Public speaking. How in flow are you?

2017 has come to a close. It is a great time to review some essentials to help improve your flow, pause, presence and public speaking success for 2018! As you read, I encourage you to consider your current public speaking skills and what you could do differently this year.

Recently I was watching a well-known speaker, with whom I have the greatest respect. I noticed something was missing as she delivered her content. She seemed uncomfortable within herself. Her experience is amazing and her message had the potential to really engage. However, her words felt disconnected and she didn’t seem there for her audience. Later, when I thought about this, I realized there were two essential elements missing that would have helped us feel a real connection.

Without Pause, there is no space for us, as the listeners, to take on the depth of what someone is sharing. If she had given space for pause in her presentation, we would have had time to relate the information to our own lives.

Introducing the Power of Pause and Presence

Without Pause, there is no space for us, as the listeners, to take on the depth of what someone is sharing. If she had given space for pause in her presentation, we would have had time to relate the information to our own lives.

“A pause allows your listeners to stay engaged and enables them to follow what comes next.” – Patricia Fripp, Award-winning Professional Keynote Speaker

Without Presence, there is less room for our listeners, to believe, be transported and moved by what someone is saying.

As speakers and communicators, when we are present, confident, passionate and totally immersed in delivering our message, everything flows from our physiology to our words.

As her listeners, we didn’t mind that she appeared anxious as long as we could have felt her belief and been able to experience her message as if it was being shared for the first time.

Amy Cuddy, Professor at Harvard and Social Psychologist, defines Presence as “being attuned to and able to express your full potential, whether in an important presentation or a conversation with your boss.”

The power of the Pause and Presence also allows the speaker to connect with their own content on a deep emotive level. As speakers, we need to have this depth of connection so that our listeners feel the authenticity. The consequence of not doing this is, we can sound rehearsed and disconnected.

How can you remember to Pause?

If you find yourself tempted to fill the space with ums and ahs – STOP. Consider where you would put a full stop, comma, exclamation mark or emphasize words. This becomes your reminder to breathe and pause.

How can you become more Present?

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi wrote in his book; Flow, the Psychology of Optimal Experience, “when we’re in state of flow, we generally experience a deep enjoyment and totally lose ourselves in what we’re doing.” One way we can achieve flow and presence is to prepare ourselves physically as well as mentally.http://ultimatespeaker.com.au/

Have you heard of the Success Principle, “Your Physiology Creates Your Psychology”?

Amy Cuddy’s research discovered “power posing”. Here’s an example. When you stand with a confident posture, even if you don’t feel it, you can increase your feeling of confidence.

If you find yourself feeling anxious, give yourself a nudge, change your posture and reframe your thoughts into something positive. Ask yourself “How can I be there for my audience?”http://ultimatespeaker.com.au/

Here’s to flowing into 2018 with even more flow, pause and presence as you share your message!