Communicating with SWAY

GLENDOWER

I can call spirits from the vasty deep.

HOTSPUR

Why, so can I, or so can any man;

But will they come when you do call for them?

--William Shakespeare

  Henry IV, Part I

Will they? Will they come when we do call for them? Will they be swayed by our words?  Will they change their minds?  Will they take action? Will they? What we say is important.  But how we say it determines its impact. How can we speak so that others will, not only listen, but will be swayed, moved, changed, by our words?

My work with clients draws from the world of performance where artists have developed techniques that ground us in a clear structure, so that our work is free, present, agile, fluid, unexpected, human.  It sways.  Like a tree, deeply rooted, so that the branches are free to play with the wind, the birds, the buds, the storms, and seasons.

We start by cultivating sway in ourselves, which invites and entices others to join us.

My overarching goal, my purpose, is to help strip away the habits and anxieties that cloud us, so that when we speak, there is a sense of aliveness that engages, surprises, and changes hearts and minds. I want all of us to be comfortable in our own skins, able to read the room, take risks, use humor, share stories, and bring our full selves onto the TED stage, into the boardroom, the cocktail party, the wedding tent, into high-stakes conversations, interviews, and importantly, into our most precious relationships. 

The question is how? 

Yes, I want to connect with others, but how?  I’m shy!  Yes, I want to share complex scientific findings, but how do I translate for the popular media?  Yes, I want to give feedback that gets positive results, but how?  Yes, I want to be present in the moment, but how do I get out of my head?  Yes, I want to sound conversational and engage the audience, but how can I when my talk is so technical? Yes, I want to recover when I get lost, but how? My mind goes blank!  Yes, I want to gain the trust of my counterparts, but how?  We want different things.  Yes, I want to be fully myself in front of the camera, but how?  It’s a blank lens!  Yes, I want to be confident on stage, but how can I control my anxiety? Yes, I want to sway others, to have a positive influence in the world, in my work, and in my relationships. 

But how?

In this blog, we discuss the how by giving simple techniques, skills, and practices culled from the world of performance and social psychology to help every communicator speak with clarity, impact, and authenticity.  Confidence, courage, connectedness, ease, presence, charisma, and gravitas, are all just by-products of practicing simple techniques. 

In the next weeks, we discuss the how of sway. We start with cultivating sway in our bodies, then in the content we create, then at work, in our relationships, and finally, having sway in our lives.