Communication – Page 9 – The Brain Alchemist

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

How keeping your distance can get you closer to what you want

“Step away from a problem,” “eyes on the horizon,” “a bird’s eye view,” “remove yourself from a situation,” “burn your bridges” – we have many expressions in English that indicate spatial and psychological distance. When we physically or mentally increase our distance from whatever we are dealing with, it changes how we perceive things and make decisions. Employing the mind trick of distance when you present or process information can result in greater impact and better decisions. This is not about distancing yourself from people, but rather finding your own “observer” or “distant self” that can help you connect better with people and ideas. Here are five ways to benefit from distance:

1. Lean back to make a task seem easier. Increasing the physical distance from a complex task also increases the psychological distance. A task seen from a greater distance appears easier. After you present a problem, try moving the whiteboard away from the audience or have the audience members change their seats to increase the distance from the spot that represents the problem. It may boost abstract thinking and creativity. Taking a break can have a similar distancing effect.

2. Be a fly on the wall. Self-distancing can help people look at a negative experience with less anger and aggression. Rather than immersing yourself in a stressful situation, switch to the role of an observer. Replaying a negative scene as if watching the events unfold from a distance and happening to the “distant” you can buffer from the negative outcomes of rumination. Role-play is another form of self-distancing that encourages different perspectives. If you are a speaker or presenter, it is helpful to think about the appropriate level of self-immersion that you want to create for your audience. A distant perspective can help the audience deal better with topics that can trigger strong emotions and aggression.

3. Use the distance to bring your points across. When you tell a story, move with purpose to create a picture of your content. The action in your story should prompt your movement. Where can you place all your characters and everything else on the stage to create a sequence of scenes in your mind? You can bring your audience into the scenes by moving purposefully as your story progresses. Your movement can also create a timeline of the past, present and future. What is the sequence of the events that occur in your story? As you describe the sequential events, you move accordingly. Remember that your audience reads the timeline from left to right, so you should do it from their perspective (backwards for you). Apparently, the future feels closer to us than the past. This reduced psychological distance may help us better prepare for future events.

4. Match the psychological distance of your message with the timing of the decision. Gergan Nenkov of the Carroll School of Management in Boston investigated the persuasiveness of messages presented to consumers at different stages of decision-making process. Consumers in a predecisional mindset were more likely to be persuaded by psychologically distant messages that focused on the future and distant others. In contrast, consumers in a postdecisional mindset who looked for ways to support and implement their decision were more likely to be persuaded by messages that talked about the present and the self.

5. Keep it cool. There is a link between cold temperatures and social distance. For example, social isolation or emotionally chilly memories can actually make people feel cold. It turns out that cooler temperatures also reduce the so called “egocentric anchoring” when people unintentionally project their own perspective onto others. So, if you want to promote mutual understanding and perspective-taking behavior, keep the room temperature cooler.

By Anastasia Pryanikova| 2013-05-22T16:17:50+00:00 May 22nd, 2013|Communication, Peak Performance, Public Speaking|0 Comments

5 ways to power up your words and ignite the brain

“All words are equal, but some words are more equal than others.”
~ George Orwell, “Animal Farm”

Words have power – some more than others. Neuroscience research sheds light on how words captivate our brains. We know that traditional language regions, like Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area, are activated when the brain interprets words. Surprisingly, however, narratives stimulate many other parts of the brain. For example, when researchers in Spain showed subjects the Spanish words for “perfume” and “coffee,” their primary olfactory cortex lit up. Similarly, words describing motion activated the motor cortex. It appears that words can cause the brain to create a vivid and real experience of whatever is described to us. Here is how you can power up your words to ignite the brains of your audience.

1. Write and speak for the senses. Whenever you describe a scene, think about the sights, sounds, smells and textures it can evoke. Close your eyes, imagine the scene and describe it in the words that appeal to all our senses. Sensory words can make your descriptions more vivid.

Be mindful of the “word aversion” phenomenon described by University of Pennsylvania linguistics professor Mark Liberman as “a feeling of intense, irrational distaste for the sound or sight of a particular word or phrase, not because its use is regarded as etymologically or logically or grammatically wrong, nor because it’s felt to be over-used or redundant or trendy or non-standard, but simply because the word itself somehow feels unpleasant or even disgusting.” Certain words – ‘moist’ being the worst offender – appear to trigger word aversion for more people.

2. Use concrete details in your descriptions. Provide enough detail for your audience members to help them visualize the scenes of your narrative, but remember that too much information can be boring. Our working memory is limited and can be easily overwhelmed with lots of detail. Don’t overuse adjectives and adverbs. While they seem to be descriptive, they are often vague.

Here is how vividly Sarah Ban Breathnach describes dreams in her book “Something More: Excavating Your Authentic Self”: “Dreams can also be like a collage, an artistic composition made up of various materials, such as paper, fabric, and wood. Our dream collages can be as illogical as snippets of conversation spoken by a woman balancing a tepee on her head as she’s chased by a pack of llamas.”

3. Compare sensory impressions. Comparisons can turn abstract concepts into something tangible that we can all relate to. You can use comparisons when you describe sounds, colors, sizes, flavors, smells, and textures. Here are some examples:

“She spoke of fruit that tasted the way sapphires look…”
~ Toni Morrison, “Paradise”

“The bed linens might just as well be ice and the clothes snow.”
~ Robert Frost, “The Witch of Coos”

4. Employ metaphors. Our brains often blend reality and symbols. Metaphors activate sensory cortical areas in the brain that process touch, hearing, and vision. Metaphors can trigger emotional responses and influence decision-making more profoundly than abstract concepts. Beware of the power of metaphors. They can either clarify an issue or mislead by triggering a visceral reaction that may overcome rational judgment. Here are some examples of metaphorical thinking:

“It’s when I’m weary of considerations,
And life is too much like a pathless wood.”
~ Robert Frost, “Birches”

“The rain came down in long knitting needles.”
~ Enid Bagnold, “National Velvet”

5. Highlight novelty, surprise, and contrast. Our brains prefer stimulation to boredom. “There are three things which the public will always clamor for, sooner or later: namely, novelty, novelty, novelty,” wrote Thomas Hood. The brain is motivated by curiosity and the search for patterns. Washington State University neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp calls this the “seeking” system of the brain. It motivates animals to search for food, and it causes human brains to seek out information, experiences, connections. When the brain is busy searching, it increases levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is responsible for the sense of purposefulness and focused attention. Interestingly, these neurons become even more excited when there is no pattern to be found or when the expected pattern is broken. Novelty fuels the brain’s urge to search. Contrast and surprise captivate the brain because they violate routine expectations and patterns. They capture attention as the brain tries to reconcile the incongruities. Here are some examples of novelty and surprise:

“The writer of originality, unless dead, is always shocking, scandalous; novelty disturbs and repels.”
~ Simone Beauvoir

“Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.”
~ George Burns

“Wear a smile and have friends; wear a scowl and have wrinkles.”
~ George Eliot

How do you power up your words to link and sync brains? When you listen, which words carry more power for you?

By Anastasia Pryanikova| 2013-05-08T14:20:56+00:00 May 8th, 2013|Attention, Communication, Public Speaking|0 Comments