Author Archives: Sandra Zimmer

Streaming Speech: 9 Keys to Thinking on Your Feet

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Thinking on your feet is “streaming speech.” Just like video streams over the internet, streaming speech is flowing your words, thoughts and feelings unimpeded by mind control.

People who are in a position to have to think on their feet usually have a deep well of knowledge and experience. Yet they often don’t trust themselves to say what they know, and they think they have to control the message with their minds in order to be effective.

To think on your feet well, you have to “be out of your mind.” That is, you have to get beyond your mental control of your thoughts so your expression can flow freely. When you are out of your mental focus, it really does feel like you are not controlling what you are saying.  You don’t know mentally what is coming next. This is because you are speaking from your soul, not your personality.  Scary, but very exciting to experience!

In the past few years, I have started noticing that my best speaking in classes is when I am streaming my speech.  I also create videos this way. It comes through much more authentically when streaming my speech!

Nine keys to help you learn to think on your feet, stream your speech and let what you have to say flow freely.

  1. Focus inwardly as deeply as you can to start.
  2. Grab ahold of the first thought that surfaces, open your mouth and say it outloud.  Don’t worry where it will take you.
  3. When one thought stream ends, wait for the next though to emerge, then say that one.
  4. Allow yourself to feel like you don’t know what will come next. Stay in the moment.
  5. Talk from your deep well.  Say what you know and don’t worry about what you don’t know.
  6. Take your time.  Allow for fast speech and slow, deep pauses.
  7. Trust yourself to let your thoughts organize organically. Know that your mind will organize it for you intuitively.
  8. Be like an instrument through which spirit speaks.  Just be the vehicle, not the controller. Let higher mind control. It will feel like you are “out of your mind.”
  9. Accept that thinking on your feet is not a prepared speech. It is a different game with different rules that writing a prepared speech which requires more mental organization.

Three Exercises to practice streaming speech.

  1. Object Exercise.  Start with an object, say your glasses or a pencil. Look at the object and let a thought about it emerge.  Say that thought outloud. When you have finished saying that thought, wait silently.  Allow another thought to emerge and say that one.  Keep going until you run out of thoughts to say.
  2. Concept exercise. Start with an idea or concept you want to explain. Take a deep breath and look inwardly for a first thought about that concept. Say it outloud until you are out of words.  Wait.  Take another deep breath and look inwardly for another thought about that concept. Say that one outloud.  Keep going until there is nothing left to say.
  3. Talk in the moment exercise. Take  a deep breath.  Turn inwardly to see what though is there at this moment. Say that though and then follow the flow of thoughts as they emerge for one minute, 60 seconds.

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Abe’s Honest Voice – How Daniel Day Lewis Captured Lincoln’s Voice

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No one knows how Abraham Lincoln sounded. But history has it that his voice was high-pitched and nasal. While it was not pleasant to listen to, his sound was able to cut through the noise of large crowds. It has been said that his voice floated over the crowds which would have made him an orator who could be heard in a time when there were no microphone to amplify his voice.

Many actors have portrayed Abe Lincoln, but none even attempted to create his real voice, until now. Daniel Day Lewis worked to find a vocal quality that would have come not only from Abe’s home state but that captured what historians have said about his sound.  Daniel knew that finding Lincoln’s voice would be critical to finding his character. He has found a voice that is smaller than we might expect, a little more nasal and higher pitched.

As a consummate actor, Daniel did his homework and then listened within.  He tuned to his inner ear and he began to ‘hear” Abe’s voice in his head.

Listen to Daniel as Lincoln speak at the beginning of this video clip from CBS This Morning.

His voice is high, almost scratchy, resonating in the top of his head, not so much down in his chest.  Daniel uses a voice that floats upward in a way that inspires your thinking to elevate.  Brilliant!

I tell my speaking voice clients that the voice is a reflection of the psyche, the soul.  How we use our voice reflects how we allow energy to flow through the body, or not flow. And as we open the voice to resonate more fully and richly, our inner self becomes more fully feeling and expressive.

Daniel Day Lewis was using his voice to find a Lincoln that was mental, in his head and connected to a sense of inspiration. Lincoln historian agrees that Lewis may have come as close as possible to capturing Lincoln’s vocal quality.

Here is another video from CBS This Morning with interviews of Lincoln historians commenting on Lewis vocal interpretation.

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Flipped Teaching: Get Ready for Your Close-up! Great Concept but New Video Teaching Skills Needed.

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Learning by doing is how we learn!  Seems so simple.  Yet old fashioned teaching methods have teachers, instructors and professors lecturing on and on and on and students tuning out.

The flipped classroom concept allows students to watch short instructional videos outside of the classroom and then to practice skills in class while a teacher is available to watch, coach and help.

Read an article about flipped teaching at Clear Brook High School in Friendswood, Texas written by Monica Rhor in The Houston Chronicle.

This is a great concept!  Really, it is going to revolutionize teaching at all levels.  Harvard, MIT and online learning sites are moving quickly to integrate video learning. Coursera and Udacity have sprung up to offer classes to people around the world.

Bit, there is only one small problem! Teachers have to be able to present themselves on video!

Anyone can point a video camera and shoot, but not many people look and sound good on video.  And not many feel comfortable talking while cameras are rolling.

Udacity.com, an online university, turned down hundreds of applications for teachers.  I will bet many were turned down because they were not comfortable or compelling on camera.  What do you think?

My prediction about video is that it will become the communication medium of choice soon. Just as the landline phone took over from handwritten letters and emails and text messaging have almost supplanted the landline, soon much of our phone communication will be by video.

So get ready for your close-up! Video communication is coming to your business, home and school.

If you’d like to practice becoming comfortable and compelling on video, I am now coaching people in person and on Skype and Oovoo to communicate on video.  It’s fun! You’ll be ahead of the curve and it makes you feel like a star!

Read a description of my video coaching “How to look Good on Video.”

Call me at 281-293-7070 if you want to discuss video coaching for yourself, your teachers or your employees.

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The Easiest Way to Make a Difference

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Do you really want to make a difference?  It’s easy!  You don’t have to start a non-profit, give up your day job and travel to Africa to live among the poor or sell all your worldly possessions and donate the proceeds to a charity.  All you have to do is tell someone he is good at something.

One simple thing that you can do every day to transform a life is notice that someone is good at something and tell that person what you noticed.

I read a great article by author Brad Meltzer. Brad told the story that the teacher who changed his life did it by telling him he was good at writing. His 9th grade English teacher, Ms. Sheila Spicer noticed that he wrote well.  She said “You can write.”  A decade later he published his first novel and returned to give her a copy. Ms. Spicer began to cry. She shared that she had been considering early retirement because she felt she was not having enough impact on her students.

I too had a teacher who acknowledged me. My beloved spiritual mentor, Elias DeMohan, told me I could sense and perceive qualities in others deeply. I had been afraid that I was not sensitive to others.  But his acknowledgement set me on a path of developing extremely successful training programs that are focused on seeing and saying what people are doing right and well.

Because of Elias, I have learned to facilitate transformation in people through acknowledging their natural abilities. All of my programs are built on the principle of seeing the good in others. Had Elias not mirrored the good for me, I might never have come to this simple but brilliant key to training.

When people are acknowledged for who they are and what they do well, it sets them free.  Really it is amazing! Saying a person is good at something causes him to accept his own ability and frees him up to use, develop and share his talent.

One of my own students from the 1990’s sent me a letter a few weeks ago to share that he had just spoken at Harvard Law School on the power of storytelling in the courtroom. Tyrone Moncriffe wrote, “Dear Sandra, on July 27 2012, I gave a presentation at Harvard law school.  I spoke about the power of storytelling in trials. As I was being introduced, my mind went on a brief journey.  I remembered you seeing things in me that I could not see.  I remembered the exercises, the grounding , the acting, the colors, and the breathing. But most importantly, I remembered the faith you had in all of us. You believed we could be authentic in our presentations. You have affected our lives in ways that you can never imagine ; because you had the guts to chase your dreams , you have helped us realize our own.” 

 When I read his letter, I too cried! It reminded me that I do make a difference.  I also realized that we don’t usually know how much impact we have, unless someone tells us.

Seems like the easiest thing in the world to tell someone they are good at something, yet we don’t often do so.  Instead we envy that person.  I have learned that if I acknowledge someone rather than envy them, then I start to own the quality I admire.  It is a kind of spiritual law that we can tap.  Acknowledge   another and own the quality.

So, amazingly, the second gift of telling someone he is good at something is that it comes back to you! Then it makes a difference for you as well.

So, how about committing to tell one person he is good at something every day? All you have to do is pay attention to people, notice what they are good at and say, “Hey, you are really good at __!”

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How to Receive a Standing Ovation – Get Naked!

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A standing ovation is a spontaneous emotional response from an audience that is moved deeply by a speaker or performer.

The only way to earn a standing ovation is to get naked! I don’t mean take off all your clothes, I mean take off all protection and pretense, and be emotional.

When a presenter is so open that she risks being vulnerable to judgment and shares her thoughts with pure emotion, she touches the hearts of listeners.

For speakers, the way to earn a standing ovation is to tell your deeper story.  Tell the story that you don’t want to tell.  And, while you are telling it, allow yourself to feel it all again so that your audience also feels what you feel.

I once coached a skilled professional speaker on her keynote talk. She wanted to earn standing ovations. She knew something was needed in her talk. As I watched her talk, I realized she was good, she had a good message and a good story; but, something was missing for me.  It was just OK for me.  All I could do was coach her on her style. We worked on that for a while.

Then, we took a break and started to talk over a snack.  She took off her professional speaker mask and shared the two stories where her message really came from. Her son had died in an auto accident and she went into a long depression.  Eventually she came out of it and decided to speak, but she never let herself tell those stories.  She said she thought they were inappropriate and would depress people.

It took some persuasion on my part, but I finally convinced her to tell those stories.  We practiced and crafted them so that she could let some feeling flow as she shared them. The next time she spoke, she received a standing ovation.  And she continued to receive them thereafter. She was finally telling the real stories and giving her feelings as a gift.

I often coach business presenters who are nervous and whose voices quiver and who judge themselves harshly for having so much feeling. They want to remove all the feeling so they can be appropriate.  I tell them to let it come out rough. Let the emotion cause a quiver in the voice.  Give that feeling to the audience like a gift.  Make it right, not wrong. After all, business is about making connection with people. People want to do business with people they trust.  If you take all your emotion out of business, it is boring and people can’t trust you.

If you want to earn standing ovations, bring your emotion and offer it to your listeners. The vibration of your emotion will strike the ears of their hearts and they will stand up to show their appreciation.

Maybe because I was trained as an actress, I know how to help uncover your real stories. Actors learn how to allow their real feelings to shine through on stage in front of audiences, so actors are great coaches for professional speakers. Let me know if I can help you open to receiving standing ovations.

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Therapist Erika Hilliard on Shyness and Social Anxiety

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On August 29, 2012 The Houston Chronical reprinted a Chicago Tribune article on shyness in people who are single and breaking the bashful barrier.  The article states that behind shyness is extreme self-consciousness.  Shy people constantly worry that others are judging them, and they blame themselves for negative outcomes, so they choose to not do or say anything rather than risking self-expression. See the original article in the Chicago Tribune.

The article offfered some strategies for working with one’s shyness. My favorite suggestions came from Canadian clinical social worker Erika Hilliard, author of “Living Fully with Shyness and Social Anxiety.” Erika says if you have a  shy attack on a date, admit it rather than freaking out or trying to hide it. It gives the other person an opportunity to relate or reassure you.  She shared that one of her female clients updated her online profile to mention her shyness and found that it boosted her responses.

For people who experience shynes as physical symptoms, like pounding heart and sweaty palms, Erika suggests practing a relaxation technique called “grounding” a few times a day so you can access it when you need it. Feel your feet on the ground, your back against the chair, pay attention to yur sensations and your breathing. You can get a copy of my grounding exercise that will teach you to become more grounded if you practice it daily.

Negative thinking is a shy person’s most paralyzing, self-fulfilling hurdle.  Rather than imagining the worst posssible scenario, Erika recommends imagining the best or how you would recover from the situation.

If you have been reading my posts or following my work with fear of public speaking, you will recognize that Erika’s suggestions are identical to mine.  First, admit you are nervous rather than trying to cover it up.  Give audiences a chance to support and identify with you.  Second, learn to ground yourself in your body so that you become more relaxed, comfortable in your skin and present. Third, imagine how great it feels to be with your audiences, to connect with them and share your ideas, insights and expertise.

Thanks to Erika for her valuable advice for people suffering with social anxiety and shyness! Visit her website at http://www.erikahilliard.com/index.html.  Find a list of Erika’s Book Chapters or purchase her book at Amazon .

If you’d like to have an audio copy of my grounding exercise, please visit http://www.self-expression.com/audio_video.shtml. My book It’s Your Time to Shine is another good resource for people who are shy or anxious in social settings.

 

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Have Confidence that People can Smell

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In an interview with Charlie Rose, Steve Martin shared that his experience doing stand-up comedy at universities in the 1970s gave him a sense of confidence that people could smell. When Steve describes confidence this way, I think he means that he learned to create chemistry with his audiences. He learned to be so good at his craft that others could sense his mastery, they could feel how sure of himself he became and they could relax with him because he became so relaxed in himself.

It is this deep relaxation with listeners that is so intriguing and powerful. That’s what we all want, don’t we? We want to have a confidence that others can smell when we speak, perform or communicate. So how do we obtain such a deeply felt sense of confidence? Of course you must get good at what you do and what you speak about. Malcolm Gladwell would say you have to put in your 10,000 hours. But lots of people are brilliant at what they do, they are experts, yet they can’t present to groups with the same brilliance.

What it takes to be brilliant at presenting to audiences is the palpable sense of presence that happens when you relax into being who you are and open yourself to give all that you are and know to listeners. The skillset here is multi-dimensional.  It is physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Physically you must relax at the center of attention and allow the flow of life energy to fill your body so you feel good. That happens when you have let go of all protection or pretense. Mentally you must focus attention on being there for your audience rather than worrying about how you are doing. Emotionally, you must be real and willing to share your authentic feelings, thoughts and ideas. And spiritually you must allow the power of God to support you and flow through you and out to the audience. 

If all this sounds very esoteric, well, it is. It is a metaphysical state of feeling wrapped in the presence and love of spirit where your confidence is supreme because you know who you are and what you have to give to others. There is not quick tip to develop palpable presence. It is something that you build into yourself day by day through constant practice, meditation, prayer and absolute intention to release fear.

Steve Martin said people have often asked him how to be successful at stand-up comedy. His answer has always been, “Be so good that they can’t ignore you.” That, he says, causes them to come to you.  That, he says, causes them to come to you.

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Travis Kalanick CEO of Uber on Telling the Authentic Story

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Travis Kalanick is the CEO of Uber, a service that uses apps to call a car, usually a Town Car, in 15 minutes. What I like about him is his authenticity. He says that telling your authentic story is how business needs to be communicating. He shares that in toughest times, we learn to be our best, so telling about your struggles and failures needs to be a part of the story you tell.

Here is a video of an interview on CBS This Morning Tuesday, August 14, 2012.  Even the hosts comment on how honest he is!  See if you like his story. http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7418084n&tag=mncol%3Blst%3B1.

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Standing in the Rush: How to Transform Stage Fright and Fear of Public Speaking

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This is the absolute bottom line of what to do to transform your public speaking tension and performance anxiety into radiant, authentic presence so that you shine in front of others.

Coaching a corporate HR executive from a Fortune 100 company on his anxiety about public speaking, I said something new, something I’ve never said that expresses the essence of what I believe it takes to heal stage fright and fear of public speaking. When he asked me to articulate the bottom line on this issue, the words that came out of my mouth were simply, “You have to stand in the rush.”

What I meant was that performance anxiety tension will release when you are willing to stay present in your body and allow the rush of adrenaline, psychophysical sensations and subtle spiritual energy to flow through you. Not only will it release, but it will actually transform into a flow state of presence that feels wonderful!

When you stand in the rush, allowing it to flow fully through your physical body without judging it or tensing up to control it, you are filled with a powerful force that vibrates and radiates from your body to others. This force is a part of your soul energy.  It is the spiritual energy that can make you a star if you allow it to operate by flowing through you.  It is the energy that creates stage presence and the magnetism to hold other’s attention.

The only way to open up your star-quality power is to go through the feelings and sensations that arise inside your body when you become the center of attention.  You just have to let yourself feel it inside your physical body until you are comfortable with the power of your feelings. Have I mentioned this is an in-the-body experience? This is such a different approach than trying to use your mind to control the feelings or trying to make them go away.

I discovered this technique in 1974 while studying acting at The University of Houston Theatre Department. I had been taking singing lessons but was not really great at singing. I had a small but sweet voice.  And I was really afraid to sing in front of other people. The department auditioned students for the musical revue “Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris.”  I got up my courage to audition and practiced for weeks to sing a Brel song I loved.

When it came time to audition, I was shaking like a leaf in a hurricane.  God I was scared! As I started into the song, I was so nervous that my voice cracked and I quickly realized I was in trouble.  A voice inside my head told me to sing with all the passion I could muster and to let my body shake. I obeyed.  I sang with full passion, all the while trembling uncontrollably. What a rush! I was so opened up by this audition, I felt like I could fly. Two days later when I looked at the roster of people who were cast in the show, I almost fainted to see my name as one of the six cast members. It was the beginning of my understanding of how to transform stage fright.

I know this is not want you want to hear! You want a tip about how to control your emotions and body with your mind.  Haven’t you that already? Stage fright is not something to control.  It is an energy flow from your soul that you have to learn to ride.  It is a rush of psychophysical energy that fills your body when you are at the center of attention. It only feels scary if you judge the feelings as wrong and try to avoid the experience. It feels amazing if you stand in the rush and express yourself fully. If you are serious about doing whatever it takes to turn your fear of speaking into passion, learn to stand in the rush.

If you want to consider participating in a safe group in which to learn to stand in the rush, read my Transform Stage Fright into Authentic Presence program description.   http://www.self-expression.com/prog_public_speaking.shtml .  If you want to read more about my methods and ideas, check out my book  It’s Your Time to Shine: How to Overcome Fear of Public Speaking, Develop Authentic Presence and Speak from Your Heart.

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Characteristics of Inspirational Leaders – Blog by Frenetta Tate

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I just read an excellent blog post by Frenetta Tate MBA called The Seven Success Characteristics of Inspirational Leadership.  Ms. Tate identified a powerful set of qualities that leaders who inspire others possess.  They are:

1. The Crusader

2. The Connector

3. The Innovator

4. The Encourager

5. The Coach

6. The Builder

7. The Motivator

Rather than attepting to summarize, I will just suggest you read her article for yourself at http://www.d-mars.com/html/bjournal.htm.  You will find her article on page 7 of The D-Mars.com 60th Edition.

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