Habits of gesture, movement, voice, and space

Look at this photo of Deborah Lawrence about to start her TEDx Talk. She is, what we call in the movement technique, Nia, “RAW:” Relaxed, Alert, Waiting. She is free from this place to speak as her full self.

In order to get to this place of RAW, I help people strip away the habits and anxieties that cloud our presence. By “habit” I mean, any behavior that has a constant cadence, feels stuck in a repetitive, rhythmic pattern, is restrictive. The most exciting communication is fresh, jagged, unexpected, alive. Habits tend to appear or amplify when we feel the spot-light upon us, literally or figuratively. Habits might show up in gestures, how we hold ourselves and move, how we use our voices, and how we use the space. In the next few weeks, we will delve into each of these areas and play with a few tricks to help us move from habit to freedom.

In the same way that writers avoid mindless repetitive language, cliche, hiding behind jargon and filler words, we communicators work to avoid repetitive and cliched behaviors.

This week, we become aware. Notice how we stand, walk, use our hands, speak, and use the space. Notice what feels forced, self-conscious, stuck.