High Performance Leadership Alex Caan
Who I am The Athletic Communicator The body The breath Words Body language Verbal Communication Self confidence The Power of Words
Introduction A former high jumper, I competed internationally for nearly a decade I studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art I have worked extensively in theatre and television and film I teach athletic presentation skills using a combination of sport and drama training I have coached, international sports people from a variety of sports I am the National Event Coach for High Jump My high jumpers won a silver in Beijing and a Bronze in London
The Athletic Communicator
Silent count 1-10
Being Authentic
Body Language Words Eye Movements Tone & Pitch of Your Voice Clothes Facial Expressions Above the Water Level
Below the surface Prejudice Skills and Knowledge Aspirations Fears Thoughts/feelings Status Experience Beliefs & Values Class & Background
Face to face communication Albert Mehebrian
Face to face communication Albert Mehebrian Words 7% Tonality Body language 38% 55%
Body Da Vinci Vitruvian Man 1.61 golden ratio Divine Proportion Bits that fit Wingspan = Height Forearm = Foot Sternum to Public Bone Matching Joints Ankles & Wrists Knees & Elbows Hips & Shoulders Belly button is central
Body 73% muscle and bone Motion creates emotion Muscles work in synergy 70% of our body is water, so we must be hydrated
Breath Oxygen is the most important nourishment our body needs
Breath Don t eat anything for fifty days and you will die Don t drink for five to eight days and you will die Don t breathe for three to four minutes and you will die Therefore
Breath Oxygen is the most important nourishment our body needs
Words Words are made up of two elements Vowels Consonants
Words Vowels carry emotion Consonants give meaning Combining these two things enable us to create words Arranging words, allows us to communicate using
Words Sentences
Sentences A sentence is a thought A thought is a breath, therefore: A sentence is a breath
How does it all fit together When we are children, we learn movements by practice We develop motor systems in our body by trial and error Like a child reaching for a toy We practice, achieve it, remember it So the next time we recall that movement pattern It becomes instinctive
Children are perfect We unlearn most of what Mother Nature gave us Mother Nature leaves us open to feeling pain We don t like pain so we hide from it We may hide from pain but we also hide from pleasure So we never really feel anything This closing off from feelings has an effect on our voice A baby can cry for hours and never loses its voice
Warm up Raise body temperature by one degree Best way is to stretch Every living thing stretches and warms up Look at cats and dogs Even computers warm up
Warm up-theface
Warm up-the Face
Winning routines How will you prepare for the day? What are the winning routines you can adopt? First impressions count
Five Keys to Communication 1. Motion creates emotion 2. Pitch 3. Pace 4. The fourth wall 5. The third eye
Motion Creates Emotion Sculpture Game
To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you're not, pretend you are 56
Body Language More than 50% of your message Eye contact Posture Smile - wagging tail!
2.Pitch High pitch: Nervous, unassertive Medium pitch: Sincere, confident Deep pitch: Arrogant, authoritative Pitch is vital in making speech interesting Monotone: Black and white Pitch variation: Colour Important to try and establish vocal mirroring
3.Pace Too slow Too fast Song song
Verbal communication Breath Pitch Pace Choice of words
4.The Fourth Wall Actors have an imaginary fourth wall On stage it is always broken On television, we never break it Coaches must always break it Audience Audio
5.The Third Eye Inner monologue Critical eye Voice inside your head Athletes lose the third eye the better they get It s an asset However coaches must leave at the warm up, and discuss with it on the journey home!
Stepping into the persona
Five Keys to Communication 1. Motion creates emotion 2. Pitch 3. Pace 4. The fourth wall 5. The third eye
Self confidence Break the fourth wall Banish the third eye Step into the persona
Training Do actors get nervous? Yes Do athletes get nervous? Yes So, what do we do to alleviate the nerves? We rehearse, or train Therefore, we practice I know you ve all heard that practice makes perfect Not quite Practice makes permanent Perfect practice makes perfect permanently
The Power of Words Shakespeare was a genius Greatest wordsmith of all time As you like it Jacques
The Power of Words Tony Blair Iraq speech
Tony Blair Some say the issue is Iraq. Some say it is the Middle East Peace Process. It's both. Some say it's poverty. Some say it's terrorism. It's both. I know the worry over Iraq. People accept Saddam is bad. But they fear it's being done for the wrong motives. They fear us acting alone. So the United Nations route. Let us lay down the ultimatum. Let Saddam comply with the will of the UN. So far most of you are with me. But here is the hard part. If he doesn't comply, then consider. If at this moment, having found the collective will to recognise the danger, we lose our collective will to deal with it, then we will destroy not the authority of America or Britain but of the United Nations itself. Sometimes and in particular dealing with a dictator, the only chance of peace is a readiness for war. But we need coalitions not just to deal with evil by force if necessary, but coalitions for peace, coalitions to tackle poverty, ignorance and disease. A coalition to fight terrorism and a coalition to give Africa hope. A coalition to re-build the nation of Afghanistan as strong as the coalition to defeat the Taliban. A coalition to fight the scourge of AIDS, to protect the planet from climate change every bit as powerful as the coalition for free trade, free markets and free enterprise.
Any Questions