2013 – Page 2 – The Brain Alchemist

Online communication: 12 questions to ask before you hit that ”Send” button

Communication feels like air, water and food to us. We communicate naturally and with abundance. The Internet turned communication into a buffet of ideas that we can all gorge on at any given moment, for better or for worse. How do we avoid empty information calories and excessive vicarious emotions that stimulate the brain but provide no meaningful outlet for the cultivated opinions and responses? How do we encourage communication that makes a difference and gets results?

Perhaps, taking responsibility for what we consume and share online and reflect on its usefulness and meaning can be a step in the right direction. A healthy diet for your mind is as important as a healthy diet for your body. In the words of Lama Surya Das, “If we want to simplify and deepen our lives, we must simplify and deepen our minds. When we become more centered, clear, spacious, caring, and open, there is suddenly much more room in our frenetic lives for both others and ourselves.”

Here are 12 coaching questions to explore if you want to become more aware of your online communication style and make it more effective and productive:

What is the intent behind your communication: to inform, entertain, support, motivate, inspire, reflect, understand, connect, persuade, distract, misrepresent, annoy, aggravate, vent, deflect, etc.? The intent is rarely stated but often assumed when we communicate online. You may never know what motivates other people to say certain things, but you should be clear about your own intent.
How do you want to be perceived when you communicate online?
What issues are appropriate for an email, a private message or a post and what topics are better handled via a face-to-face conversation or a phone call? If an important issue is likely to become explosive online, at what point do you pick up the phone?
How can your words be interpreted differently from what you intended?
How can you interpret what you read or hear differently?
How can you ascribe a neutral or positive intent even when you receive a seemingly negative message?
What needs to be clarified?
If you are having an online argument with someone and that person walks into the room, what would you say face to face?
What would you write if you were angry? What would be the benefits, costs and consequences of sending an angry message?
What would you write if you were calm and composed? What would be the benefits, costs and consequences of sending a balanced message?
How can you make your communication factual, positive, direct, precise and concise?
What do you want to communicate about HOW the issues are communicated? What suggestions do you have to improve communication and avoid misunderstandings?

By Anastasia Pryanikova| 2013-09-13T15:26:06+00:00 September 13th, 2013|Communication, Conflict Management|0 Comments

Navigate, tease and loop: Three ways to create anticipation when you speak

Whenever I have a few minutes in the middle of the day to enjoy a cup of coffee, I pull out my stove-top espresso maker. There is something about the slow process of filling the pot with water and freshly-ground coffee beans, setting it on a low burner and listening to the steam bubbles gurgle away. As the steam pressure pushes the water through the ground coffee into the collecting chamber, the enticing coffee aroma fills up the kitchen. The result is a strong brew, and its power is only enhanced by a few minutes of anticipation.

The brain is all about anticipation and prediction. Rituals make food and drinks taste better by increasing people’s interest and involvement. People get a boost of happiness when they plan their vacations. According to a study, anticipation increased happiness for eight weeks. Shawn Achor writes in “The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work”: “One study found that people who just thought about watching their favorite movie actually raised their endorphin levels by 27 percent.”

Not all anticipation is pleasant, however. Negative anticipation appears to play a big role in memory formation and emotional regulation. For example, the mere anticipation of a fearful situation can increase activity in two memory-forming regions of the brain, the amygdala and hippocampus, – even before the event has occurred. The increased brain activity during anticipation of negative events can make the event more memorable unless people are able to detach from their negative anticipatory emotions. Studies show that resilient brains appear to anticipate negative events by activating their emotional-control centers to control stress and calm down before the event begins.

You can use the power of anticipation as a reward to captivate brains. Be also mindful of the use of negative images as they can trigger negative anticipatory emotions. Here are three ways to add anticipation to your speech or presentation and increase your audience’s engagement.

1. Set the GPS to navigate through your talk. You want to let your audience know where you are leading them and what route you want them to take. What process, recipe, or model do you use to get your audience the results they need? What acronym or theme could you come up with to give your system a captivating and memorable name? Each step in your process will be a hallmark on you journey. Your audience should have a clear sense of where they are and what to anticipate as they navigate to the next point.

2. Tease your audience. Make an exciting promise so that your audience members are compelled to pay attention and can’t wait to hear more. Make them guess by asking an intriguing question and withholding the answer till later. Highlight the benefit of sticking around to hear your solution to their problems. Signal that they will be surprised with what they are about to hear: “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you right now…” or “Just imagine what would happen if…I will tell you what really happened…” Teasers are like juicy bites that make your audience crave more of what you have to offer.

3. Nest a story within a story. The brain always wants to complete a pattern. Once the story is over, it is filed away, and the attention is shifted to the next thing. To sustain your audience’s attention for a longer time and create anticipation, begin a story and then take a detour through another story. Close the second story first and then complete the initial story. You will create nested loops to keep your audience craving for a resolution. Think about mystery novels that gradually unfold the unknown. The only caveat is that you don’t want to make it too confusing and impossible to follow. Don’t overwhelm the working memory with facts, engage emotions instead. Loop but don’t ramble!

By Anastasia Pryanikova| 2013-08-19T15:40:52+00:00 August 19th, 2013|Brain, Communication, Public Speaking|1 Comment

How to find the right public speaking venue to magnify your message

Last week, I went to see a play at the Midtown International Theatre Festival in New York City. “The Past is Still Ahead” by Sophia Romma is about Russia’s famous poet Marina Tsvetaeva, who “revisits the tumultuously tragic and sexy events of her life – just before succumbing to ‘suicide’ at the hands of the Soviet Secret Police in 1941 while exiled in Siberia.” It was a dynamic performance that captured the creative power, vivacity and emotional turmoil of the poet as she recalled her visions of life, people, romance with some of the most prominent poets of her time, as well as the social and political devastation of Russia after the revolution.

As I was reflecting on the play, I couldn’t help but notice the influence of the space in which the play was performed. It was a small theater with just four raised rows of seats with about forty seats in total. The stage was on the same level as the floor and the first row. The walls, the ceiling and the floors were black. The decorations were set to be the house of Marina Tsvetaeva in Elabuga. A large desk where she spent much time writing occupied a prominent spot. The intimate nature of the space with its stark features drew in the audience as if they were in that house too, magnifying the impact of the words and acting.

It made me think about the effect of public speaking venues on the message. Speakers and trainers may not always have a choice since organizers often choose the venue for them. Many events take place in large auditoriums, conference rooms, or seminar rooms of hotels. However, when you create your own event, it may be useful to approach the question of space more carefully and creatively. If you plan an upcoming seminar or workshop and wonder where you should have it, here are some possible criteria to use when choosing a public speaking venue:

Size
Location
Cost
Accessibility
Proximity to public transportation
Acoustics
The level of noise outside
Internet and wiring for the AV equipment you may need
Seating arrangements
Possibility of catering and serving food and drinks
Temperature control
Lighting
Overall ambiance and comfort (colors, textures, smells, etc.)
Logistics and support.

I have been hosting a book club meetup in a local Barnes & Noble for almost four years now. While it may not be an ideal spot because it is open and can get noisy, it is also centrally located in a large mall with ample parking space. Because we are visible to other shoppers, people have stopped by to learn more about the club and some of them joined us. Newcomers find the formality of the space welcoming since we don’t look like a closed group. We have a circular arrangement of chairs that promotes good interactions. People don’t feel obligated to buy coffee or food, but they can if they want to because we are right next to a café. It doesn’t cost me anything to host the book club there, and the book store puts us on their printed and online calendar of events. In addition, we all love books, so it seems a natural place to visit.

The right public speaking venue is likely to be a product of careful research and beneficial collaboration, and it can make it easier for you to market to and attract your ideal audience. Here are some questions to consider when selecting a proper venue:

What atmosphere do you want to create for your audience?
What type of space is best aligned with your brand and your message?
How do you want your audience to feel before, during and after your presentation?
How do you want to feel in the space?
What can you bring to the venue to make it “your own”?
What will your audience members see, touch, and hear when they come in?
What will they be doing during your presentation, besides listening: working in groups, writing notes, drawing, watching a video, etc.?
What seating arrangement will support your objectives and your audience’s needs best?
How do you want your audience to move in the room from the time they arrive till the end when they may want to talk to you or among themselves or place an order?

Keeping your criteria and your needs in mind, here are some venue options to consider:

Hotels (conference rooms, seminar rooms, ballrooms, etc.)
Libraries
Churches
Government buildings that may have space available for public use
Coworking spaces
Restaurants or coffee shops that may have private rooms for meetings
Gyms
Yoga studios (may be a perfect spot for health & wellness workshops)
Stores with a theme that supports your topic (for example, book signing/reading in a book store or a wellness workshop in a health store)
Wellness centers
Dance studios
Art galleries and art studios
Theaters

What kind of venue would magnify your message? What are your favorite off-the-beaten-path spaces?

By Anastasia Pryanikova| 2013-08-02T15:21:15+00:00 August 1st, 2013|Communication, Perception, Public Speaking|0 Comments

The uncertainty and thrill of exploring mountains and minds: My travel insights from Sun Valley.

Video link: http://youtu.be/3OMRh31b0fk

I have just returned from beautiful Sun Valley, ID. A famous ski resort in the winter time, the place transforms itself as the sun starts heating up the mountains in the summer. Hiking, mountain biking, fishing, golf, and an amazing outdoor skating rink are just a few attractions that make it an ideal summer vacation spot for those who enjoy an active lifestyle and outdoors.

Last year when I was there, I went on a few hiking trails near the resort. This year, I decided to be more adventurous and explore the Bald Mountain. I chose a fairly easy trail: 5 miles of hiking up the mountain, stopping for lunch at a restaurant up there, and taking a gondola down. That was my plan.

A few hours into the hike, I somehow missed the turn to the connector that would take me to the restaurant and the gondola. Instead, I found myself on a different trail. For a while, everything seemed fine. The views were gorgeous. I was moving up the mountain on a narrow path. At one point I could see a town at the bottom of the mountain and some remnants of a forest fire. Then, all of a sudden, I saw mountain bikes coming down on the same path. It was a steep way up and an abrupt drop down, so there wasn’t really a place for me to step aside. I had to plaster myself against the mountain to let them pass me. It didn’t feel very safe. That was my first red flag. The path was curving around the mountain, and as I was marching up, I thought that maybe, after that next curve, I will finally see the gondola. But after walking around several curves, I still couldn’t see anything. A few more bikes passed me on the way down. I asked one of them about the gondola, to which he replied, “There is no gondola up there. If you keep going for 5 or 6 more miles, you will reach the summit.” At that point I realized I was on a wrong trail. So, I had to turn back and retract my steps.

On my way back, I saw the turn I missed. It was a little over a mile to the gondola. It was getting late, after 4pm, and my lunch plans were long forgotten. As I was moving along, I was wondering when the gondola would stop running. Will I have to hike all the way down after finally making it to the right spot? When I reached the gondola, I saw it was moving. I asked the man when they closed. He said, “Now.” It was 5 minutes after 5pm. I barely made it down.

It all ended well, and it was quite an adventure. I want to share with you today two insights inspired by my exploration, which are also applicable to business.

First, don’t show up as a stranger, be an explorer. Being an explorer requires some advance preparation. As speakers, teachers, and trainers, we often travel to different locations to deliver our messages. Your message may be the same wherever you go, but today, I encourage you to find your way to connect to the place and get to know it better. Think about how you can bring more local elements into your presentation to make it more relevant and exciting to your audience. Just like Sun Valley transforms itself from season to season, offering something new to its visitors, you can build a faster connection if you change your content to include local stories, illustrations, local businesses, or known personalities with local roots. The Internet makes it easy to learn about the place before you go there so take advantage of it. Read a few local newspapers. Talk to people from the area on social media. You can even include some visual hallmarks into your presentation. Show that you care about the place, its culture, and its people, and your audience will respond with more trust and enthusiasm.

Second, when you are in that “explorer” mindset, you have to be flexible and open to receive quick feedback and fine-tune your approach. Exploration offers both the inherent uncertainty and the thrill of something new and exciting. You have to balance the two. Just like I felt on that mountain, when you make a decision to take a certain path, it is so compelling to stay on it. But in a new context or uncertain situation, you have to watch for the signs. When you work with a different type of audience or in a new culture, don’t be afraid to test your new material and make adjustments as a result. When you take the risk of changing your content and offering something new – a new story or activity – you don’t always know how it will land with your audience. Don’t wait for everything to be perfect. The cost of failure grows exponentially, the longer you wait. You don’t want to hike 10 more miles only to discover that you have to spend the night on the mountain. You want to notice red flags, turn around and find a better way quickly. If you can balance the uncertainty of something new and the thrill of it, you can create a much more memorable experience for your audience.

Don’t be predictable and boring, be aware and exploring!

P.S. Getting lost in the mountain was not the only thrill I experienced in Sun Valley. I also attended a fantastic show called “Sun Valley on Ice” that featured 3-times U.S. Gold Medalist, World Bronze Medalist and twice-Olympian Johnny Weir. As a guest blogger, I shared my experience, photos and videos of the event here.

By Anastasia Pryanikova| 2013-08-21T19:32:02+00:00 July 17th, 2013|Change, Communication, Public Speaking|0 Comments

5 ways to create suspense when you speak

“There’s two people having breakfast and there’s a bomb under the table. If it explodes, that’s a surprise. But if it doesn’t…” This is how Alfred Hitchcock described suspense. According to Wikipedia, “Suspense is a feeling of pleasurable fascination and excitement mixed with apprehension, tension, and anxiety developed from an unpredictable, mysterious, and rousing source of entertainment.” You don’t have to like thrillers to experience suspense. Watch this incredible performance by dance artist Miyoko Shida for the Spanish TV program “Tú Sí Que Vales” and notice suspense in the judges’ faces.

Suspense is a coveted state that any speaker and storyteller would like to create for the audience. It is the ultimate tool of brain captivation that leaves the audience hanging on your every word, waiting to hear what happens next. How do you achieve suspense in speeches and presentations? Here are five strategies that can help:

1. Open powerfully. It takes your audience only a few seconds to decide whether they like you and want to hear more. That’s all we have to capture someone’s attention from the start. Your audience’s minds can be anywhere: thinking about what to have for lunch, compiling their grocery list, or making social media status updates. You need something powerful to snap them out of their current preoccupations and bring them with you on the journey. The World Class Speaking System recommends opening with “the Big Bang” instead of the so called “unpleasant pleasantries” that we hear so often from other presenters. The best way to create a powerful opening is to go straight into a story that can captivate the audience members and make them want to hear more.

2. Blend anticipation and uncertainty. Miyoko Shida’s performance is a spiral of anticipation when she introduces each new piece and uncertainty of whether she will be able to balance the structure. It keeps our eyes glued to the screen. In a speech, you can achieve suspense by following Alfred Hitchcock’s advice and sharing things with the audience which the characters in your story do not know and building tension as the characters uncover the truth. A common example would be a description of a study or research in a presentation where the subjects are unaware of the set-up, which is shared with the audience. The audience members approach the whole situation from the researchers’ perspective, hypothesizing certain outcomes, yet being uncertain of what they will find.

3. Let the audience experience the scene by using sensory language and compelling visuals. In movies, suspense is often achieved through the rapid change of close-ups, detail shots and music. It stimulates the sensory system of the viewers. Research shows that bizarre and grotesque images in printed ads are effective at grabbing attention because consumers take time to figure out what is happening in the pictures. They approach such images as stories or paintings. Create a sensory experience for your audience members that will fuel their brains’ urge to predict what happens next and thus will keep them engaged.

4. Escalate conflict. Every good story goes through the phases of conflict or struggle followed by a resolution. For the climax to occur, you have to build the tension. Escalate the conflict as if you were inflating a balloon almost to the point of burst. Make the characters in your story speak in dialogue. Reveal their inner ruminations and the build-up of emotions. Make the audience feel the struggle and be eager to see the resolution and change.

5. Introduce a brain jolt. A brain jolt can be any activity that surprises the brain and captures attention. You can offer a puzzle for your audience to solve, a magic trick, a captivating image to ponder, or a powerful question or quotation to reflect on. The idea is to get the audience super-focused at least for a few moments on the task at hand. These moments of concentration create a sense of flow and engagement with the content.

By Anastasia Pryanikova| 2013-06-28T18:45:38+00:00 June 28th, 2013|Communication, Public Speaking|0 Comments