Appreciation 

Here we are once again in the season of Giving & Receiving and of Thanksgiving.  Few of us slow down and stop long enough to pay attention to the meaning beneath these old rituals.  We are too busy with our agendas and goals and bills and shopping and should-dos and ought-tos - sometimes going through the motions of celebrating these holidays without actually taking the time to appreciate the enormous value inherent in them.

We cook and share meals paying careful attention to the gourmet recipes and the correct serving dish while avoiding paying real attention to each other.  All of these holidays are really based in the spirit of appreciation, and yet it seems so difficult sometimes to take the opportunities they provide. To fully celebrate these holidays we need to stop and pay close attention to the deeper gifts we can give each other such as truly listening, hanging out with someone without agenda, making ourselves available to help out a friend or stranger in need.

When we are making a presentation, we are sharing our gifts - of ideas, research, skills, behaviors, attitudes, decisions.  And sometimes we forget that our audiences, too, are sharing their gifts - their attentiveness, their willingness to participate, their creative ideas, their time, their sense of humor, their difficult questions.  They are huge contributors to our presentations. 

Take the time at the end of your presentation to speak from the heart, to reflect back to your audience the great value you have experienced as a result of their participation.  Reach down into your heart and tell them just how you feel.  Appreciate them!

And have a Happy Thanksgiving!   

If you would like to learn to speak from the heart, come to our Speaking from the Heart workshop in Seattle on Friday, December 4th, 1-6.  Small supportive group, lots of practice, video feedback, coaching. Other workshops and ongoing programs are also available.  See details HERE

STILLNESS

I was having lunch with Ilmar Reepalu, the Mayor of Malmo, Sweden who is a very interesting man. He was part of a delegation of Swedish mayors touring environmental projects and organizations in Seattle through the World Affairs Council – a national organization that has a great chapter in Seattle. I served as a guide during the two days they were here.

At a meeting that morning Mayor Reepalu had asked several great questions in a slightly surprising manner. I was particularly interested in his style – he managed to garner great answers. He would raise his hand and then when he was called on, he paused at least 5 seconds before he calmly asked his question. 

I noticed that by coming from stillness, he created an expectant vacuum in the room. Everyone was so much more interested in his question than if he had blurted it out right away. In response to his questions, the answers were more thoughtful, it seemed to me.
 

At lunch I told him about my interest in his approach. He said he purposefully waited before speaking – that coming from stillness and speaking in a very calm, still manner drew more attention to his questions. 

In addition he remarked he noticed that sometimes women express a kind of nervousness in gestures and posture when they are speaking that cuts into their power, diffusing their energy and weakening their message. Too many gestures, head constantly moving, eyes darting, pacing with no purpose – these all are like visual static to the audience.
 

Stillness. This is a good lesson for us all. Especially at the beginning of a presentation. Do not hurry. Go to the podium. Put your notes, your water, your props in order. Center yourself. Take a good deep breath. Think about your first line. Look out at the audience. Wait till they are settled and you have their attention. Find one person to begin with. Take another breath. 
  
Come from stillness. Try it!

PS: Check out this amazing presentation - brilliant, passionate speaker Shai Agassi- and see how much more effective you think he could be if he had come from stillness, if he had only moved with purpose to support his points - rather than coming from nervous agitation. What do you think? Post your comments, please!