Presentation Skills - Workshop

Today we gathered for an all day session, to discuss how to do affective presentations, with an instructor that teaches Theater Arts at Santa Clara University. Actually I hadn't bothered to figure out what this class was going to be until I sat down in the class room, and saying that I wasn't too excited is an understatement. In fact I am not a "front and center" kind of guy, and I panicked at the possibility of any "role play" scenarios. Nevertheless, I resolved to "do my best" and the class turned out to be very interesting, although I was still glad there was no "role play". Evidently, this class hasn't been provided in two or three years. I'm not sure why it hasn't occurred or why it was re-scheduled for this year, but we were told the original purpose for this class was that, "pastors wanted leaders to be more confident in doing presentations to a group".

Throughout the day we explored the answers to questions like, 'How can presentation skills be strengthened by spirituality?', 'What does it mean to speak in a clear strong voice?', 'What does it mean to creatively engage other people?', and 'What does it mean to be comfortable in our bodies?' Each person in the class was asked to write down one goal they wished to accomplish in this class, and then the instructor asked each of us to read that goal out loud. He wrote each one down on the white board and just about everyone had a different goal. Somehow he managed to cover almost every one of the goals in the course of his lecture, including those questions listed above. 'We can be confident that God is calling out our voice and that our voices are to be heard.' 'We believe our creativity connects us with the fundamental creativity of God.' 'We believe our bodies are sacred and beautiful and that they enrich the presentation.'

My goal for the class was, "How to overcome the fear of attention or of being in the spotlight?" Obviously there is no quick solution to my discomfort, but essentially I need to keep in mind that when I make a presentation God is with me. I do not need to "carry" the presentation myself, and I do not need to bear the burden of the presentation. I have to give myself permission to fail, and then simply be present at that moment and in that place. One idea that I found especially helpful was that people are, "put at ease" when the presenter "commands" the space. Another good suggestion is that the presenter should get in front of furniture etc (especially with kids) to engage the listeners. This significantly enhances the connection with the audience, although this doesn't apply to the liturgy, such as when reading from the Ambo.

Awareness of your self is 1/2 to 1/3 of the battle, but of course the question then is how do you prevent this awareness from becoming self consciousness? What are your tics? Your body expresses who you are, and what you do with your hands, arms, and legs indicates your state of nervousness in any situation. What do you do when you stand in a line at Starbucks? What do you do when you sit at a table in a restaurant? It's important not to become obsessed with "what you do", however, self consciousness is a form of reflection but it should not be obsession. Anything that "gets in the way" of the presentation is not good, and anything that does not "get in the way" of the presentation is part of your style. It was suggested that you should hold props, like a book or notes, in your weak hand (left) which will allow your strong hand (right) to gesture. Holding the prop in your strong hand creates a distraction; it "gets in the way" because you're waving it around at the audience.

Physical warm up helps us to know and relax our bodies too. Knowing the moment when you are ready to begin is very important and remember that breath is life. Few of us breathe fully, and breathing problems effect how people perceive a presentation. Don't hold your breath because it will cause rushing of the words. It's OK to use silence to "get back on track" which means it's OK to stop and think for a moment. Think of breathing as being inspired. Breathing produces our voice with the help of the vocal cords, and being heard is fundamental. Not being heard is disrespectful to the audience, because it does not allow people to understand or respond. Being heard is what people appreciate first. The non word "um" is a placeholder that is related to breathing and it and other placeholders like it should not be used; just breathe.

So what is the connection between presentation skills and spirituality? Well for example it's obvious that how you lead a prayer experience affects the quality of that experience. We are people who are (and need to be) "present to one another" even in (and maybe especially because of) this age of disembodied communication. During the day my interest was rallied because I am interested in leading Bible studies, or doing the Breaking Open of the Word for Catechumens, or being involved in the RCIA program again. I was very glad that I was offered this class, partly because (as I've said in past posts) I do not like public speaking and this was an "opportunity" to improve on something is dislike intensely.