How delightful for me to witness a man I coached several years ago in action.
He’s a politician – a good-hearted, well-intended person who works hard for all people.
He is someone who is extremely well-educated and thoughtful. Very thoughtful. When I met him he was too in his head. As a trained attorney it’s easy to get trapped in the intellect and the mind. Yet this man has so much heart. That was our work – to get him connected to his heart and full self that projects his presence and command to his audience, to express and meet his intention.
To get elected, he needed to connect to people individually and in large groups to build instant rapport, trust and fidelity. The best way we can to do this is to connect fully from our head to toes. It takes aligning our physical.
He was so present at his event. You can see how he deeply listens and connects to people as he spoke with them. He spoke at the podium and introduced his guests with incredible energy and grace. This was not always the case. Other friends remarked about the change he worked hard for to shine in this forum.
His assessment:
Thanks for your kind words about my presence. I do find myself much more relaxed behind the microphone than a few years ago… but of course, still more work to do to improve the gravity of my presence and avoid redundancy in my remarks. Hopefully the voters will give me 3 more years of practice…
Such humility. Yet, we all are continually improving. Here is a reminder what to align to prepare for our high-stakes conversations we have each and every day.
- Connect to your Breath – a short cut is to “feel your feet”. Put all your attention onto your feet – feel your feet on the floor. This automatically drops your breath low into your abdomen (out of your chest). Take deep breaths of equal inhales and exhales. Feel the tension release from your shoulders, chest, neck, jaw, etc.
- Take a Stance – feel yourself in the space. Take space. Drop your weight into the ground.
- Align your Postural self – lengthen up through the top of your spine and down from your tailbone.
- Release your Knees – release tension. Breathe. Locked knees deter breathing.
- Find your Natural Voice. Use breath to release tension and to project your voice. Our voice is what people use to decide our authority and intention.
- Gain Eye Contact. Look people in the eye. Speak to them with one thought to one person. This is a great credibility and rapport builder.
Of course, you have crafted a relevant, resonant, persuasive and well-structured message – one that connects to people’s hearts and minds.
And yet, if You Don’t Show It, They Don’t Know It.
Align the physical and they will. Project your best, most connected self for greater impact – and express and meet your intention.
