Tension Tattlers – Which one do you have?
Last week I attended a conference where I evaluated several young speakers. When the third person rose to speak I immediately sensed an enormous amount of tension within him. The fact that he was wearing sandals allowed me to quickly spot proof of this tension: his toes!
The big and second toe of his left foot were crossed and clamped tightly together. The rest of his toes were curled under as if he was white-knuckling the ground, hanging on for dear life.
What was even more interesting is that when he returned the 3 question evaluation I had each of the young speakers fill out, he professed that while he was “excited” to speak, he a “felt completely relaxed” while speaking. What I knew is that he was holding so much physical and emotional tension that it was oozing out of him; he was a Leaker
Whether it comes out physically or vocally, tension can manifest itself in many ways. In the next two blog posts I’ll identify several ways tension reveals itself. Then we’ll explore some ways to release and redirect that energy to make your speaking even more powerful and dynamic!
The Leaker: This is the person whose tension comes out in little physical squeaks during the course of their speaking. Most times the Leaker is not only completely unaware of the physical cues they’re displaying, they think they are completely in control. This lack of awareness can signal a personal disconnect between a person’s public life and their true emotional state.
The Thrower: This person has so much nervous energy that they literally throw it around the room. Big, useless gestures that do nothing to support or illustrate their speech. This includes wild arm movements, squatting and jumping (oh, yes, it happens!) even leg kicks! They have no idea 1. how out of control they are, or 2. how to channel that energy into their speaking.
The Locker: Perhaps one of the more uncomfortable forms of tension habits for the audience, this person nearly shuts down when they get up to speak. You can feel them gird their rib cage, refuse to move, grip the podium with white knuckles. Often they refuse to look at the audience, have little to no facial expression, and very little vocal range. They have closed and locked the emotional and physical gates; nothing’s coming out and nothing’s going in.
The Expeller: One of the less obvious unless you listen for it, The Expeller releases tension by sighing. It’s often the first thing they do when beginning to speaking – which either means they had been holding their breath or not breathing deeply enought just prior to beginning; which sets a precedent throughout the speech of improper and shallow breathing.
Do you see yourself yet? If not, check back on Monday and read about The Pusher and The Twister among others!
Trackbacks