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!

Surprised?

 

Good!

Surprise is an energetic reaction moving
from the base of the spine up through the torso
and on up to the brain -

Zinging it with energy

then up through the top of the head and out!


Surprise provokes, delights, and has the capacity to thrill!


Incorporate some element(s) of Surprise
into every presentation.

You'll wake up your audience
and make you and your message memorable.

Try it!


Ribbit!




If you would like to practice some of these Practice Tips, register for one of our many workshops - check it out here.

PRACTICE

My colleague, coach Melissa West and I were on our weekly Greenlake walk, and spied this bright fellow whizzing by on his unicycle - wow! So colorful and well-balanced . . .

So the next time he came by we talked with him. How did he choose the unicycle? He, Sanjay, told us he was a bicyclist who found himself passed by a unicyclist last year on the annual Seattle to Portland trek, the famous STP ride. So he vowed to learn it. He said it took him 3 months of daily practice to master the balance aspect of it.

Daily practice - yes! That is what it takes for mastery - daily practice. The unexpected benefit he said was more life balance as well.

There are always unexpected benefits from daily practice -
whether it is a work out at the gym, running, the breathing exercises I am always touting, meditation, flossing . . . .

Inner strength, mostly . . . confidence.

Try it!

PASSION

Oh, my!
Such presence in that word! Passion.

When you are making a presentation of any kind,
if you want to truly engage
the hearts and minds of your audiences,
you must find in your material something
that you feel truly passionate about.

This one factor - passion - makes all the difference.

No matter how seemingly dull or dry
your subject area, ask yourself:

"Why, if it's so dull & dry -
why am I talking about it?
What moves me?"

I'll bet you'll find there's an idea, an image,
specific language, a gesture, an exercise,
or a question that captures your fancy,
energizes your spirit . . .

Use that bit as the core of your presentation.
Then build upon that energy to create
the fire in your belly and the light in your eyes.

This can be the vehicle to take you out
into the minds of your large audience,
team or small group.

And into their hearts - Yes!

© 2007-2009 Constance Miller. All rights reserved.

BREATHE . . .

The word “inspiration” means to inhale, to take in, to breathe.

Breathing fully, deeply and consciously is perhaps the most important habit we can cultivate for our health, happiness and effectiveness as speakers.

Our brains run on oxygen, supplied by blood from our lungs. The pattern of breathing, the in and out in a consistent rhythm, keeps us balanced, free of anxiety.

When we are tense, we hold our breath, breaking the pattern, and depriving our brains of fuel.

We go blank and cannot remember what we were thinking about. We panic, forgetting who we are, where we are, and what we wanted to say.

The only antidote is to take a deep breath.

Our audiences also need to breathe in order to understand, to fully integrate and to later accurately remember our conversation with them.

To be most effective, take a full breath before beginning to speak, pause and breathe between ideas to refresh your mind and theirs, and take a full breath at the end during the applause.

Breathe!

© 2008 Constance Miller All rights reserved.

4:40 on the 520

Stuck in traffic? Need to be wary of rear-ending the car in front?

Take this perfect time to practice your breathing exercises. This will calm your nerves, help you be more relaxed when you get to your destination, perhaps help you avoid a rush-hour collision, and develop your ability to be a great speaker!

One such exercise is to:

inhale for a count of 6
hold your breath for a count of 4
exhale for a count of 8
and then hold for a count of 4


Repeat this cycle for 3-5 minutes if possible.

Exhaling longer than inhaling is good - getting rid of the stale air at the bottom of your lungs gives you more fresh air when you inhale. Develop those abdominal muscles that will strengthen your voice when you need to communicate with a larger group.

For more breathing exercises, email me! connie@pivotalpresentations.com

And yes, give the car in front of you some space - at least 1.5 car lengths - and let someone else in.

Breathe.

As a speaker and speaking coach, and as an artist, I have learned to forage for ideas and stories, noticing what is floating in my environment as I go through my daily activities. Each person is a gift. Each situation becomes a story.

This blog is for you - to see what I see, hear what I hear and enjoy what life gives us to play with as speakers every single day!

What challenges do you face as a presenter and what practices do you use? Join me here and share your ideas and issues . . . .

And visit the Pivotal Presentations website for more information and services.