Articles
The Gift of Stage Fright
We come into this world as fully expressive bundles of divine energy, but as relational beings we need our divinity mirrored back in order for us to fulfill our unique expression on earth. After our physiological and safety needs are met, our need for belonging...
Let Your Mind Breathe
A few days ago I heard a radio ad for a cable TV service that trumpeted peace of mind as the promise. "And isn't it all about peace of mind?" were the closing words. In the next two days I heard "peace of mind" twice more, in ads for a bank and for a car. The phrase...
Attune Your Instrument
I just saw "Whiplash," the 2014 movie that won a Best Actor Oscar for J.K. Simmons as an abusive jazz music teacher. Beyond the unremitting cruelty, I was struck by the precision of the minute adjustments required by professional musicians to keep their instrument in...
The Pleasure of Being Seen
In previous columns I've cited brain research that sheds light on the transformational impact of the Relational Presence practice we do at Speaking Circles, an approach that may be considered the lazy person's guide to dissolving stage fright with groups and in...
Healing Stage Fright: Attune Your Nervous System
Nervous system resilience--or regulation--is our ability to stay engaged and present, to stay in our bodies and avoid unhealthy fight, flight or freeze when confronted by potentially triggering stimuli in the environment. Nearly everyone has experienced the stress of...
How to Slow Down Time When Speaking
"It would be an advantage for anyone to make everything appear to move in slow motion. It would give you time to analyze the situation and the actions of everyone and everything around you. It gives you extra time to determine your actions in a pressure situation....
Essential Elements: Essence Appreciation
Essence Appreciation is a simple expression of an appreciated essential quality of a person provided as positive feedback. In Speaking Circles, listeners are encouraged to provide Essence Appreciation at the end of a speaker’s turn. Essence Appreciation is the...
Essential Elements: Breathing
Breathing in the context of Speaking Circles practice refers to the act of consciously paying attention to one’s breath and of deliberately taking full breaths at various points during an act of public speaking, expression, or silent receptivity. In Speaking Circles,...
Speaking Circles®
Learn how to move through stage fright rather than trying to mask it by sharing who you really are.