Preparation for Conversation; Find Your Comfort Zone:
Take a Deep Breath. Your whole body stretches, opens, lengthens and fills with air. A deep breath is as full-bodied as a yawn. It is very important to take several deep breathes before engaging in any [important] conversation. Practice deep breathing when you wake in the morning, before leaving for work and upon leaving work. Bringing a rush of air into your body aids in waking you up and releases tension in times of stress.
Release your abdomen: Place a hand on your abdomen, below your navel, and feel your breath rise and fall. Breathe into your hand. Most of people hold tension in our ‘bellies’. Give yourself permission to let it go. ‘Check in’ with your lower abdomen during the course of your conversation. Breathing into your ‘belly’ will release tension in you and in your interaction.
Bring awareness: to the back of your head, neck, shoulders, rib cage and pelvis. Build awareness of what it feels like to tighten and release the muscles in these areas. Let your weight drop into your hips. Bend your knees and feel all tension drop into your feet. Imagine your bare feet are touching the earth. Spread your toes and stretch the souls of your feet in your shoes. Find your neutral stance. This will literally ground you.
While Engaging in Interactions:
Release Expectation: Start every conversation fresh! When you enter any situation, maintain clear focus on what you need to get out of the conversation. Do not expect a specific outcome. Attaching to a particular flow or pattern can place you at a disadvantage. Stay present and be aware of what is actually happening. This will help in flexible and creative negotiation and navigation of the conversation. Naturally you have a desired goal. What others bring to the table, however, is out of your control. Be imaginative and focus on clear self-direction.
Adopt a practice of ‘letting go’ of past interactions. Retain the information you gathered: leave the emotion and stories behind. There is no reason to bring old dramas into new work, relationships and situations.
Be present! The moment you step into an interaction, forget how you got there, who this person reminds you of, why you were late. Direct the conversation in a manner you feel comfortable with. Take TIME and stay connected to your body! Let go of the impulse to switch to ‘auto pilot’ or over-explain any situation/ circumstance.
Practice non-Judgment: Critical thinking is imperative. Constant judging of others and yourself is distracting, stressful and a waist of your time and focus. Check in with members of the conversation using eye contact and body language. Suspend the inner dialogue in your mind that second-guesses how the conversation is going. Feel and listen to what is actually happening. KNOW AND TRUST your abilities.
Comments on this entry are closed.