Hello Friends,
Greetings from Barcelona☀️where I have been playing and watching tennis this weekend. 🎾 More on that below👇
🙌Many thanks for reading The Quest. A special shout out to Robin in Sydney, Mamen and Carla in Spain, Adam in Oakland, Xoli in Cape Town, Nuff in London, Maria in Miami, Deepa, Kitty in London, Barry, Michaele, and Sophie in Bracebridge.
If you are joining for the first time, welcome to our exploration of creativity, facilitation, and learning.
You can catch up on the last edition 🤔In-Person vs Online and all past editions here.
✨Presence.
It’s hard to put your finger on exactly what it is. But it sure is easy to know when you are in the company of someone who has it.
I used to think that presence was an innate gift.
Some people are born with it. Some people aren’t.
But I was wrong. It turns out that there are concrete ways that you can develop your presence.
Cultivating your presence can help you connect with your purpose, boost your credibility, and increase your influence.
So what is presence and how can you cultivate yours?
That’s our Quest for this week🔎
👉What tennis can teach us about presence
👉The surprising secret to speaking with confidence from voice coach Caroline Goyder
👉Silence and the Japanese concept of “Ma” from public speaking coach Caroline Harvey
👉A breathing exercise + more
Let’s dive right in!
🎾What Tennis Can Teach Us About Presence
A blog I wrote after watching the 2021 US Women’s Open last weekend.
As a lover of tennis, I was excited to see two unknown teenagers reach the final. Especially since one is Canadian🇨🇦.
I expected to see some great tennis. But I didn’t know that I was about to get a masterclass on what presence looks like in action.
It wasn’t only the players’ tennis skills that wowed the audience. What was most impressive was their capacity to stay completely focused in the moment. Their ability to remain absolutely calm during high stress moments.
Presence is a skill that tennis players consciously train. It’s a capacity that Timothy Gallwey detailed in his 1974 classic book called The Inner Game of Tennis.
The key? Focus on breath. What else can tennis teach us about presence? Read the full blog post here.
The Surprising Secret to Speaking with Confidence
A fascinating TED Talk by vocal coach Caroline Goyder. Goyder has also authored three books on public speaking.
And she is about to launch an online course called from Panic to Power. I was one of the lucky participants in a demo session for her course, and within the first 5 minutes I had made my decision to sign up.
Why? Because Goyder has a fresh take on public speaking which she calls the Gravitas method.
You won’t find a list of power poses or quick fix public speaking techniques.
Goyder offers deeper insights about what really helps you connect to your relaxed, expressive, confident power.
In her TED talk she offers 3 secrets:
👉Your voice is an instrument that improves with practice. The simplist way to practice is to sing. Everyday. It doesn’t matter if it is in the shower or in a choir.
👉Your diaphragm is the “king of confidence”. The diaphragm is the key to regulating your system in moments of stress. And it is how youkeep your calm in front of an audience.
👉We breath our thoughts. We think on our inbreath. We speak on our outbreath. Understanding how to use your breath is the secret to developing your presence.
Watch the full TED Talk here and find out more about Goyder’s groundbreaking work here.
www.carolinegoyder.com |
🌄The Japanese Concept of ‘Ma’
One of the coolest things I learned last week thanks to my friend and public speaking coach Caroline Harvey. See her post on ‘Ma’ below. 👇
It connected with a facilitation question that I get asked a lot: how can you use silence to open more space for reflection and engagement without it feeling awkward.
The answer may be in ‘Ma’.
Read the full post and join the conversation here:
Follow Harvey on LinkedIn for actionable tips and insights on public speaking and presence.
🧰4-7-8 Breathing
Doing a simple breathing exercise at the beginning of a session can help participants relax, connect, and be present. One that I just discovered is called 4-7-8. It is used to calm the nervous system. They say it even helps you get to sleep. (Only in certain circumstances. Not in your sessions😅).
It goes like this:
- Breath in for 4 seconds
- Hold your breath for 7 seconds
- Exhale for 8 seconds
What breathing exercises have you found helpful?
💡Quote of the Week
“My presence speaks volumes before I say a word.”
Yaslin Bey formerly known as Mos Def, American Rapper, Singer, Songwriter, Actor
💌Thanks for reading The Quest
I always love hearing your feedback and suggestions. Just hit reply to share your thoughts and ideas. Visit my website for ways we can work together here.
If you are enjoying The Quest, I’d appreciate it if you shared it with anyone you think might like it.
Creatively yours,
