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Elemental Speakingsm:
A roadmap to speaking with confidence and connection
For many people, one of the most anxiety-producing experiences is public speaking. Each of the five natural elements presents us with a metaphor that can be applied to the experience of public speaking. These elements can either be in balance and support us in our presentation or can throw us off balance and work against us if we don't attend to them.
The Elemental Speakingsm Flower will give you vibrant visual reminders of the five key tools offered by this model and your personal strategies for using these tools. This quick reference guide can easily fold into the size of a CD and can be a handy way to help you remember your goals while making an important presentation.
Air is the element of movement. When we ignore this element, our breathing is shallow, our minds are racing and we are completely focused on the anxiety we are feeling. Our voice becomes high, we speak quickly, our thoughts are scattered, and our anxiety displays itself in nervous physical mannerisms. When we attend to this element and allow ourselves to breath more fully we begin to slow down. As our internal rhythms slow down we are able to become calm and relaxed, our minds clear, and we can control the focus of our attention to what's most important in the moment - responding to the audience and the current situation.
Earth
is the element of the physical world. When we ignore this element, we
often dissociate from ourselves, our bodies and our connection with each
other. We are so caught up in the fear that is associated with public
speaking that we lose ourselves and ignore our audience. Practices that
ground us, that bring us back to an awareness of our physical experience
help to lessen all the mental agitation that comes with fear. When we
become aware of our feet on the ground and the solid support offered by
the earth beneath us, we come back into alignment with ourselves, and
from that place we can then truly connect with the audience and to the
topic of our presentation. When we speak with an awareness of both feet
on the ground, we are connected, strong, and solid.
Water is the element of flow, the element of letting go, the element of trust. When we ignore this element, our fear dictates our need to control and we rigidly adhere to our notes and to our program. Problems quickly arise when something doesn't go according to plan. If we can begin to trust that what's right will emerge naturally when we relax into the moment, then we no longer need to cling to the elaborate plans we have prepared. These plans can serve as a fluid backdrop, that change in response to the needs of the moment. This does not mean that we abandon our topic - unless it is called for. Instead, we calmly find the right way to convey our message by responding to the immediacy of our audience and our circumstances. What's really amazing about this element is that when we fully let go, we often find ourselves saying things in a way that feels new and fresh and that could never have been accessed within the landscape of all our plans.
Fire is the element of enthusiasm and passion, the element of transformation. When this element is dampened, our presentations are flat, bland, unexciting. When we touch into the our enthusiasm, giving expression to our interests, our purpose and our unique experience of the world, we become vibrantly alive and human. As we connect with our purpose and passion we naturally engage our audience, we touch and move them, we inspire them to action. This is the essence of magnetic presence.
Space is the element of silence, the element of receiving, the element of integration. For many people the idea of allowing silence when we are presenting is terrifying. We feel compelled to rush in and fill up the space. But it is only in the silent spaces that we can truly receive each other. It is in the space between our words that we are able to listen to what we just said and to the words that are waiting to come. It is in the silent spaces where you and the audience can come together and share the experience that is unfolding in the moment.
With
practice it becomes easy to tune into all five elements in a quick 15
second scan and launch into a presentation feeling confident, grounded
and connected. However, the actual practice of remembering to engage these
five elements as we speak in public is not so very easy. The more we practice
accessing the five elements in our daily lives the more they will be available
to us in highly anxious situations such as when we are presenting in front
of a group.
Currently, the Elemental Speakingsm Flower is not available for sale as a stand-alone product. However, you will receive one when you participate in one of three programs which cover this planner in detail. They are:
- Speaking with Confidence for Results: Our most comprehensive 12 week leadership skills training course.
- Successfully Speaking: A two-day intensive to learn and practice the five key steps for speaking with confidence, connection and conviction (offered every other month).
The
Elemental Speakingsm model was developed
by Carla Kimball.
The PentaView Planner™ format is a ContextDynamic Tool™ designed
by Ruven Liebhaber, info@pentaview.com.
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