[I had orginally posted this to the LMD Wiki thinking you all might be happier posting there, but LMD's blog - Impact is the happening place, so ...]
Thinking on Your Feet: Dynamic Communication
First LMD session of the conference began bright and early at 7 am on Monday and was a perfect start for me. Greg Hohn, from Transactors Improv, began the session by having us participate in
the Clam & Dragon exercise to wake us up (it worked). He went on to
show us how to open ourselves to dynamic communication. Take-aways for
me include:
- It is okay to be embarrassed – rarely fatal
- Important to be intellectually and emotionally flexible
- Plan for events but you don't need to stick with those plans (again, be flexible)
- Put
yourself in the other person's shoes and communicate in ways that your
listener understands, not necessarily how you feel comfortable (tap
into their self-interest) - 75% of communication is via body language and tone of voice
- Confidence
often deserts you when you need it most. Take stock of how you sound,
stand, talk, move when you are most confident and then practice so that
you can emulate those behaviours when you need to fake confidence. If
you look and sound confident, people will treat you that way — will
start a positive feedback loop - Don't forget to breathe! Slow
down, the slower you breathe, the more oxygen your system gets and it
also helps to project confidence.
Although I didn't actively volunteer for going to the front, I
admire those who took a chance and helped us learn. My question is, how
would you describe e-mail and the microwave to Rip Van Winkle who had been asleep since 1809??
- Patricia
Now it is your turn…