debut novel, Dominion Ascension, is out now.LINKS:Start your coaching journey: https://speakbydesignuniversity.com/joinGet Speak by Design Certified: https://speakbydesignuniversity.com/certificationDominion Ascension: https://www.amazon.com/Dominion-Ascension-D-Murray/dp/B0F7T5W74THosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

How to Tell Stories That Win Buy-In: Storytelling for Executive CommunicationMost leaders know they need stories. Almost none feel ready to tell them. They worry they are not creative enough, that storytelling feels manipulative, or that they simply do not know where to begin.In this episode, Stephanie Bickel sits down with Mark Busse, a storytelling expert, executive coach, and speechwriter who has written for two U.S. Presidents, a governor, and a sitting U.S. Senator. Together they break down why storytelling is one of the most authentic things a leader can do, how to build a story inventory you can pull from on demand, and the exact moments where most people lose their audience.You will also hear the career-defining moment a Hollywood executive looked Mark in the eye and told him the words that changed how he communicates to this day.You'll learn:→ The 3 reasons leaders resist storytelling and how to move past each one→ How to build a story inventory you can start today→ Why the moral of the story has to be unmistakable for a business audience→ Where to slow down and add detail, and where to set the stage→ How to contribute in any meeting by asking for a story, even as the most junior person in the roomWhether you are pitching an idea, preparing for a performance review, or trying to lead with more authority, this episode gives you practical tools to make your message land and stick. Leadership communication is not just about the facts you present. It is about the story you build around them.Mark is joining us live at Sharpen and Elevate in Chicago on July 15. Registration closes June 30. https://speakbydesignuniversity.com/se2026LINKS:Start your coaching journey: https://speakbydesignuniversity.com/joinGet Speak by Design Certified: https://speakbydesignuniversity.com/certificationHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Stop Getting Derailed in Leadership Meetings: How to Handle Pushback and Earn Buy-InAre you constantly getting derailed in meetings? You're not alone. In this episode, we break down why senior leaders interrupt, resist, and push back — and exactly what to do about it.Whether you're advocating for innovation, AI adoption, or organizational change, getting derailed by senior leadership can kill momentum and slow down your team's best ideas. The root cause? Leaders often fear that the critical thinking hasn't been done, that the problem isn't fully diagnosed, the evidence isn't solid, and the success metrics aren't clear.In this episode, you'll learn: → Why senior leaders derail presentations and how to anticipate it → The 4 roles you can play in a leadership meeting: facilitator, consultant, expert, or visionary and when to use each → How to handle pushback with diplomacy including the "boomerang" technique for redirecting tough questionsWhen and how to disagree with a senior leader → The Help Philosophy: how to validate concerns, diagnose real issues, reframe decisions, and offer clear next steps → How to protect trust in the room while still advocating for your positionIf you're in a leadership role, presenting to executives, or navigating organizational change, this episode will give you the communication tools to stay composed, credible, and influential even when the room pushes back hard.*This topic comes directly from our Speak by Design University cohort programs, where participants report feeling derailed by senior leadership more than ever before.🔗 Links:Start your coaching journey: https://speakbydesignuniversity.com/joinChicago Leadership Day (July 15): https://speakbydesignuniversity.com/se2026Get Speak by Design Certified: https://speakbydesignuniversity.com/certificationHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

New here? Don't start here. Go back to Episode 1 and follow the sequence 1–50, designed as a private coaching journey.Today's guest is ahead of the curve and she has the data to prove it.Lisa Christensen leads learning design and innovation at McKinsey & Company, one of the most influential firms in the world. She is not guessing about where learning is going. She is building it.In this episode, Stephanie sits down with Lisa to explore how AI is quietly transforming leadership development, communication training, and the future of how professionals grow at work.➤ The Shift: Why the old "go away and learn" model is no longer enough and what it means for L&D leaders, coaches, and executives.➤ The Opportunity: How AI is finally making scaled personalization possible, meeting people in the flow of their work rather than pulling them out of it.➤ The Guardrails: Why trust, human judgment, and creative friction are more important than ever and how McKinsey is thinking about the ethics of developmental data.The future of learning is not a course. It is a conversation that meets you exactly where you are.That is the lesson.🔗 Links:Start your coaching journey: https://speakbydesignuniversity.com/joinChicago Leadership Day (July 15): https://speakbydesignuniversity.com/se2026Get Speak by Design Certified: https://speakbydesignuniversity.com/certification Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

How to Rebuild Confidence as a Leader: Mindset Shifts for Executive CommunicationMany professionals appear confident on the surface. But underneath?They are battling anxiety, overthinking feedback, fear of judgment, and the pressure to always have the perfect answer.In this episode, Stephanie Bickel sits down with Madina Behori, one of the founding coaches inside Speak by Design University, to unpack the mindset patterns that quietly affect leadership communication at every level.Together, they explore the internal fears that hold leaders back and the practical mindset tools they use to help executives communicate with more confidence, clarity, and calm under pressure.You’ll learn:→ The 3 “What if…” fears that drive communication anxiety→ How to stop over-personalizing feedback→ Why confidence cannot come only from knowledge→ The trust equation for rebuilding trust with yourself→ The simple mental technique to reduce overwhelm during meetings and presentationsWhether you are leading meetings, presenting to senior leadership, managing pressure, or trying to communicate with more authority, this episode offers practical tools to help you think more clearly and trust yourself more fully.Leadership communication is not just about what you say. It is about the mindset you bring into the room.🔗 Links:Start your coaching journey: https://speakbydesignuniversity.com/joinChicago Leadership Day (July 15): https://speakbydesignuniversity.com/se2026Get Speak by Design Certified: https://speakbydesignuniversity.com/certificationHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

10 Communication Training Facilitation Tips That Actually Change Leadership BehaviorAfter decades of coaching leaders, Stephanie Bickel has learned something important:Most communication training does not fail because the information is bad.It fails because people never practice the skill in a way that sticks.In this episode, Stephanie shares the top 10 communication training principles Speak by Design has used for years to help leaders communicate with more clarity, confidence, and influence in real-world situations.You’ll learn:→ Why leaders should never practice “cold”→ How to make communication training immediately usable→ Why real work creates faster behavior change than hypotheticals→ The importance of short, high-energy repetition→ How to give feedback that improves skill without shutting people down→ Why the second attempt is often where real growth happens→ The one question every training session should end withWhether you lead meetings, coach teams, facilitate workshops, or develop executives, this episode breaks down the communication training methods that actually create lasting behavior change.Because great communication training is not a lecture.It is a live rehearsal for leadership.🔗 Links:Start your coaching journey: https://speakbydesignuniversity.com/joinChicago Leadership Day (July 15): https://speakbydesignuniversity.com/se2026Get Speak by Design Certified: https://speakbydesignuniversity.com/certificationHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

2026 - Studying Great Speakers Episode 3: Alex HormoziNew here? Don’t start here. Go back to Episode 1 and follow the sequence 1–50, designed as a private coaching journey.Today’s speaker study is ROGUE YET RELATABLE.Alex Hormozi is not polished in the traditional sense. He is direct, structured, and relentlessly clear. He does not try to impress. He wants to be understood.And that is exactly why he is effective.In this episode, Stephanie breaks down how Alex does it:➤ Style: How he uses grounded presence, minimal emotion, and steady delivery to create authority without over-performing.➤ Structure: How he simplifies complex ideas into sharp, repeatable frameworks. His messages are distilled to their essence, making them easy to follow and hard to forget.➤ Strategy: How he leads with clarity over charisma. He removes distraction, gets to the point quickly, and builds trust by making his thinking transparent.Alex Hormozi does not rely on personality to carry his message.He relies on precision.That is the lesson.🔗 Links:Start your coaching journey: https://speakbydesignuniversity.com/joinChicago Leadership Day (July 15): https://speakbydesignuniversity.com/se2026Get Speak by Design Certified: https://speakbydesignuniversity.com/certificationHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Studying Great Speakers Episode 2: Robin RobertsNew here? Don't start here! Go back to Episode 1 and follow the sequence 1–50, designed as a private coaching journey. Today's speaker study proves something many leaders still underestimate: warmth is not weakness. In the right hands, warmth is power.Robin Roberts is warm but not flimsy. Open but not sloppy. Expressive but never chaotic. Strong but never cold. She has the rare ability to make people feel deeply seen — while staying fully in charge.In this episode, Stephanie breaks down exactly how Robin does it:➤ Style — How she uses body language, voice, and emotional range to build instant trust with any audience.➤ Structure — How she builds messages people can feel, repeat, and live by — using repetition, rhythm, humor, and a moral that always lands.➤ Strategy — How relational influence works and why warmth, when it has mission behind it, becomes one of the most persuasive forces in communication.Robin Roberts doesn't hide her humanity to look credible. She uses her humanity to deepen credibility. That's the lesson.🔗 Links:Start your coaching journey: https://speakbydesignuniversity.com/joinChicago Leadership Day (July 15): https://speakbydesignuniversity.com/se2026Get Speak by Design Certified: https://speakbydesignuniversity.com/certificationHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

New here? This is not the place to start! Begin with Episode 1 and follow the sequence 1–50, designed as a private coaching journey.At Speak by Design, we analyze speakers by their style, structure, and strategy — and today's subject is one of the most quietly compelling leaders in business: Bob Iger, outgoing CEO of The Walt Disney Company.Iger officially hands the CEO role to Josh D'Amaro on March 18, 2026 Fox Business, closing one of the most storied leadership runs in corporate history. Before he exits the stage, we're studying exactly what makes him so worth watching.Bob Iger is not a dramatic communicator. He's not flashy, not intense for intensity's sake. He doesn't crowd the room with himself. And yet, when he speaks, people listen. Why? Because he sounds like a leader people can trust. Measured. Wise. Clear. Safe. Secure. He sounds like someone who has already cut through the noise. Someone who doesn't need to prove he's in charge, because his steadiness does that for him.What's covered in this episode:➤ Style — How Bob Iger shows up: his body language, his voice, and the personal brand he projects through calm authority (not anxious authority). Nothing rushed. Nothing performative. Nothing aggressive.➤ Structure — How he builds a message that lands without theatrics.➤ Strategy — How he connects with and influences all audiences from investors to employees to the public.The big takeaway: executive presence does not have to be theatrical. In fact, sometimes it's more trustworthy when it isn't. Bob Iger is the perfect example.Search Bob Iger on YouTube and watch him speak to large audiences, especially investor audiences. You'll see exactly what we mean.🔗 Links:Start your coaching journey: https://speakbydesignuniversity.com/joinChicago Leadership Day (July 15): https://speakbydesignuniversity.com/se2026Get Speak by Design Certified: https://speakbydesignuniversity.com/certificationHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

2026 Update | What's New at Speak by DesignThis episode is an update for our active clients, not a place to start. New here? Begin with Episode 1 and follow the sequence 1–50, designed as a private coaching journey.Stephanie Bickel is back with an exciting update on everything happening at Speak by Design in 2026 and there's a lot to share.What's covered in this episode:➤ Sharpen and Elevate in Chicago on July 15th, 2026. Join us for a full day of live development: sharpen your executive presence, body language, voice, leadership brand, and on-your-feet thinking. (Companies: ask us about bringing this to your team!)➤ Speak by Design Coaching CertificationDo you want to coach leadership communication inside your organization? Certification kicks off in July. Perfect for HR leaders, internal comms, and executive coaches.➤ Speak by Design UniversityNow an annual, start-anytime program with 1:1 private coaching, a guided skill development path, and a portfolio of communication assets you'll actually use.Plus, Stephanie shares 5 trends she's hearing from clients right now: • Being told you're "too rude" — and what feedback to actually take seriously • Tech & AI storytelling challenges for coders and developers • Reigniting energy in multi-year transformations • Team building after reductions and reorgs • How to think (and speak) like a CEONext episode: A deep dive into studying Bob Iger. Bob is one of the most compelling speakers for investor audiences. Search him on YouTube and come ready.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.