Emily Edgeley - Public Speaking & Storytelling Coach

22/07/2026

Here's 8 ways you can inject more stories into an upcoming talk.

I've helped hundreds of people prep for a Conference Talk and you know what they all had in common?

They all benefited from adding more stories!

Even hugely technical talks for BlackHat need storytelling weaved throughout.

It keeps engagement levels up, it makes it way more interesting and the whole talk becomes far more memorable.

So, if you're feeling stuck, here's 8 ideas for you.

📌 Save this post so you can come back to it later.

Q - Did I miss any of your go-to options? If so, what would you add to this list? Also, do you want to see more Infographic type posts from me in the future?

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✌🏼 Hey I'm Emily, ex-Cybersec turned Public Speaking & Storytelling Coach.

⚡️ I help people (in Cybersec) to communicate with more clarity, impact & confidence. To boost their career, brand and industry recognition.

📩 If you'd like my help to build your storytelling skills, or that of your team, send me a DM.

20/07/2026

I think this sums me up (in a professional sense) pretty well. 😁

What do you think!?

17/07/2026

📣 Last week, in The Powerful Presenter™ (TPP) April - June 2026 co-hort, we chose who was the "Most Powerful Presenter" overall.

That award went to .....

𝗚𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗮 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗻 🎉

Geetha's talk was engaging, relatable and compelling.

She hooked the audience in early by crystallising 'What's In It For Me' and she did an excellent job at getting the audience to almost feel how the value proposition would help them, in their environment, via the art of storytelling.

Well done Geetha and congrats to everyone else from this co-hort who did an incredible job too!

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If you'd like to build your confidence when presenting, join us in the next round of The Powerful Presenter™ (in August). You can join the Waitlist via the link in the comments and grab yourself a $500 discount too.

15/07/2026

Where my awkward people at ! 🤪

13/07/2026

Want to influence behaviour change? Then stop focussing on instructing people.

Work on shifting their beliefs.

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I’ve been seeing a physio lately (because my back has been really tight).

To help, the physio gave me a list of exercises to do each day + an app to use.

I.e. The instructions were clear.

However, do you think I’ve been doing the exercises?

No. 🙈

I could say I’m just too busy. I’m definitely busy…..

But it’s more than that.

To be honest I think the real reason I haven’t been doing them is because I’m not convinced the exercises will help.

Do I know WHAT I need to do? Yes
Do I really WANT to be pain free? Hell yeah

Am I convinced the exercises will sort my back out? No, I’m not.

I didn’t see change in the first 2 days and because I don’t know the importance each exercise plays, I’m not confident there’s a clear ROI.

Hence I’m not prioritising them.

If I was convinced (truly convinced) that the exercises would get me there, I would do them, long enough to get results.

This is why I say to shift behaviours we must focus on shifting beliefs.

Not on the instructions.

10/07/2026

I’m building a PROP inventory and I’d love your help.

I want to inspire people to think a little bit differently when creating Visual Aids.

Because there’s a whole world of cool possibilities outside of PPT slides….. 🦩

I currently have = 48 examples.

[This is a mix of examples from CyberSec & Tech but also Leadership / other disciplines]

I’d love to expand it though, as I’m sure there’s heaps of great examples out there I’m missing.

Q - Have you come across someone using a prop in the wild? 🤠

E.g.
- You saw a speaker use a prop up on stage
- You came across a prop on a video online (TED Talk, YouTube, Social Media)
- Perhaps you used one yourself

If you’re willing to share (in the comments below or via DM if you’d prefer), I’m happy to send you over the full list once it’s finalised.

08/07/2026

Do you rely on scripting important talks?

If yes, I want to help you stop. 🛑

Because studies have proven that a script:

- Creates doubt in what you're saying
- Reduces an audience's ability to trust you
- Makes it harder for people to follow

Plus, most speakers still feel anxious when relying on one.

So, if you’d like to ditch the script (and deliver with more impact + confidence), keep reading. I'm sharing the right way to create high-level notes, along with a client case study.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ditch-script-how-write-high-level-speaker-notes-emily-edgeley-c8n3c/?trackingId=h8dmnb4NqCvB9BpdY5SfQw%3D%3D

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✌🏼 Hey I'm Emily, ex-Cybersec turned Public Speaking & Storytelling Coach.

⚡️ I help people (in Cybersec) to communicate with more clarity, impact & confidence. Whether that's at work or a conference. In writing or verbal.

📩 Join 2,720+ others using my tips to boost their influence, brand & career.

Want to deliver a presentation with impact and with confidence? Then stop scripting your talks. Why? Because it's really impacting you in the moments that matter.

06/07/2026

Hate watching yourself back on video... But deeply want to improve?

Approach it like this:

1️⃣ Watch it back with no audio first. Just watch what your body does.
2️⃣ Turn the audio on, but close the screen. To focus on your voice.
3️⃣ Notice what you did well. Limit focus areas to 2 (1 body + 1 voice).

Hardly anyone likes watching themselves back. But this makes it SO much more bearable! Trust me 🤪

It's well worth the cringe-factor at the time.

If you're still really struggling, try the Best Friend Reframe. Imagine what feedback your best friend would have for you. Or better still, ask someone else to give you detailed feedback (as it will most likely be far more balanced).

03/07/2026

👇 This is arguably the most useful *acronym* (from a communication perspective)

>>> What's In It For Me (W.I.I.F.M.)

Which makes it the first thing I teach my clients about Presenting.

You have to get into the mindset of your audience.

Because they want a GIFT in return for their time. 🎁

Something that makes listening to you worth their while.
i.e. Information they can use later.

Don't just present information you want to share.

Always, always start with the audience.

E.g. If you're presenting to BU Heads on a Cloud Usage Tool, the WIIFM for them is not the Tool itself. What they really care about is the 40% year on year cost savings they're going to get as a result. So focus on that to draw them in and then the Tool become an easy sell. 🤌

If you can get to the crux of what people REALLY care about and package up your information with that in mind..... That's where the gold lies!

You're not there to simply present information. You're there to give them a gift.

The key to doing that, is to focus on WIIFM.

03/04/2026

🙋🏻‍♀️ Want to speak at a Conf... but you don’t even know what you’d talk about!?
 
I see this play out a lot. 
 
People then put this in the ‘Too Hard’ basket and another year passes by where no action is taken. 😬☠️

The thing is, everyone has something interesting they could talk about. 
 
You just need to know *how* to find a winning talk idea.
 
I’ve helped countless clients do exactly that (and then shape it into an amazing talk). However, previously, this support has been limited to people working with me privately.

Now I’m making this more accessible. 🙌 
 
If appying for / speaking at a Conf is on your wish list for 2026, this is for you.

I’ll be sharing more details with those on my Mailing List in the coming days. If you’d like to stay informed, comment YES below and I’ll send you the link to signup.