#167 | How To Speak With Impact With Nausheen I. Chen

Ever feel like you’re struggling to get your point across or to keep the room engaged during a presentation? This week on Coffee With Kim, we had Nausheen I. Chen sharing her top tips for speaking with impact, whether you’re delivering a keynote or recording a video for social media. Nausheen has coached entrepreneurs, executives and creators on how to get to the point and drive their message home. Here are some key points that stood out to me:

1. Hand gestures
   Hand movements can make your message more impactful, but it’s all about balance. Nausheen’s advice? Use gestures to emphasize key points but avoid going overboard. Think stability below and dynamism above—steady feet, expressive hands!
   
2. Recording yourself for practice
   We all hate watching ourselves. Trust me I’ve done loads of LinkedIn Learning courses and go live every week and it still pains me to watch the recording back. But Nausheen and I agree it’s super useful for spotting those unconscious habits, like rambling or overusing filler words. Trust us, watching yourself feels cringy, but it’s a game-changer for self-improvement!
   
3. How to interrupt politely
   We’ve all had those times when you’re trying to get a word in, but someone’s dominating the conversation. It’s awkward and feels easier to just let that person ramble but the truth is in situations like timed interviews or high stakes meetings it’s important to get your voice heard. Nausheen’s approach: politely but firmly interrupt with something like “So sorry to cut you off but can I share a thought about that point?” We even had some fun talking about nonverbal cues like the “open fish mouth” (thank you Vanessa, check out her conversation here) or raising a hand, which I personally use to get my husband’s attention!

Nausheen granted us a bucketful of wisdom to ensure that we speak with impact whether we’re pitching to investors, needing to nail an interview, or taking the stage as a keynote speaker. Even when you’re in a virtual setting remember, intentional engagement—like interactive exercises and setting clear expectations—goes a long way.

We wrapped things up with some great homework: record and watch yourself present for one minute. It’s uncomfortable but incredibly useful for fine-tuning your communication skills.

Want To Skip Around? Timestamps:

06:54 Signs of speaking on autopilot

11:20 How to keep yourself energized the whole time you’re communicating

14:15 Ways to engage with a virtual audience

16:40 How to organize your thoughts on the fly

21:23 Tips for engaging a small audience

24:45 What to do with your hands while public speaking

28:48 How to help refocus the conversation

32:51 When to know how much to talk vs how much to listen

Links Mentioned:

Work with Nausheen

Nausheen’s FREE Course

AI Speach Coach: Yoodli

Book: Cues by Vanessa Van Edwards

Homework: Practice Introducing yourself, your industry, and what you want to see in your industry

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