Nervousness is Normal.

Managing the normal anxiety present in public speaking means using our nervousness to create peak performance, instead of derailing the presentation. Even professional speakers have nervousness at times. A commitment to excellence also means that we might experience stress when speaking. Join us next month to learn methods to channel our nerves into dynamic presentations.

© 2019 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

Storytelling builds trust at work

Learning to tell our own stories offers many benefits. I love flowcharts and made this one to reflect on conflicts. I've circled where business length stories are helpful. Well told stories can enhance trust and reduce conflict.

© 2019 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

Does Your Audience Look Like This When You/re Speaking?

Join us for a fantastic two day public speaking class.  Explore nonverbal behaviors -- your own and those of your audience.  

Learn dynamic techniques to keep your audience happy and engaged.















© 2019
Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

Communication loop and stories

Communication is hard under the best of circumstances. Our different life experiences determine how we "encode" and "decode" messages. Stories are a great equalizer. They help a listener understand our experience. Stories help listeners and speakers enter each other's mind.

© 2019 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

Stories are Powerful.

According to researchers Prentice and Gerrig, our brains are built to record information from stories. Neurochemist Paul Zak uses brain scans to explain the process. When we listen to the standard business presentation, the language centers of our brain light up. But we often forget this data quickly. When we hear a story, our language centers are activated but other parts of our brain that relate to our senses (sight, sound, taste, touch) also light up. This is one reason why stories are much easier to remember, more sections of our brain are listening.



© 2019 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

Stories at work

“I’m scared” said Piglet.

“A story will help” said Pooh.

“How?”

“Oh. Don’t you know? Stories make your heart grow.”

(Milne, 1979)

More from the work of Brene Brown -- What kind of Leader Are You?

Driving Perfectionism and
Fostering Fear of Failure   

Vs.

Modeling and Encouraging
Healthy Striving, Empathy,
and Self-Compassion  

No way around it. Might as well dive in. Thank you Brene Brown for your great work.

Easy to say. Hard to Do!

Brene Brown brings us to the frontier of our consciousness and where we want to stay unconscious and numb.

© 2019

What is Emotional Intelligence?

I’ve been exploring the field of emotional intelligence (EI) for a while now but still ask myself fundamental questions such as—what do I mean by Emotional Intelligence? I know some standard answers. I can spout out skills and competencies to be taught or assessed. Still, deeper questions linger.

My husband, Rick, is struggling with an angry colleague at work. “Jim” recently raised his voice at Rick, saying, “I’ll get to it!” While the words themselves were not abusive,
Jim’s angry delivery upset Rick. My husband walked away, enraged and confused. As we talked about the episode, I scoured my mind for helpful exercises. Rick could examine his thoughts and see how they led him into a habitual pattern of withdrawal from confrontations. He could look at his own “reaction cycle” and practice other responses to the often-unpredictable Jim.

We both agreed that Rick needed to stand up for himself more. Ideally, he could strongly but calmly let Jim know that his behavior was unacceptable. But, knowing Jim, and knowing the often brutal company culture, would this work or even be the best option?

Rick could fight fire with fire. He could throw back strong language and a fierce delivery. Would this be a more emotionally intelligent action under the circumstances? There are no clear-cut answers in this work (one reason I love it so much). Brutal self-honesty is necessary to help discern what is ethically responsible and emotionally intelligent.  It is the work of a lifetime.  

The good news is that we can become more "emotionally intelligent" over time.  Future posts will give ideas on how.

© 2018 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

slideshow of team building and interactive training

Sorry to see that some camera shots aren't clear.  That's because I'm rarely standing still long enough during a team building or training event to take a great photo. At least that's my excuse! But this can give an idea of the types of team building and training events I can offer with partners like the Leaders Institute and other great companies and colleges.


 © 2018 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

Haiku at work

I submitted the report by noon

per your commands --

you didn’t stipulate a smile.

Communication is complicated!  Nonverbals override verbal messages every time.  

© 2018 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

Hidden and Seen -- Shakespeare at work: lessons from the bard on emotional intelligence and communication.

2.  Hidden and Seen

HAMLET:  (to his mother the Queen) I shall in all my best obey you madam.

KING:  Why, ‘tis a loving and a fair reply.

Hamlet Act 1 scene 2

Hamlet is enraged with his mother, the Queen.  But neither his uncle, the new king, or his mother acknowledge his curt and petulant replies.  They both act as if Hamlet is content with the new realities -- a new king and royal marriage.  Are they clueless, or do they think their pretense will persuade Hamlet to accept the rapid changes? 

I’ve witnessed similar denial at the workplace.  Employees pay lip service to the new corporate directives but even a visitor like me can see their disdain.  If we ignore the tone of voice or facial expressions in a conversation we will likely miss the real message. 

HAMLET: But I have that within which passes show;

Hamlet Act 1 scene 2

Here Hamlet tells his mother that his grief is beyond what she can see.  His entire speech is a warning against judging outward appearances that can be faked.  Hamlet understands the difference between his inner truth and what he shows the world. To know our rage, fear, or sadness is one aspect of emotional intelligence.  To know how and when to express our truth is another part of EI. 

from the upcoming book  Shakespeare at work:  lessons from the bard on emotional intelligence and communication.

© Lewis-Barr  All rights reserved.

  

Empathy, discovering another person's perspective.

When we listen well and slow down, discovering another person's deeper truth can feel like a sudden shock. Just like seeing the actual color of these camels.  (Not black).

© 2018 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

Shakespeare at work: lessons from the bard on emotional intelligence and communication.

1. Thinking of Ghosts

HORATIO (speaking to the Ghost):  What art thou that usurp’st this time of night?

Hamlet Act 1 scene 1

As a corporate trainer, I visit many different companies and often sense “ghosts” in the room.  These may be the lingering effects of former bosses or even policies that bolster or torment my participants.

Even more influential are the ghosts of previous, unresolved conflicts within the organization.  Morale and learning are both affected by these ghosts that linger in the minds of my participants.  As each grapples with these ghosts, they are not fully present to our workshop or each other. 

MARCELLUS:  Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

Hamlet Act 1 scene 4

Ghosts remain when “something is rotten,” Just as Hamlet is tasked to expose hidden crimes, we too can unearth the offenses that corrupt our personal and professional lives.  Once we learn the skills to have the “difficult conversation,” we can stop procrastinating (like Hamlet) and begin the hard work of reconciliation.  We can learn the most effective ways to listen, speak, and manage our emotions.  (For suggestions on communication and emotional intelligence books and workshops see the appendix.) 

© 2018 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

EI haiku

My hardworking brain

creates your reply

even before you speak.

© 2009 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

Haiku -- EI = safety

Boss scowls across warehouse.

Electric cords wait like a snake.

I keep thoughts to myself.

© 2018 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

Haiku -- inviting us to take a breath and reflect.

Watching for the tiger

I don’t hear a word you say.

I’m ready to pounce.

  

The emotional brain is 80K times faster than the part of us that creates conversation.  

© 2018 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

Working on a new book filled with short meditations, images, and graphs like this.

© 2018 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved