What Makes a Talk Worth Hearing? Hint: Are You Curious?

2026-07-27

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AI can give you an answer. But it can’t be genuinely curious about you.In this episode, I’m joined by our lead speaking coach, Diane Diaz, to explore why curiosity is essential for developing a compelling thought leadership message and signature talk, especially in an age when AI can quickly produce polished but often predictable content.Diane shares a powerful analogy about browsing library stacks: You may begin by looking for one book, only to discover an unexpected idea on the shelf beside it. That kind of exploration and serendipity is ...

AI can give you an answer. But it can’t be genuinely curious about you.

In this episode, I’m joined by our lead speaking coach, Diane Diaz, to explore why curiosity is essential for developing a compelling thought leadership message and signature talk, especially in an age when AI can quickly produce polished but often predictable content.

Diane shares a powerful analogy about browsing library stacks: You may begin by looking for one book, only to discover an unexpected idea on the shelf beside it. That kind of exploration and serendipity is often where your most original insights come from.

We also talk about why being too close to your expertise can make it difficult to recognize what is most interesting about your ideas and experiences - and why the right questions from another human can uncover connections and stories you would never find through a fill-in-the-blank formula.

Diane and I discuss:

How relying too heavily on AI can weaken our curiosity
Why constraints can help you create a stronger talk more quickly
The questions that uncover your most compelling ideas and stories
Why your curiosity about your audience matters as much as your expertise
How curiosity contributes to originality, personal connection, and even humor

Your audience doesn’t need more information. They want a reason to become curious about your idea and about you.

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/482/

Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/

Enroll in our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/

Connect on LinkedIn:

Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz/

Related Podcast Episodes:

Episode 481: Expertise Alone Doesn’t Get You Booked as a Speaker - Here's What Does
Episode 479: 3 Ways AI Can Hurt Your Public Speaking, and 3 Ways It Can Help

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