Our guiding communication principles help overcome
the fear of public speaking and develop presence
RiverWays Enterprises takes a unique approach to public speaking
and presentation skills training. We help people develop a
relaxed and confident connection with the audience. We do
this by setting aside the usual pressures associated with
delivering a speech and focusing on developing “a sense
of presence.”
All of our programs, products and services are informed by
a fundamental set of principles:
- Effective communication comes from
connection.
- Connection happens when we genuinely
become more interested in others than in ourselves.
- Presence - being fully present
in the moment - creates interest, resonance, and connection.
- When we are not present we separate
from others.
- Separation comes when we are preoccupied
with our fears, our worries and concerns.
- When we are self-absorbed in our
preoccupations, we become self-conscious and lose the possibility
for connection.
- To become present, we must simply
"be" where we are and begin from a place of inner
quiet.
- To connect with the people in our
audience we must become present and "be with"
each person fully one at a time.
- We all have an inherent capacity
for presence.
- Everyone has the ability to move
from self-consciousness and separation to authentic connection.
- Effective communication is a conversation
not a presentation.
Through the vehicles of SpeakingPresencesm
and Speaking
Circles® we learn to become quiet
inside and attend to members of the audience with curiosity
and interest. Regardless of how well prepared we are, it is
this connection with the audience that creates the real impact.
At the same time, RiverWays has developed a number of public
speaking stress management tools. When used in combination,
Elemental SpeakingSM
and the ABC’s
of Presence in Public Speaking Toolkit are especially
effective at overcoming the fear of public speaking and reducing
the anxiety that arises prior to and during a presentation
into confidence and personal presence.
Once presence is experienced, participants find that speaking
in front of a group becomes increasingly easy; they begin
to feel calm and relaxed. Words come not from some pre-planned
script, but rather from the relationship established with
the audience. We practice speaking naturally and conversationally,
and there is a sense of real discovery as we speak authentically
from the connection we make with each person.
It is only after we have had sufficient time to practice
these fundamental elements of presence that we begin to reintroduce
the complexity of content. In the more advanced stages of
RiverWays programs, we focus on:
- Speaking extemporaneously
- Developing material for future presentations
- Delivering formal speeches
- Learning how to incorporate effective
storytelling into presentations
- Working with visual aids such as
slide shows or flip charts
Our emphasis throughout these more content-focused experiences,
however, continues to be on remaining fully present with our
audience and ourselves.
On a very fundamental level, every person who registers for
a RiverWays program has made a core level decision to make
a significant life-altering change and that takes real courage.
The key element to the success of all our programs is the
safety and trust that develop among the participants and with
the facilitator. It is this safety that makes it possible
for people to take the considerable risk to step out of their
habitual comfort zone and try a new, seemingly foreign and
unfamiliar approach to public speaking.
In essence, we turn the whole idea of public speaking on
its head. Our programs are unusual and unconventional, and
they work!
Testimonials
Here's what participants say about our unique approach:
ALEX
PELLETIER, LEARNING SOLUTION CONSULTANT, A FORTUNE TEN
COMPANY (full
testimonial)
The nature of what
we learned in this class is not something that’s
offered in a traditional learning environment. It was
a treat to have the experience of this untraditional
learning method and realize how fulfilling and applicable
it really was.
top
of page
|
| |
ELIZABETH
LIEBOW
DIRECTOR, BUSINESS
DEVELOPMENT, PARTNERS HEALTHCARE
(full
testimonial)
I think that a lot of public
speaking programs focus on tricks or techniques that
would make people effective. Carla assumes that people
know what they have to talk about. She allows them to
eliminate the barriers so that they can do the best
of what they are already capable of doing. What they
end up getting is not a checklist of 10 things that
they have to be really nervous about remembering. But
rather, it's easy access to what's already there.
top
of page |
| |
Sharon
Teitelbaum, Work-Life
and career Coach and
author of Getting Unstuck Without Coming Unglued:
Restoring Work-Life Balance
You’re about process,
not product. And the product improves anyway.
top of page
|
| |
Stephen
Carr, Coach/Facilitator/Speaker, Principal of Stephen
Carr Associates
In the welcoming and
accepting space that you create, you invite participants
to take a chance with what may feel very unfamiliar
as they learn that it’s really the place that
they know best.
top of page
|
| |
| more
testimonials |
| |
|
