Now we turn to a new subject, as these three components of the Visual, the Vocal, and the Verbal — “The 3 V’s” — represent the 3 pillars which hold up what we might describe as the temple of communication.
Bearing in mind that the impact of a person’s gestures and sounds carry far more meaning than the words alone, let us do an exercise right now in the privacy of your own space. I encourage you to make a simple specific statement and deliberately practice saying it and doing it “all wrong.”
This is an opportunity for you to give yourself permission to do all the things you normally feel self-conscious about in speaking out loud, yet this time to exaggerate in “Monty Pythonesque” style the very patterns you’ve felt most embarrassed and uncomfortable about, up until now.
Therefore, if you have a tendency to talk too fast, not look in someone’s eyes, turn away from your audience, muffle your speech, here is an opportunity to exaggerate these habits. Really let yourself go in turning what was once unconscious into a conscious ridiculous dramatisation. Allow yourself to get down and have fabulous fun with this!
Indeed, the ‘velocity of ridiculosity’ has its own rewards, especially in giving you practice ‘thinking on your feet’ and trusting your inner impulses and deepest knowing — from this place, the spontaneity of your movements, voice tones and words is fully freely flowing.
Go ahead now, say out loud these verbal words: “It’s easy for me to reach you with my message.”
Now, let’s pretend for a moment. Picture someone out there who you’d like to approve of your work. It’s easy to imagine how, in making an effort and trying so hard to give that person a favourable expression of us, we almost automatically forget to stay in our centre and Authentic Presence.
Do you do that sometimes? Of course you do — we all do! So, at this particular moment, picture that person in front of you and do it all wrong. The words again are: “It’s easy for me to reach you with my message.” Ready? Go!
We only need to do that once. Now let’s try a slightly different approach. Take one of your hands and place it at the base of your spine.
Now, send the sound and the intention as though it were a spear down the centre of your spine towards the centre of the earth.
In other words, the sound will go down and in, rather than the old tendency to try hard to impress people outside of ourselves and sending the sound up and out. Ready? “It’s easy for me to reach you with my message.”
Go ahead, say it: “It’s easy for me to reach you with my message.”
And if you want to go a bit deeper into the experience, once again place a hand on the base of your spine, sinking into your knees and your pelvis, sinking into the earth, directing your sound down and in instead of up and out. Go ahead.
“It’s easy for me to reach you with my message.”
What did you notice? There was likely to be an ‘Ah Ha’, a revelation or realisation about the difference between reaching out with your message and reaching yourself first. Yes?
You might have the sense that your voice came from your gut. And if that were the case, what greater access did that give you to your gut feelings, your primal instincts, your deepest intuition, as you spoke from this place of deepest knowing. Was there a warmth in your belly as you spoke, and an accompanying depth of resonance of sound? Recognise that you were speaking from a deeper sense of authority that you once allowed before.
Open the door! Remember what you’ve come here for.