Speak by Design

Sometimes people aren't taking action because they haven't heard the vision enough yet.

As leaders, we can be so quick to improve the message.

We explain more. We add details. We change the words.

And then our people start to wonder: Has the strategy changed?

Your organization may need to hear the same message multiple times, in different formats and from different voices, before people feel confident enough to act.

In Episode 16 of the Speak by Design Podcast, Stephanie Bickel shares how to articulate a vision, why you should begin with the future, and how to create a message people can understand and follow.

Listen to Becoming an Expert and Articulating a Vision now.

Most delegation problems aren't really delegation problems.

They're communication problems.

Before your next email, meeting, or delegation conversation, pause and think about your audience.

✔ What do they already know?
✔ What do they need to know?
✔ What's their current opinion?
✔ What do they want?

The best leaders don't just communicate clearly. They communicate from the audience's perspective.

If you want to communicate with greater clarity, confidence, and executive presence, I invite you to join us inside Speak by Design University.

🔗👆🏻

We've all heard the advice:

"Bring your whole self to work."

But what if that isn't the whole story?

In this episode of the Speak by Design Podcast, Dominique Murray joins Stephanie Bickel to unpack The Authenticity Trap and explore the difference between being authentic and oversharing.

One insight that really stood out:

"Being yourself has to be within limits."

Not because you should hide who you are.

Because great leaders know how to balance authenticity with awareness, confidence, and intention.

🎧 Listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts. Link in bio.

We spend a lot of time learning how to give feedback.

We don't spend nearly enough time learning when.

The best feedback isn't a list of things someone should do differently. It's a conversation built on trust.

Before you jump into a difficult conversation, ask yourself:

Have I taken the time to understand this person first?

Feedback is far more likely to be heard when it comes from a place of genuine care.

The fastest way to lose credibility?

Not answering the question that was actually asked.

Clear. Direct. Concise.
That's how leaders build trust.

🎧 Episode 15 of the Speak by Design Podcast dives into why clarity is one of the most powerful leadership skills you can develop.

Listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/15-get-clear-and-concise/id1724683731?i=1000653068962

Numbers don't stick. Stories do.

But put a number inside a story, and now you've got something people believe.

Quick check. Did your last story have a number in it? Probably not. We get so focused on the narrative we forget the data.

Here's your next move. Pick one KPI. Give me the number where you started. Give me the number where you're headed.

Same metric. Its own journey. Let that number be the hero.

People are more likely to trust someone who makes them feel remembered.

Ask about their family. Follow up on the trip they mentioned. Remember the hobby they're passionate about.

Those small moments aren't small at all. They're how strong professional relationships are built.

Long before you need someone's support, earn their trust.



Want people to trust you more?

Keep the small promises.

The introduction you
offered.

The article you said you'd send.

The follow-up coffee you suggested.

Trust isn't built by saying the right things.

It's built when your actions consistently match your words.

Keep your word.

Lead with the data. Or lose the room.

Picture the biggest presentation of your year. You've prepped for weeks. You know the numbers cold. So you open with context, build the background, and walk them toward your point.

And somewhere in that build, you lose them. The number that would have changed their mind is on slide nine. By the time you get there, the room has moved on.

You had the data. You just led with everything else.

Here's the fix. Lead with the data. Say what's true. Then what it means. Then what you decide.

Data → Insight → Decision → Action.

Do that and you don't sound prepared. You sound certain. And certainty is what a room follows.

This is the work at Sharpen & Elevate. Two days left. Link in bio.