Create New Vocal Habits

Our workshops explore all areas of nonverbal delivery. We've trained actors for years and can help you find your own unique dynamic style.  
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  © 2019 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

How we coach executive presence.

In our workshops we explore one major aspect of executive presence: the ability to claim space in the room or at the table. 

For each person it will look different since one important aspect of EP is being authentic.   

Central to executive presence is the ability to communicate to large or small groups. According to John Beeson, author of The Unwritten Rules: The Six Skills You Need to Get Promoted to the Executive Level, “Not only is public speaking an important executive requirement, but your ability to “stand and deliver” to an executive group or large audience is frequently viewed as an indicator of your ability to handle pressure.” 

Even if you’re communicating in smaller groups, our workshops will help you stretch into your most dynamic self.

 We help you explore your projected voice, a relaxed but strong upright posture, confident eye contact, concise but engaging stories, compelling word choices, and enthusiasm. 

Everyone can develop more executive presence.  

If you have EP you will always be more engaging and impactful when communicating with others. © 2019 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

Ray was a financial auditor with a dry sense of humor. Aside from increasing his volume and adding some gestures, Ray didn’t need to radically change his natural style. Staying true to his own personality made Ray more comfortable and also more engaging. Both introverts and extraverts can be compelling speakers. 

© 2019 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

To be a dynamic speaker, our goal is to make our audience feel smart, not to try to look smart ourselves. Listening is HARD work. Eliminating jargon, euphemisms, and abstract, vague business cliches brings an immediacy and humanity to our presentations. In our digital age, we need the simplicity of great ideas, not wordy abstractions.

© 2019 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

Be A Servant Leader Speaker

I, (Laura) talk with many people, especially fantastically talented women, who hate public speaking. "I'd rather just serve others from the back of the room," is a common lament I hear. I remind them of their great value, both in their knowledge but also in their attitude. They have the heart of a servant. It is an ideal mindset of a public speaker. Speakers who seek to serve their audience are (or learn how to be) concise, considerate, and passionate about offering a group what they need.  Remembering that our job is to serve can also help reduce the normal nervousness of public speaking.

© 2019 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

Thinking small

Advanced education teaches us to see trends and abstract ideas at a 30K feet altitude.  The trouble is, stories only connect when told from a human scale.  “Once upon a time” is meant to set us up for a particular time and place.  When we abstract, we lose our audience.  Thinking on a micro level often feels wrong to the business executives we coach, but they soon experience the force of these small stories.  Combining stories with statistics (the ultimate abstraction) is a wonderful blend.  Political speeches and closing arguments of lawyers routinely use this combo because it is powerfully effective.   

© 2019 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

Moving from fear to excitement in public speaking

When we recognize that our nervousness exists on a continuum, we can tap into the excitement also available to us when we make presentations.  This is a short post because the concept deserves our contemplation! When we have a presentation, do we consciously tap into our excitement about it

? © 2019 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

Build connection and empathy with well-told stories at work

Research with MRIs confirms what the ancients knew – stories are the best way to “hack” into our listener’s brain.  Listeners will remember a story far longer than any other type of data.  Even 1 or 2 minute stories can be effective.

Ever tune someone out because their story seemed to circle around aimlessly or include details that seemed irrelevant?  Storytelling has gotten a bad rap at work because most people don’t know how to tell their story well.  Others don’t even recognize the stories that they NEED to tell to their colleagues, customers, employees, and supervisors.   

Storytelling is an art and even our personal stories need practice.  Once we understand the necessary components we can perfect our delivery.  Telling our story at work means that we can connect with those we want to inspire, motivate, or persuade.

While there is no one way to tell a story (think of all the novels, plays, and movies you know), there are still principles we can learn to guarantee that our stories will engage our audience. 

You DO have stories that are worth telling.  Come learn how. © 2019 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

Security blanket habits

Many of us have speaking habits that are like Reggie’s toy.  We hold on to them to feel more secure.  These unconscious habits get in the way of our executive presence, i.e. our ability to take up space in the room and be heard.  There are many varieties of these “security blanket” habits -- filler words like “you know” or “um,” low volume, twisting our posture, hands in pockets, arms crossed to block the audience out, and many others.

The best public speaking training doesn’t draw attention to these unconscious defenses.  Instead, it emphasizes our natural abilities when we communicate with friends and family.  Once we understand that we each have a wonderful, natural style of communicating, we can gradually let go of our security habits.

© 2019 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

The Art of Storytelling

Jack insisted that he wasn't nervous as a speaker but he avoided making eye contact with his audience and he often read his PowerPoint.  Jack didn't think he needed a presentation class but he came to our two day workshop.  By lunchtime Jack had discovered his talent for telling stories.  Now we needed to help him trim down his message!   Jack soon learned the model of an effective story and how to determine which details to include and which to leave out.  He became a powerful presenter by the end of class.

We’ve seen many participants transform in two days.

Bring our acclaimed 2 day workshop to your location or come to our next class in November. We are conveniently located near O’Hare and the Chicago blue line.

Visit https://training4breakthroughs.com/register-4-events for more info or call 630-531-0000.

© 2019 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

Active Learning

True learning only occurs through doing.  Exceptional learning occurs through failing!  (I know this method well!)

Lasting learning occurs through reflection --as in the case of this fantastic group I helped facilitate recently. 

 2019 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

Discover the Power of Harnessing Emotions When Speaking

Emotions impact both you and your audience.  How do we move from fear to courage, from frustration to excitement and from judgment to curiosity?  Join us for our acclaimed 2 day "The Art of Dynamic Speaking" and discover new dimensions in your communication skills.

© 2019Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

Start a Positive Cycle of Speaking Experiences

Jamie was a VP at a emergency response company.  In the past she had been an effective speaker but after several bad experiences Jamie was convinced that she couldn’t speak in front of even small groups.  Her nervousness grew and she was caught in a negative cycle.  She would freeze up, forget her message, or just give up and read to her audience. 

Thankfully, Jamie decided to confront her fears.  With the encouragement of her fellow attendees, Jamie soon saw that she was a dynamic and engaging speaker.  She began to think of her nerves differently and she learned strategies for dealing with them.  She wowed the class with her final presentation.  She declared herself “cured.”

We’ve seen many students transform in two days. 

Bring our acclaimed 2 day workshop to your location or come to our next class in November.  We are conveniently located near O’Hare and the Chicago blue line. 

Visit https://training4breakthroughs.com/register-4-events for more info or call 630-531-0000.

© 2019 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

Understanding Story Structure

When creating short stories for use in the workplace, it is even more important to understand the most effective storytelling structures.

 

Once we understand the components in an effective story, we can understand what details to include or remove. We can inspire and motivate others when we tell short but powerful stories.

© 2019 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

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)