#Powerplace workshops
My #powerplace workshops came to life at the request of my readers. Before that, like many others working in front of cameras, I had been conducting public performance workshops for corporations and individuals.
During those workshops I was struck by the fact that the hype of being a "superhero" and waking up the "giant", present in popular guidebooks (mostly American ones), not only does not help my clients become more communicative, but straight on blocks them. It laces them up in an artificial corset, deprives of their authenticity, freedom, and sense of humor, without which, in my opinion, there is no way to succeed in front of any auditorium, even in one’s own kitchen or living room.
Pretending to be stronger than we really are, desperate attempts to control our body language, wearing clothes that artificially emphasize our "position", forcing ourselves to perform unnatural gestures – it’s all a theatrical play that consumes most of the energy that can be used to communicate effectively. Listening, joking, looking for a common plane with the interlocutor/s. It is no coincidence that Polish television and radio studios are full of people who, instead of talking, are screaming and insulting each other, and Polish corporate meetings and presentations are usually terribly boring.
That is why I decided to go back to basics when working with my clients. Back to what really makes us feel so uneasy, miserable, and uninteresting, when we are about to face the audience, carry out an important dispute, or even... effectively negotiate something within our own family! Why, instead of presenting all of our adult power, we behave, talk, and often even cringe like a cowed child. Exactly: a child... I’ve been through this. No media training or coaching could have helped me. What did help me were years of psychotherapy, meditation practice, and yoga. I’ve effectively learned how to stop sending my inner child to fight my own battles. Instead of practicing my body posture, voice, and hand gestures (the infamous hand-pyramid :)) – I’ve started training myself in simply being a calm adult person. It turned out that you do not have to play somebody else, pretend to be a giant or a superhero. When we believe in our competence of an adult, experienced person – we start being convincing. As simple as that.
