Introducing YOU on VIDEO Workshop

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I am excited to announce that I am creating a new workshop called
YOU on VIDEO: Showing Up and Being Heard for Skype, YouTube and TV

I have always been fascinated with video, both the technology and the on-camera presentation of oneself. As a former actress, I loved doing radio and TV commercials.  It thrills me just to be around video equipment and sets!

I struggled to learn to be comfortable and to make myself look good on-camera. I was not photogenic at all.  And I was very nervous and self critical.  But because I loved it so much, I worked hard to develop comfort and presence when cameras were rolling.  In the process of developing camera presence, I learned many secrets.

Now I am teaming with my longtime friend, video producer Kenan Branam, to co-create a workshop to teach people to show up, be seen and heard on video for Skype, YouTube and TV. Kenan’s credentials are spectacular!  He has worked with major stars and politicians at the video studio in Houston that CNN and other networks use when they interview remotely for national programs. View Kenan’s credentials.

In the YOU on VIDEO Workshop, Kenan Branam and I, Sandra Zimmer share the secrets that will give you the confidence to project a message and an image out into the world using video. We will give you the support you need to present yourself on video, Skype and YouTube.

I will warn you however that this workshop will not be a mechanical approach to expressing yourself on-camera!  Kenan and I are deep.  We love to work deeply with people to support them to be who they are when expressing themselves.  So we will be guiding you to be more authentic and to create an authentic image on-camera. Video is not a real presentation of yourself.  Is does not see you as you are, so you have to develop a persona that expresses your real self at your best.

Here is what you will learn how to do:

  • Relax and feel confident speaking on camera.
  • Make the camera transparent so that you are being with viewers rather than talking at them.
  • Radiate on camera presence so you appear warm, pleasant and energetic.
  • Stay focused on your message while the cameras are rolling.
  • Create a video set that supports your image and does not distract from your message.
  • Craft a 3-minute message that compels attention of viewers.
  • Learn to handle camera equipment.
  • Learn basic video lighting and sound tips.
  • Learn which inexpensive cameras and equipment you can use to get started.

Please check out the YOU on Video Workshop description. Our first workshop will be January 20 and 21, 2012

 

 

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Care and Feeding of Presenters: How to Give Supportive Feedback to Speakers

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You, as employer, supervisor or coach want your presenters to be open and transparent, because you know that clients respond to authenticity more than to slick and canned presentations.

Supporting presenters to be genuine is hard work!  You can’t afford the luxury of telling them what is wrong with their performance.  Presenters are vulnerable, even if they don’t look like it. You have to take on the role of nurturing parent rather than critic.

You have to give up some things in order to get authentic presenters:

  1. Expecting them to be mechanically perfect.
  2. Criticism and negative feedback.
  3. The idea that effectiveness has to do with the presenter’s performance.

Concentrate your attention on seeing what they do well and right.  Support their natural abilities and personal qualities.  Acknowledge what they do well and who they are as human beings.  Flood them with positive feedback so they can relax into being who they are in front of others.

Then, in order to get what you want from them, ask them for what you want.  Tell them what to do to make it better rather than telling them what is wrong. Become the coach who say “Here is what you can do to make it better” AFTER telling them what they are doing well.

I use a “yes, and” approach to feedback.  While watching them practice, I look for what is working and what needs to be better.  Then I ask them to do something positive.  For example, I say “Great story!  Amazing story!  Loads of emotion!  Next time, try making more one to one connection.”  I don’t say “You aren’t making good connection!”  Believe me this is challenging!  But it helps retain the presenter’s confidence.

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Moving from Expert to Master

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Last week I was coaching a new client who is an amazing expert on wireless technology at a Fortune 100 company and I heard myself say, “Maybe it is time to move from being an expert to being a master.”

What’s the difference? The difference is in how one asserts their information. It seems to me that an expert asserts his expertise fully, readily and frequently to all who will listen.  A master is someone who reveals what he knows as needed in the moment.  A master says the one right thing that a listener needs to know because the master can perceive what the listener needs for his next step. The master is tuned in to the listener.

Everyone will know who the expert is, because the expert will make sure everyone knows. But many people will not know who the master is, because the master will hold back anything that the listener is not ready to hear. The expert will draw lots of attention, the master will likely not.

Once you have become an expert at something, there is a natural evolution into mastery. Mastery happens when you stop asserting your expertise as something to get attention and begin to offer your skills into service to humanity. You essentially transcend your skills and become a humble servant, giving your expertise to help others gain the same level of ability. You might think of Mr. Miagi in the movie The Karate Kid.  Or the Dali Lama who when asked who he was said simply, “It’s just me.”

Once an expert stops trying to impress, he steps into the level of mastery.  Making complex things simple is the realm of the master.  He simply is the master and what he does is simple.

My own mastery is guiding people to express themselves authentically in front of groups.  My approach is simple.  I help people relax into being who they are in front of other people and give them simple steps for putting ideas together to craft compelling messages.  My students say they have trouble telling their friends and family what we do in class, because it is so simple.  I simply make it safe for people to be authentic.  When people feel free to be who they are, they are naturally eloquent and what they say inspires listeners.

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Acting for Non-Actors

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I have been dreaming about teaching acting for some reason.  I taught acting for about 30 years and thought I had had my fill of it.  But last week, in a dream, I seemed to be auditioning to teach acting. Strange!  Some rather  arrogant acting teachers were complaining how hard it is to train beginning actors. They seemed to think that I could not do it.  I said to them, “Just watch.  See what I can do with these people.”  I knew that I could guide them into being authentic actors in a short time.   Then I woke up, puzzled about why I had such a dream.

After many years of struggling with acting, I realized it is so simple to act.  It is all about three things – making real connection, expressing authentic emotions and having clear intentions.  And isn’t life just like that?  If you can make real connection with other people, if you can share your real emotions and if you are clear about what you want and are willing to express it, life just works, both onstage and in daily relationships.

I still don’t know what my dream was telling me, but I do know that acting skills are valuable for everyone. You don’t have to want to be an actor. Acting skills are also for non-actors.  If you are a professional who is struggling with business relationships, get yourself to an acting class and learn to free your self-expression in front of others.

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Public Speaking When the Public is Family – Sandra Zimmer Featured in Chicago Tribune

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A special contributor to The Tribune Newspapers,  writer Richard Asa, contacted me recently.  He was writing an article on fear of public speaking at family events, such as weddings and funerals. I shared some ideas that I thought might be valuable. 

Public speaking when the public is family can produce anxiety for some people.  Many of my clients have used Zimmer Method techniques to help them with speaking at family events. When family is the audience, speaking from the heart makes all the difference.

Richard’s article was published in The Chicago Tribune on Sunday, August 14, 2011.  He synthesized some core concepts from several consultants that can help you when you have to speak impromptu at family events. Read Richard’s article entitled Making Speeches at Family Events .  

 

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Presence & Grounding for Performance: Exciting Your Audience

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Presence happens when you are so deeply relaxed into yourself and accepting of yourself that you feel free to be genuine.  The secret to presence is to be fully grounded in your body so that you have a full-body sense of awareness.  When you are grounded and present, you experience sensation and awareness in every part of your body, all the way down to your toes.  It may sound strange, but many people live with minimal or limited awareness of their bodies.  They don’t have much sensation or awareness below the neck, and they tend to stay focused only in their heads.

The phrase “being in your head” literally means your attention and energy are overly focused in the head region.  Our society has tended to place much emphasis on “mind over body,” and our religious roots have even taught us that the body is something that is bad or potentially evil – something to be subdued and repressed using the power of the mind.  Without getting into a long discussion of Western societal attitudes toward the body, suffice it to say we need to reclaim our entire bodies, most of
which are located below the neck.

Developing the experience of presence requires you to become full-bodied.  Full-bodied awareness is more than just muscle relaxation.  It is awareness of the flow of psycho-physical energy in every part of your body.  As you develop awareness and energy throughout your whole body, you begin to radiate an external quality of presence that others will sense.  Your presence will touch people on an unspoken level, increase your power to influence and hold their attention.

One of my favorite client success stories concerning the power of presence for performance involves an actor named Chip Manfre.  Taking seriously the techniques taught in Speaking from the Heart, Chip practiced the grounding and energy awareness exercises diligently.  After completing the course, he was cast as the lead role in a local production of Dracula.  I went to see Chip perform as Dracula on a very cold January night.  The theater was so cold that I could not stop shivering, even though I was wearing a sweater and heavy coat.  I shivered through the first 20 minutes of the play, before Dracula appeared on stage.

Then, Chip, as Dracula, made his entrance.  He slid onto the stage with an eerie aura of presence wrapped around him like a cloak.  As he took center stage, Chip opened his arms and expanded his field of energy to fill the entire theater.  I could hear the gasp from the audience.  His presence was palpable.  Inside my body, I felt the heat come up my spine instantly.  Within five minutes I was warm enough to throw off my coat.  The power of his presence was so strong that it caused me – and surely other members of the audience as well – to respond physiologically.  Presence is a high state of energy, and it causes others to raise their energy level.  It literally excites the cells of other people’s bodies.

You can learn, through diligent practice, to concentrate your energies and develop your own power of presence. Grounding is the first step to developing your own magnetic presence.

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So You Want to be a Reality TV Star?

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 Last week the Houston Chronicle published an article by Greg Morago called Get Ready for Judge Giada : Top contestants are able to connect with camera.

Giada De Laurentiis is a Food Network star who is about to become a judge for the show Food Network Star.  Giving some sage advice for anyone who wants to be on a reality TV show, she said, “I think the most important thing is that you have some kind of connection with the camera. People don’t understand what that means. It means you have done some soul-searching. You know who you are and you are comfortable in your own skin. You do need to be a good cook but you can’t be uncomfortable in front of the camera. The camera can be a problem for some people. Sometimes they clam up, sometimes they become a wholly different person.”

OK, so here it is again! You have to be yourself and be comfortable in your own skin.  So, if you are going to try for a reality show, or even if you are just presenting on a video or at a meeting, get grounded in your body so that you can be comfortable in your skin. It makes such a difference in how you look and feel.

If you need help with grounding, try my audio Ground Yourself for Star Quality Presence.

Thanks Giada for reminding us all that we just need to be ourself in order to shine!

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Be an Outloud Thinker

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 For the umpteenth time, a client shared his story about being in a meeting, having an idea and not sharing it outloud. His point, of course, was that twenty minutes later, a co-worker voiced that same idea and everyone applauded!

Do you find yourself in meetings thinking a great idea but holding it back because you haven’t thought it through?  And does someone else inevitably share that idea and get the credit for creative thinking?

If so, it is time to become an “outloud thinker.” An outloud thinker is someone who grabs a kernel of an idea and throws it out into the group to think it through in front of others.  Here are some ideas to help you become someone who can think outloud:

  1. Let go of having to share only ideas that are perfected and polished.  Realize that ideas can also be developed with group support and contribution.  Like babies, they never come out of the womb fully matured.
  2. Be willing for ideas to act like sparks off of which others can react.  They can be a place to begin and not to end.
  3. Preface your idea with a disclaimer.  Like “Hey, I just thought of something.  Let me throw it out and see if you think it has value.”  Your disclaimer allows you to say that your idea is not fully developed, asks permission to think it out in front of the group and makes you feel safe to bring out an idea that may or may not be valuable.
  4. Couch your idea tentatively.  “What about this idea for starters?” This allows others to contribute more easily than if you assert your idea as definitive.
  5. Be willing to let go if your idea is not workable.  Be able to shake it off and applaud yourself for the courage to contribute.

Thoughts are energy forms that can be passed from mind to mind telepathically.  When an idea’s time has come, it will show up in the collective mind.  If you have an idea, chances are someone else has it too.  If you don’t own it, someone else will.

If you are good at catching ideas, it is really important that you become an outloud thinker.  Become the one who has crazy ideas.  Some of them will be duds, some will be brilliant!

I love to help people share their ideas, insights and expertise confidently. If you think I might be the one help you shine as an outloud thinker, check out the possibilities for coaching, classes or workshops at www.self-expression.com

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Public Speaking Secret – Don’t Try to Be More than You Are

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This weekend I attended a workshop on Sound, Color & Vibration taught by Elias Demohan and Rafael Demohan.  Elias has been the most significant spiritual teacher in my life.  I have not seen him for many years as he now lives in Calgary, Canada.  The workshop was for me mostly a review of methods for self-transformation he taught me 35 years ago. But Elias said one thing that electrified me and may make me freer than ever before to be who I am!

Elias said, “Don’t try to be more than you are.” This simple axiom for living goes against much of what is being taught and touted by self-help teachers, celebrities, gurus and communication experts in the last few years. Many are encouraging people to be more than they are, be more, do more, have more.  I have myself said this!  And I have also strived and struggled to be more.

We have become a culture of fame-seekers.  We have come to value fame more than authenticity. We think that celebrity means happiness, wisdom and success. We honor sparkle over substance. This shift in our cultural values has placed great pressure on people to try to show up as more than they are.  And that creates tension, stimulating stage fright and fear of speaking up.

Stage fright and fear of public speaking are rooted in shame, low self-acceptance and feelings that one is not enough. “Not enough-ness” is driving many of us to strive to do more, be more and have more. And, it provides the deep vein of anxiety that feeds fear of speaking in public.

Here is why what Elias said is important for speaking and communicating in groups.  When we attempt to be more than what we are, tension is created in the mind and body. Underneath the surface, we are striving too much, pushing too hard. When we don’t try to me more than who we actually are, we can relax and be real. We do not have to know everything so we can share our true ideas, insights, gifts and talents.  Without pretence, we don’t have to inflate or embellish what we have to offer. We can say simply, “Here is what I know for sure.” What we know for sure flows easily from our lips. It is what it is, no more, no less.

This week, let’s practice not trying to be more than what we are.  I am already more relaxed today.  Let me know what happens for you.

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Mr. Rogers Video Showed the US Senate how to Speak from the Heart

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On May 1, 1969, Mr. Rogers spoke to the US Senate Subcommittee on Communications to ask them to grant funding for the newly created PBS after President Nixon attempted to slash their funds in half.  Watch a video of his speech.

Saying “I’d just like to talk about it if it’s alright,” Mr. Rogers asked permission to simply speak from his heart rather than reading a philosophical statement.

In this compelling piece of video, Mr. Rogers demonstrates the soft power of the introvert doing what introverts do best – speaking from a deep place of emotional honesty.  With breath-taking courage, he shares that he gives a meaningful expression of care to children on his daily TV program.  We see Mr. Rogers model authentic communication to the Communication Subcommittee, stating that it is OK to express emotions and that children need to be taught to express their emotions in healthy ways.

Watch this video and be charmed just as cragy Senator John Pastori was charmed by the open-hearted, gentle and respectful style of a master communicator, Mr. Rogers. Authenticity is persuasive.

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