My boy Nate loves to talk, sing, make up stories — not ride his bike so much. The other day I told him if he got the technique right (tippy toes, head up, using his leg muscles), he can go faster and actually have fun with it! Yes, I used the word technique with a 5 year old. The ONLY way for Nate to ride his bike like his mates, to get off the stabilisers, is good technique; he can’t fudge it, improvise and hope for the best. He has to learn balance. Then the world is his oyster.
Most recently I have been coaching Thales, Microsoft DX team, Lloyds Bank, Market Invoice, Blackbaud. From engineers to techies to bankers, they have all discovered the only way to make an impact is to get rid of their bad presenting habits, their fudging and improvising. It’s more than how we stand, breathe, and project. It’s not about ticking the presentation skills boxes. It goes much deeper. Our voice is the most personal thing we have and the habits we form around making that work are rooted in our life experience.
My job is to put the stabilisers back on, run behind the bike, push the saddle until they are balanced and the technique is working. Then, stabilisers off, they start to discover their true voice and the world is their oyster. One client said recently “These past two days I have realised I wear masks when I talk and I need to unpeel them”, another said “Thank you for helping me believe in myself”. It’s all about vulnerability and teachability. Let’s see if Nate understands those words!
