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The authenticity of our stories is not determined by the tags we assign to them, but rather by their intrinsic essence. Imagine, if you will, standing before a crowd, your hand clenched in a fist. You claim there's a precious gemstone hidden within your grasp. The audience may believe you, or they might harbour doubts. In the absence of definitive evidence - actual reality, direct experience of seeing the gemstone or your empty open palm, all they can do is speculate. But then, you uncurl your fingers and reveal whether there's a gem or not. <h3 class="reader-text-block__heading2">Belief is merely conjecture...</h3>Suddenly, the concept of belief recedes, replaced by undeniable proof. Just like in this scenario, public speaking relies on the same principles. The words you speak could be the truth or mere fallacies. Based on your presentation, your listeners can only form their own beliefs and assumptions. However, when you provide evidence, empirical data, or share a real-life experience, you’re effectively opening your fist. You're granting them the opportunity to&nbsp;see, in this moment. The necessity of belief gives way to the clarity of direct perception, enabling your audience to base their thoughts and actions on what they now&nbsp;know&nbsp;instead of what they&nbsp;believed. <h3 class="reader-text-block__heading2">The same principle applies to all communication</h3>When it comes to public speaking, as with all communication, we must strive to move beyond conjecture and ground our speaking in reality. It's critical to draw from our own experiences and direct perception or reality to convey truth in its raw, unaltered form. It is not the labels we attach to our narratives that make them authentic but their inherent nature. The potency of public speaking lies in its immediacy. The present moment is all we have; the power of influence lies herein. As leaders and speakers, we are not narrating tales from an elusive, mystical realm. Our presentations should be grounded in the&nbsp;here and now. They are about "awakening" our audience to the realities of the present moment, in all its glory and mundanity. This concept, often called enlightenment or awakening in spiritual contexts, is not as distant or abstract as it may seem. It's readily accessible to all of us, at every moment. This awakening is about developing the ability to fully experience and appreciate the present moment, to glean insights and truth from it. When we stand and present, are in a meeting or just a regular 121 conversation, remember, you're not just there to say stuff; you're there to facilitate an awakening, to lead, to influence, to see (to help&nbsp;them see), to open your fist and let the gemstone of truth reveal itself.

Seeing Beyond Belief: The Power of Direct Perception in Communication

Just sit for a moment and relax. Take a couple of deep breaths. Now, try not to think of an elephant.&nbsp; And here's something else to contemplate. Picture a square circle. Try harder, and make an effort. As you've probably realised, both exercises are by nature impossible. Often though, we put our efforts into tasks very much like these. We focus our energies on impossible goals or where the means to accomplish our goals are entirely out of our hands.&nbsp; <h3 class="reader-text-block__heading2">Communicating with presence</h3>In my experience of helping executives master the art of communicating with presence (which is more than the proverbial public speaking skills), we often put too much effort into the skills, the storytelling, the slides, and the body language. We want to know what's right. Where should I move to? How should I sit or stand? What should I do with my hands? What am I trying to achieve here?&nbsp; Thus, we often think of effort as straining, forcing, or pushing, but what if there is no straining, force, or pushing? What if the power source of change is within us? <h3 class="reader-text-block__heading2">The push to a greener planet</h3>The same pushing happens with climate change and the move to New Energy. And whilst there is no doubt of the urgency for change, what if we could inspire people to see the need for change for themselves? What if we help people use the right effort through the right view? When you see that putting your hand in a flame is painful, you don't need to strain to keep yourself from doing it.&nbsp; <h3 class="reader-text-block__heading2">We know what's right</h3>Right effort means simply being present. It means being here, staying here, and seeing what's happening now. It's not about trying to control or bring something about, like straining to get everyone in the room to go along with your view.&nbsp; Right effort is naturalness. The naturalness of movement, the naturalness of thought. It's the naturalness of becoming&nbsp;this&nbsp;moment; this is the energy within the art of public speaking. And&nbsp;this&nbsp;energy can be present in our communication that drives the change in attitude, behaviour, investment and infrastructure building to facilitate the transition. Right effort is different from how we usually understand effort. <h3 class="reader-text-block__heading2">At the moment, we just want control</h3>Usually, we try to control or be different, try something new, improve the situation, or improve ourselves. Human history is filled with this kind of effort.&nbsp; And here we are with our improved human world that we've spent much time and energy working on. It's working out well for us, right? Not. We've improved the rivers, the lakes, the land, our society, and our ways of living to the point where we now wonder if the human race will survive. We keep doing the same with ourselves, constantly pushing for more. Gosh, I know that desire myself. First, The right effort is cutting off the fragmented and fractured way of communicating or speaking. When we're in such a state of mind, we see things needing manipulation and control. We need to move to energise our way of communicating wholly through presence.&nbsp; <h3 class="reader-text-block__heading2">How? What's the solution, then?</h3>We must first see what we can control and what we can't. Otherwise, we'll waste our efforts trying to do the impossible while ignoring what is easily within reach. It is tapping into a new energy source within us when public speaking, in a meeting or in a 1-2-1 conversation, thus taking in the whole scene being presented to us, at that moment.&nbsp; It is drawing energy from within and using this to connect with others to drive change, putting effort into influencing the moment-to-moment states we can affect, thus helping us all to have the right view of the importance and the urgency of moving to a greener planet.

Amplify your presence - release the energy in your communication

Unlocking your unique presence harnesses a connection between you and your audiences; it is thriving leadership and produces results. A new energy supply is of paramount importance for saving the future of this planet. The same need applies to how we communicate the change. The right energy choices for the future of this planet and the right messages require you to present and interact with your audiences knowing how to connect with&nbsp;your&nbsp;energy. We, humans, are nothing more than vibrating energy. We are cells, which are made of atoms, which are made of particles, and those so-called particles are vibrating energy. Through this energy, we connect; we feel and respond. The words we say when presenting, leading a meeting, or chatting with friends and family are merely the outer shell of a deeper, energy-fuelled connection with one another. One morning this week at home, I got out of bed to a gorgeous sunrise. I hadn't been able to sleep; the story of my life this past year. I stood in the kitchen looking out at people who had started to go about their day; it was so quiet and still. At that moment, I felt a calm intense energy, alertness, a sense of being alive. I noticed that this same energy powered my actions and my coaching conversations over the rest of that day. This energy I call presence. It drives our body language, the words we choose, the emotions we bring to bear, and our impact on our audience. <h3 class="reader-text-block__heading2">So why all this presence malarky? What's the reason for presenting with presence?</h3>The irony is that we need words to communicate, but they tend to get in the way. Indeed, writing this is proving difficult to convey the message I want related to what presence is. Teaching it and helping executives to use it is best mastered through doing, by experiencing it in reality. The power of making individuals in audiences feel something is essential, and experiencing the emotion behind what you say builds the connection. The first thing that grasps an audience member's attention is your energy and passion; being able to emote (appropriately) in a talk, a meeting, or a presentation is as important (if not more) than the words themselves.&nbsp; Energy is all around us. It's in your voice, body language, attitude, and others "get it" from you the moment you enter a space. Your presence has the power to engage, repel or just plain bore.&nbsp; <h3 class="reader-text-block__heading2">What is presence?</h3>What we don't often recognise (because we are "too busy" focused on the words, the actions, the stuff, and the results) is a vast expansiveness of&nbsp;in-the-moment&nbsp;power and influence. And yet we spend most of our lives valuing surface-level interactivity. We communicate by numbers.&nbsp; I define presence as our intuitive nature. The essence of me, of you. The energy that is within us, in each moment. Presence is our ability to connect with this energy and the understanding of how to use this energy to connect with another in a way which is unique to&nbsp;them. <h3 class="reader-text-block__heading2">So how do we harness the power of presence?</h3>There is a way to move beyond per-functionary presentation (communicating by numbers) by experiencing rather than comprehending reality from moment to moment. This experience is not based on any conception or belief. It is direct perception itself. It's seeing before signs appear, before ideas sprout, and before falling into thought. Much like my early morning look out the window before I started to think about what I was experiencing, I experienced an energy-full-stillness. To lead the change, you have to harness this power of presence whilst presenting. It's nothing more or less than seeing things as they are rather than as you wish or believe them to be. This liberation of mind, this direct awareness of reality as a whole, is fully accessible to anyone willing to attend to their&nbsp;actual&nbsp;experience.&nbsp; This enduring power of taking the horse to water and making the horse&nbsp;want&nbsp;to drink is about one simple but elusive thing; awareness, not awareness of something in particular, but awareness itself. Being awake, alert, and in touch with what is actually happening when speaking, presenting or in a meeting.&nbsp; It's about relying on the direct experience of this present moment. It's not about belief, doctrine, formula, tradition, or storytelling techniques. It's about energy-fuelled freedom.&nbsp; It is our unique presence that amplifies the words that connect us and drives communicating the need for change.

Unlock Your Inner Power: How to Harness the Power of Presence

In business for some 20-plus years, I am still curious about how I communicate and how we build trust and repour in conversations. Today on a sales call, I noticed myself using Aristotle's three elements of persuasion when we chatted. <h3 class="reader-text-block__heading2">Understanding Ethos, Pathos, and Logos</h3>Before diving into how to employ these elements, it's essential to understand what each means. Ethos refers to the credibility or ethical appeal. It convinces your audience that you're reliable, trustworthy, and have the necessary expertise. Pathos appeals to emotions. Connecting with your audience's feelings can motivate them to act or sway their opinions. Logos involves logical reasoning. It is using facts, figures, and rational arguments to prove your point. <h3 class="reader-text-block__heading2">Ethos: Projecting Credibility and Trust</h3>So, there I was on the call (no video, just old-style telephone call), noticing my presence. Seeing how I was, my choice of language, pausing, the degree of listening I did, my voice, and yes, even my body language. And how this impacted the conversation. The connection between us. I observed how I outlined my credibility by building an image that projected reliability, expertise, and integrity. But I didn't just cite my credentials. I wanted the prospect to understand my competence. So I used a story to bring to life my work helping CEOs and senior executives in the New Energy space master the connection between them and their audiences. Being empathic underpinned the credibility element. Respectfully listening to the prospect's point of view and not jumping in when you think there's something for you to add. Authentic listening (not waiting for your turn to speak) will mean you'll remember what you need to and when to pick up on something the other person has said. It's simply being in the moment. Present. <h3 class="reader-text-block__heading2">Pathos: Connecting Emotionally</h3>A big part of credibility is the link to emotional connections. And yes, using a story helps achieve this. But not just telling a story for telling a story's sake. But reliving the story (emotion and all) relevantly and appropriately so you connect with the story. And because I connected with my story (which is through a feeling), the prospect did, too, through my voice. Storytelling allows you to present situations that evoke emotions, making your communication more impactful and memorable. Of course, to make this work well for both of us on the call, I had to understand the prospect's needs, aspirations, and fears. And whilst explicit questions are useful here, like; what are your challenges right now when driving the new energy agenda? Picking up on subtleties allows you to have a conversation rather than a Q&amp;A session. However, while pathos is powerful, it must be used responsibly. Attempting to manipulate emotions for personal gain can quickly erode trust and damage your presence. <h3 class="reader-text-block__heading2">Logos: Building Rational Appeal</h3>While ethos establishes credibility and pathos creates an emotional connection, logos ensures that your message stands on solid ground. It involves using clear reasoning, reliable data, and sound arguments to make your case. For logos to enhance your presence, your logic must be clear and easy for your audience to follow. Use concrete facts, figures, and examples to support your points. Also, be open to questions and ready to address any counterarguments logically. <h3 class="reader-text-block__heading2">Striking a Balance</h3>Communicating with presence balances the use of ethos, pathos, and logos. Relying too heavily on one can lead to a lopsided communication style. For example, a speaker who only uses logos might come off as dry and robotic, while overuse of pathos can seem manipulative. The best communicators vary their use of ethos, pathos, and logos depending on their audience and purpose. This ability to adapt makes their messages more engaging and enhances their overall presence. The principles of ethos, pathos, and logos remain as relevant today as they were in Aristotle's time. Whether leading a team, presenting, or simply interacting with colleagues, using these elements effectively can significantly enhance your presence. Remember, effective communication isn't about winning an argument or proving yourself right - it's about credibly sharing ideas, connecting emotionally, and making logical sense to your audience. Although I did win the work, so a little winning is good.

The Art of Persuasion - Mastering Ethos, Pathos, and Logos for Communicating with Presence

You may have heard of impactful communication. This is communication that fosters successful and productive outcomes.&nbsp;Most people retain a fraction of what is said to them. But with real, impactful communication, you're more likely to affect those you speak with. <h3 class="reader-text-block__heading2">Why do we need impactful communication?</h3>People are already successful in business and life. Commercial success is everywhere. Getting your message out there is doable. And change happens, albeit in terms of climate change, slowly. But what if we could ramp up that speed of change? What if we could speed up the "<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/17jUwzgo0EpSljTJcFHsJf" data-mce-href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/17jUwzgo0EpSljTJcFHsJf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">speed of trust</a>"?&nbsp;We, as a species, are becoming more sophisticated. We want more. And we want it faster. We are moving away from a knowledge or cognitive dimension into a time characterised by wisdom and intuition aided by technology at our fingertips. Thus, we are more creative and have a deeper appreciation and understanding of our world, our impact on the planet and how we can fundamentally change this for the betterment of all.&nbsp;And it's because of that that we must strengthen how we share our messages, how we connect with others. We must alter the means through which we get ideas out there. We need to amplify our communication; the path to achieving success has to change. The way we communicate the need for change has to change. <h3 class="reader-text-block__heading2">So, what is impactful communication?</h3>Impactful communication is true communication. It is the art of making everybody in the audience (1-2-1, team meeting, board meeting, conference) feel like they individually are the only person you are talking to; you make them experience a connection with you that is unique to them. You make them emote.&nbsp;Over the past 24 years of supporting global leaders, I've realised that we, as human beings, communicate with impact when we have intuitively connected with&nbsp;our&nbsp;presence in each moment. <h3 class="reader-text-block__heading2">What is presence?</h3>The universe, the planet, and we are energy; this energy is transformational. This energy surrounds us, binds us, drives us and connects us. It is a vast expansiveness of potential. It is&nbsp;in-the-moment&nbsp;power and influence. And yet we spend most of our lives valuing surface-level interactivity. We communicate by numbers.&nbsp;I define presence as our intuitive nature. The essence of me, of you. The energy that is within us, in each moment.&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/5nuapqu7CNRHXWFzYwkzJm" data-mce-href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/5nuapqu7CNRHXWFzYwkzJm">Presence</a>&nbsp;is our ability to connect with this energy (usually manifesting in our thoughts, feelings and actions) and use this energy to connect with another. <h3 class="reader-text-block__heading2">So how do we master the art of connecting through presence?</h3>Communicating through presence requires you to go to places you may have never been before, at least initially. Developing true presence (to facilitate lasting change) requires you to open yourself up to an understanding and appreciation, an exploration of yourself that you may find uncomfortable at times or unnerving, or maybe even unknown.At the heart of the process is the peeling away layers of "the self" - these layers we have created. They have served you to date. But underneath the layers is this power source, this energy. It is freedom from the constraints of how I am, who I am and what I am. It is being alive to the unknown.Within this limitless space is the power that fuels the words we choose when we stand up in front of an audience. Within this presence is the energy we use to connect with people in meetings. It ignites the way we ask questions. It drives how we show up in every circumstance. It fuels the very layers that we peel away. It creates impactful communication.&nbsp;We then add the storytelling capability and the technical skills associated with bringing an audience along with you. <h3 class="reader-text-block__heading2">Why wouldn't we explore what public speaking and storytelling are? And do it?&nbsp;</h3>As humans, we are evolving. We crave more, and we want it quickly. We want to have a positive impact on the world. We want to leave the planet in a better state (for our children) than when we inherited it. And our knowledge and cognitive abilities are no longer enough; instead, we are transitioning to a time of wisdom and intuition enabled by technology.&nbsp;The limitations of the past no longer bind us; instead, we can use the tools within us to reach our fullest potential. With the power of presence, we can make the impossible possible by tapping into our creativity and developing a deeper understanding of ourselves and the environment, making a real difference in how we interact with each other and the planet.The conversations we have: the connections we make become deeper, truly emotive and galvanising.You not only lead the horse to water, but you also make it want to drink.

Blog

Seeing Beyond Belief: The Power of Direct Perception in C...

Amplify your presence - release the energy in your commun...

Unlock Your Inner Power: How to Harness the Power of Pres...

The Art of Persuasion - Mastering Ethos, Pathos, and Logo...

Unlock the Power of Impactful Communication for Your Busi...