The SpeakerPath® – Details, episodes & analysis

Have you ever felt like you’re just not entertaining enough to hold an audience? Here’s the truth: you don’t have to be an entertainer to be entertaining. In this solo episode, Brian Miller shares 5 lessons he learned as a professional magician that will change the way you think about speaking. These are strategies that work whether you’re on stage, in a boardroom, or leading a workshop.

What you’ll learn:

• Why storytelling beats content when it comes to holding attention
• The power of your first and last moments
• How to keep energy up when the room dips
• Why you need “outs” for when things go wrong
• How to simplify without dumbing it down

🎙️ The SpeakerPath® is a podcast hosted by Clarity Up, a boutique message design firm that teaches smart people how to explain their big ideas to the rest of us. Learn the science, art, and business of professional speaking.

Connect with our hosts:

🔹Brian Miller, Founder & Principal Messaging Consultant: https://linkedin.com/in/brianmillerspeaks

🔹Francisco Mahfuz, Story Specialist & Lead Consultant: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fmahfuz/

🔹Ioana (Jo) Jongsma, Presence & Performance Coach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ioana-jongsma/

 #speakingskills  #aivshuman  #publicspeaking  #communication  #leadership  #podcast 

🔗 Links

Work with Us: https://www.clarityupconsulting.com/

Join The SpeakerPath Community: https://thespeakerpath.com/

Read more about the Xerox copy machine study by Ellen Langer: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1979-23568-001

Why do so many speaker coaches focus on hand gestures, vocal tone, and how you stand on stage?

In this episode, Brian, Jo, and Francisco talk about what makes someone a great speaker and what doesn’t. They get into the real stuff: stress habits, audience trust, and why obsessing over polish can pull you away from your message.

This one’s for anyone who’s tired of sounding “correct” and not connecting with their audience.

What we talked about:

• Where bad speaking advice comes from
• How stress shows up in your delivery
• Why polish won’t save a shaky message
• Jo on coaching speakers who overperform
• The difference between present and performative
• When speaker training helps (and when it hurts)
• What “sounding like yourself” actually takes

🎙️ The SpeakerPath® is a podcast hosted by Clarity Up, a boutique message design firm that teaches smart people how to explain their big ideas to the rest of us. Learn the science, art, and business of professional speaking.

Connect with our hosts:

🔹Brian Miller, Founder & Principal Messaging Consultant:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmillerspeaks 

🔹Francisco Mahfuz, Story Specialist & Lead Consultant: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fmahfuz/ 

🔹Ioana (Jo) Jongsma, Presence & Performance Coach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ioana-jongsma/ 

#storytelling #publicspeaking #communication #leadership #speakerpath #LeadershipCommunication #podcastclip

🔗 Links

Work with Us:

What do you do when 100 seats are set and only 6 people show up?

In this episode, Brian and Jo talk about showing up anyway, how real speakers adapt, stay present, and still make it count when the room isn’t what they hoped.

We discussed:

What do you do when only six people show up?

Why younger speakers panic (and how to stop)

How to adjust when the plan breaks

The gap between good speakers and paid ones

You don’t need more applause, you need more flight time

🎙️ The SpeakerPath® is a podcast hosted by Clarity Up, a boutique message design firm that teaches smart people how to explain their big ideas to the rest of us. Learn the science, art, and business of professional speaking.

Connect with our hosts:

🔹Brian Miller, Founder & Principal Messaging Consultant: https://linkedin.com/in/brianmillerspeaks

🔹Ioana (Jo) Jongsma, Presence & Performance Coach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ioana-jongsma/

#storytelling #publicspeaking #communication #clarity #leadership #speakerpath #thoughtleadership

🔗 Links

Work with Us: https://www.clarityupconsulting.com/

Join The SpeakerPath Community: https://thespeakerpath.com/

If storytelling is so essential, why does nobody actually do it?

Brian, Jo, and Francisco break down what a real story actually is, why most people avoid them, and how to use stories without sounding like you’re performing.

We discussed:

• What actually counts as a story
• Why facts fade but examples stick
• Why “let me tell you a story” kills the energy
• The power of specifics
• Case studies vs. real stories

🎙️ The SpeakerPath® is a podcast hosted by Clarity Up, a boutique message design firm that teaches smart people how to explain their big ideas to the rest of us. Learn the science, art, and business of professional speaking.

Connect with our hosts:

🔹Brian Miller, Founder & Principal Messaging Consultant: https://linkedin.com/in/brianmillerspeaks

🔹Francisco Mahfuz, Story Specialist & Lead Consultant: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fmahfuz/

🔹Ioana (Jo) Jongsma, Presence & Performance Coach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ioana-jongsma/

#storytelling #publicspeaking #communication #clarity #leadership #speakerpath #thoughtleadership

🔗 Links

Work with Us: https://www.clarityupconsulting.com/

Join The SpeakerPath Community: https://thespeakerpath.com/

If AI can write your emails, your proposals, even your wedding vows, what’s left for humans to do? Brian, Francisco, and Jo discuss verbal speaking skills as the primary differentiator in an increasingly AI and automated world.

We discussed:

•  The value of verbal speaking skills in an AI world
• Our nervous systems make us human
• Why 'talent' is overrated in professional speaking
• Sam Harris's style of communicating
• Adjusting your tone for conversational presentations
• ROI on speaking skills

🎙️ The SpeakerPath® is a podcast hosted by Clarity Up, a boutique message design firm that teaches smart people how to explain their big ideas to the rest of us. Learn the science, art, and business of professional speaking.

Connect with our hosts:

🔹Brian Miller, Founder & Principal Messaging Consultant: https://linkedin.com/in/brianmillerspeaks

🔹Francisco Mahfuz, Story Specialist & Lead Consultant: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fmahfuz/

🔹Ioana (Jo) Jongsma, Presence & Performance Coach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ioana-jongsma/

#speakingskills #aivshuman #publicspeaking #communication #leadership #podcast

🔗 Links

Work with Us: https://www.clarityupconsulting.com/

Join The SpeakerPath Community: https://thespeakerpath.com/

In this episode of The SpeakerPath® Podcast, Jo Jongsma sits down with storytelling expert Francisco Mahfuz to double click on 4 frequent storytelling mistakes almost all speakers make.

Spoiler: most “stories” are not even stories at all!

Watch this episode to understand why so many keynotes and presentations fall flat, and how just a few simple shifts can make your stories much more effective.

The 4 most common mistakes Francisco highlights are:

1. Trying to tell a story about a whole period of your life instead of one moment
2. Sharing only the external problem, not the emotional stakes
3. Using either too many or too few details
4. Ending with “That’s why you should…” (a guaranteed way to lose the audience)

You will also learn:

1. Why “Let me tell you a story…” instantly kills impact
2. How to avoid the “story weirdo” voice
3. The difference between storytelling on stage vs. in conversation
4. Why business speakers over-explain context to prove credibility (and how to fix it)
5. The power of dialogue to express emotion without naming the emotion

The Speaker Path® Podcast is produced by Clarity Up LLC, a boutique message design firm that teaches smart people how to explain their big ideas to the rest of us.

Connect with our experts:

• Ioana (Jo) Jongsma ( linkedin.com/in/ioana-jongsma/ )

• Francisco Mahfuz ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/fmahfuz/ )

🔗 Links

Watch Full Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zwyC5phGPC0

Work with Us: https://www.clarityupconsulting.com/

Join The SpeakerPath Community: https://thespeakerpath.com/

Explore the podcast: https://thespeakerpathpodcast.com/

We think stress management is something speakers do only once they step on stage. But pros start dealing with it weeks, if not months before their keynote.

In this solo episode of The SpeakerPath® Podcast, our Presence and Performance specialist, Ioana (Jo) Jongsma, explores one of the most practical behavioral tools for reducing public-speaking stress: David Rock’s SCARF model.

Originally designed for workplace leadership, SCARF turns out to be a powerful framework for communication and speaking. It highlights the five universal social needs that shape how safe or threatened we feel in any social interaction.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. The 5 psychological needs all humans share:

Status - our need to feel important and valued

Certainty - our need to know what is going to happen

Autonomy - our need to feel in control of what is happening

Relatedness - our need to feel familiar with what is happening

Fairness - our need for a just exchange

1. The behaviors that professional speakers engage in days, weeks and months in advance, to ensure their SCARF needs are met.

The Speaker Path® Podcast is produced by Clarity Up LLC, a boutique message design firm that teaches smart people how to explain their big ideas to the rest of us.

Connect with Jo:

• Ioana (Jo) Jongsma ( linkedin.com/in/ioana-jongsma/ )

🔗 Links

Work with Us: https://www.clarityupconsulting.com/

Join The SpeakerPath Community: https://thespeakerpath.com/

Explore the podcast: https://thespeakerpathpodcast.com/

Before a big talk or presentation, you’ve probably heard someone say: “Don’t worry. Just be yourself.” It sounds comforting but it’s terrible advice.

In Episode 7 of The SpeakerPath Podcast, Ioana Jo Jongsma, presence and performance specialist at Clarity Up, explains why “just be yourself” is vague and impossible to apply when the pressure is high. Instead, she shares a practical, values-based approach to showing up as your best self on stage.

You’ll learn:

• Why “just be yourself” is a myth that doesn’t prepare you for the stage
• How to identify what your audience actually needs from you
• Why values are the foundation of authentic presence
• A six-step process to measure and improve how congruent you are with your values
• How small, 10% improvements make a noticeable difference

🎙 The SpeakerPath® Podcast is from Clarity Up, a boutique message design firm that teaches smart people how to explain their big ideas to the rest of us.

Connect with our host:

• Ioana (Jo) Jongsma

🔗 Links

Work with Us: https://www.clarityupconsulting.com/

Join The SpeakerPath Community: https://thespeakerpath.com/

What do you do when your story involves trauma?

Whether it’s your own or someone else’s, telling a trauma story on stage can connect deeply or cause harm. The difference is all in how you relate to it.

In this episode of The SpeakerPath® Podcast, Brian, Jo, and Francisco share how professional speakers can decide if, when, and how to use stories that deal with trauma, grief, or deeply personal struggles. 

You’ll learn:

• How to tell if a trauma story is ready for the stage
• The difference between catharsis for you vs. value for them
• Why “trigger warnings” aren’t enough
• How to keep the audience safe while telling the truth
• When to leave the story out entirely

🎙 The SpeakerPath® is a podcast hosted by Clarity Up, a boutique message design firm that teaches smart people how to explain their big ideas to the rest of us. Learn the science, art, and business of professional speaking.

Connect with our hosts:

🔹Brian Miller, Founder & Principal Messaging Consultant: https://linkedin.com/in/brianmillerspeaks

🔹Francisco Mahfuz, Story Specialist & Lead Consultant: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fmahfuz/

🔹Ioana (Jo) Jongsma, Presence & Performance Coach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ioana-jongsma/

In this year-end episode of The Speaker Path, Brian Miller, Ioana (Jo) Jongsma, and Francisco Mahfuz unpack the most important industry trends shaping the speaking world in 2026, and what they mean for professional speakers.

Drawing on recent reports from AAE Speakers Bureau, Freeman, and Skift Meetings, the conversation reveals a striking disconnect between what event planners believe creates peak moments and what attendees actually remember.

1. The “peak moment” gap

1. ~78% of event planners believe attendees experience a peak moment
2. Only ~40% of attendees report actually having one

Planners believe peak moments come from:

1. Keynote speeches
2. Opening and closing galas / celebrations
3. Surprise or “wow” elements tied to theme or location

Attendees report peak moments coming from:

1. Relationship-building with vendors and peers
2. Real conversations and networking

2. AI content is becoming an “authenticity red flag”

1. Audiences disapprove of AI-written content in live settings
2. “AI-free” is emerging as an authenticity marker (similar to organic or handcrafted)

3. Event planners are younger, newer, and overwhelmed

1. Many planners are early-career or newly assigned
2. Speakers who are easy to work with and proactive gain an advantage

4. Budget pressure is reshaping speaker selection

1. Rising event costs (venues, production, services) are pushing organizers away from expensive “big name” speakers and toward proven value, flexibility, and multi-format usefulness.

5. Micro-events are exploding

1. Smaller, curated events (≈10-100 people) are increasing, and changing the speaker’s role.
2. These require facilitation,real time interaction, and intentional experience design.

Read the industry reports here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1tuMFmJ3a87GV6NHMWCCI_iZWRy0x7lrX?usp=drive_link

Watch the Episode 15: https://youtu.be/d1HPKu6lH-Y

The Speaker Path® Podcast is produced by Clarity Up LLC, a boutique message design firm that teaches smart people how to explain their big ideas to the rest of us.

Connect with our experts:

1. Brian Miller ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmillerspeaks/ )