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Grounding
Finding Confidence in Your Body
There are two physical skills that are most crucial to effective public speaking: grounding and breathing. They’re the first two things I look for, whenever I evaluate a speaker. If he doesn’t have his feet on the ground, or if she isn’t breathing, everything else suffers.
Gerda Alexander, a 20th century bodywork practitioner, once said, “Security is greatly connected to feeling your bone structure.” That might sound strange, but think about it this way. By feeling your capacity to support yourself at a physical level, you sense your potential to “support” yourself at other levels: mentally, emotionally, socially, and even professionally. Confidence is not an abstract "something" we have no way of grasping. Confidence, as a feeling, already exists in your body.
This explains why people feel stronger and more confident, just by feeling their feet on the ground. It's a simple strategy yielding significant benefits. A client once told me, "I had a difficult conversation with my boss last week, so I made sure I could feel both feet on the ground, and I was surprised how strong I felt in that interaction." Being grounded connects you to your surroundings, keeps you present, and that increases confidence.
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