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Voice, confidence & presentation coaching with Alan Mars

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Alan Mars has taught voice-work, singing and Alexander Technique both privately and at many top London drama and music schools , including the Arts Educational Drama School, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Royal College of Music, since 1982.

He has taught Alexander Technique and presentation skills within many top British and international companies (including: Abbey National, General Electric, Sainsbury’s, Lloyds of London and many other)since 1992.

After 22 years of teaching in London he now also teaches in Brighton & Hove and offers courses and personal coaching across the UK.

For more information please go to his website http://www.thetechnique.co.uk/index.htm
A list of workshops in London, Brighton and Hove is available here http://presentationskillslondon.wordpress.com/

http://alphainventions.com/

Confidence Tricks, Voice & Presentation Skills in London with Alan Mars

Voice, confidence & presentation coaching with Alan Mars

Reliable confidence is based on the repeated practice of surprisingly simple procedures. Experience Alive Relaxation, Energy & Flow during presentations, meetings or any challenging situations. Individual coaching within a group setting.
Sunday 21st June, 12.00 – 5.00pm, £55  
Movingartsbase, 134 Liverpool Road, Islington, London, N1 1LA

Contact  & Booking Information please click here

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hainventions.com/

London and Brighton Confidence Boosting skills workshops

Voice, confidence & presentation coaching with Alan Mars

London singing lessons
Brighton Hove singing lessons
LIBERATING VOICE & CONFIDENCE FOR PERFORMANCE

Most singers experience some anxiety at the prospect of performing or auditioning. For some the nerves can be completely debilitating. Celtic harp player and traditional singer Alan Mars suggests some simple methods for transforming stress and anxiety into confidence and excitement.

The techniques are drawn from the author’s extended training in singing, Alexander Technique, NLP and presentation skills training

NERVE ENDINGS & THE RING OF CONFIDENCE

The performing world is full of remedies for nerves, from the lucky rabbits foot (not so lucky for the rabbit perhaps) to Luciano Pavarotti’s gracefully flourished handkerchief! Ultimately, the luckiest charm you have is a harmonious relationship between mind, body and voice.

A little adrenaline can be the fuel that turns a merely adequate performance into an exhilarating experience for both singer and audience. But what can you do if you have rehearsed your material thoroughly and you still feel the kind of anxiety that turns performance into panic?

THE “OUR SONG” PHENOMENON
Many couples have experienced the phenomenon of “our song”. During the courting phase they had a favourite song. Hearing that song, even decades later, can bring the feelings, images and sounds associated with that time flooding back.

Similarly, for many people, the mere thought of performing in public can spark off feelings of confidence and resourcefulness or terror and abject misery. Does the name Pavlov ring a bell? The trick, of course, is to have your very best experiences of confidence and competence powerfully associated with the thought of the venue within which you are going to perform. How is this done? Nothing could be simpler!

LIBERATING YOUR BODY AND YOUR VOICE- IN REHEARSAL!
EXPERIMENT 1) Vocalising from restriction
Think of a time when you were feeling a bit pressured and restricted. Remember this as fully as possible… what you were seeing around you, what you were hearing and also what you were feeling… Stay fully in this state for a while longer.
Now look around the room, does it look any less bright or any less friendly than before? Now walk around the room. Do you feel taller or shorter? Do you feel wider or narrower? What size does your “personal space” seem to be (indicate with your hands)? Is your walking lighter or heavier?
Vocalise an ah sound. Sing a line or two of a song. How easy or difficult was it to vocalise?

EXPERIMENT 2) Vocalising from ease
Move around the room and stretch to dissipate the effects of the last experiment.
Remember a time when you felt “on top of the world”. Recall and relive this experience… what you were seeing, hearing and feeling…. stay fully in this state a while longer and allow yourself to take two or three easy, deep breaths with the emphasis on the outbreath. Allow this feeling to spread through your entire body…..
Look around the room again. Is it any brighter or friendlier now? Walk around the room. Do you feel shorter or taller? Narrower or wider? How large is your “personal space” now? Is your walking heavier or lighter?
Vocalise an ah sound. Sing a little. Notice how your voice feels and sounds different from the first experiment.

You have just taken the first step in freeing your body and liberating your voice! Which of the two states would you prefer to perform in?

The above experiment demonstrates that, as far as our muscles are concerned, the difference between thinking about a particular event and actually doing it is only a matter of degree.
When I run performance workshops many participants tell me that the room looks more friendly and welcoming after doing the second part of this exercise. This reminds me of the old cartoon series “The Gambols”. One of the characters, George, is portrayed in a variety of moods as he responds to the ups and downs of life. When life is going badly there is a grey or black cloud above his head. This is accompanied by an appropriately sagging posture.
When George is on a high, there is a puffy white cloud above his head or a kind of halo radiating light. This is accompanied by a confident posture, bright eyes and a smile. What this demonstrates so well, as many cartoons do, is that the state we are in at any given moment affects the way that we respond to the pressures of daily life- including any performance activity.
Many cartoons also seem to express the belief that the cartoon characters (and by implication, ourselves) are at the mercy of circumstances. It is possible, however, to stabilise your best physical, mental and emotional states, so that you approach performances with a peak performance state literally at your fingertips…

THE RING OF CONFIDENCE
Fully recall and re-live a focused and easy state by seeing , hearing and feeling it again. As you begin to slide into your focused state, gently link the tips of your forefinger and thumb together. Keep your fingers linked for 10 to 15 seconds. You are now beginning to link or “anchor” your resourceful state to your fingertips.
Once is not enough? Strengthen and reinforce your anchor by repeating the above process three times.
Simply linking your thumb and forefinger will now be sufficient stimulus to take you the critical first few steps into your confident and focused state- a very useful thing to do when waiting for your turn in a competition.

“…I use certain tricks that make me feel more secure. Everybody knows about my white handkerchief, which I used in my first concert in Missouri in 1973, in case I started to perspire… I feel much better if I have it out there with me. It has a function but it’s also for good luck.”
Luciano Pavarotti- My Life

VISUAL ANCHORS
Many different concert halls and audition rooms share similar characteristics e.g. exit signs, furniture, instruments of different types etc.
Get yourself into a resourceful state by using the fingertip “ring of confidence”. As your state changes visualise the furniture, the instruments and the general room layout. Repeat three times.
This will help you to anchor your most confident states to the appropriate context. If you can do this “live” in the venue, before you perform, so much the better.

EVOCATIVE ODOURS
Smells are very powerful. The smell of apple [1] blossom, for example, can virtually transport some people back to childhood, playing in an orchard.
Radio 4 recently reviewed techniques that help actors overcome stage fright. The performer first creates a state of poised relaxation and then sniffs a handkerchief impregnated with aromatherapy oils that encourage even deeper calmness and focus. They then strategically place the handkerchief on their costume just before they go on stage. The odour of the aromatherapy oils then triggers the state of poised relaxation. So there may be more to Pavarotti’s handkerchief than meets the eye!
Imagine your favourite aroma. Breathe it in gently and deeply and let it go with a whispered ah sound. Anchor your peak state to this aroma. Use this technique before performing.

DRIVING THE CAR
Instead of getting into the car and immediately rushing off to do battle with the rest of the traffic…

Pause and place your attention in your physical centre of gravity (just below your belt buckle); extend a strong positive feeling to the world around you; adjust your driving seat; your mirrors; keys in the ignition and your hands on the steering wheel.

This will anchor the touch of the steering wheel to a safer driving state and will ensure that you arrive at work, the interview, the sales appointment etc. in a happier and more efficient state!

POSITIVE FEELINGS
This is perhaps the simplest and most powerful self-management technique of them all. Radiate a strong positive feeling from the core of your self. Cast the “net” of your positive feeling over the whole venue including your audience.

BUT I STILL FEEL NERVOUS!

The point of anchoring is not to stop butterflies in the stomach- the point is to get the butterflies to fly in formation. Adrenaline can give you the critical edge that takes you over the threshold into performance excellence. Adrenaline means that you care.

The attitude behind anchoring, I believe, is of greater importance than any anchoring exercise itself. When I ask people about this they say it is to do with a quality of self belief- “I have a choice”; “I have control over my response patterns” ; “I can learn from all situations.” etc.

REACHING HARMONY- THE INTEGRATED ANCHOR
Much of what is written above is drawn from the field of sports psychology (national and local sports teams please take note!) and, more recently, from the field of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)- a study of, amongst other things, the structure of excellent performance.
Our best and easiest performances happen when conscious and unconscious are working in harmony. This is like watching two excellent dance partners waltzing. They make it all look and feel oh so easy and flowing. But as you look at them you realize that such skill required repetition, communication and time.
After a while your peak performance states become the new normal- you are no longer walking in the foothills, you are becoming acclimatised to the higher slopes. The higher slopes allow you to glimpse unknown and perhaps unsuspected lands of mental, physical and vocal excellence…

http://alphainventions.com/

Semi-supine Alexander Technique active resting position

The semi-supine active resting position gives optimum support to your whole back – and to your spine in particular Alexander Technique teachers recommend it as a daily practice. Do it once a day if possible for up to twenty minutes. As well as easing your posture it is particularly calming and centering. Youtube video clips, picture and written instructions are below…

It only requires a firm and warm surface, such as a blanket on the floor, and a few paperback books to serve as a headrest. It will help you to let go of excessive muscular tension in your body as a whole. It allows your torso to widen and your spine to release into its optimum resting length. It eases and reduces pressure on the inter-vertebral discs by placing the spine in a position of maximum mechanical support.

Most people need somewhere between 1 – 3 inches of books underneath the back of the skull. The head-rest encourages release in the muscles that join the back of the neck to the base of your skull. It should be neither too high (or your chin will compress your throat) nor too low (or your chin will stick up in the air). This gives maximum support to your spine. Your feet are flat on the floor, knees pointing up to the ceiling about shoulder-width apart and your hands can rest gently on your torso. It’s the ideal pre-cursor to some voice-work. No wonder my ex-drama students continue to practice it daily decades after being introduced to it!

Over the next ten minutes or so you will simply develop your relationship to the floor and head rest… Imagine the four ‘corners’ of your back–head, shoulders and tail bone– spreading and lengthening and widening away from each other and on to the floor. Let go of trying and forcing. Let it be effortless. Leave it up to gravity and muscular release. Look at the video several times to get a general idea of how to get into the semi-supine position. The main thing to remember about getting into the semi-supine position is to do it mindfully, quite slowly and with awareness. The same thing goes for returning to your feet again. I’ll go into a bit more detail in future postings.

http://alphainventions.com/
http://thetechnique.co.uk/
http://alexandervoiceworks.com/
http://twitter.com/AlexTechVoice
http://celtic-cadences.blog.co.uk/

http://alphainventions.com/

Semi-supine Alexander Technique active resting position

Presentation Skills, Golf and Singing! Confidence Tricks 9

Voice, confidence & presentation coaching with Alan Mars

The following article is by Richard who works in the banking industry. I’m hoping we are going to receive more contributions from him in 2009…

 

I have always had a ‘problem’ talking to groups of people. I knew I was effective talking in one to one situations but never had the confidence to speak in Group situations. What would occur is that I would either undertake lots of planning so that I had an ‘overbusy’ script or I would just note down headings. But in each case, when the time actually came to deliver it, I would freeze and I would just want to get through the presentation as quickly as possible-either rushing through the notes or missing out entire areas completely.

 I recently heard an old colleague of mine give a 2hr presentation virtually without a note and shortly afterwards I also listened to another chap by the name of Adrian Gilpin who did much the same thing. They both intrigued me-I kept asking myself, why can they talk in front of a large group of people apparently without notes and I can’t?

 I made a point of bumping into my colleague who I hadn’t seen for 20 years and after congratulating him, I politely enquired how he managed to produce such a talk, effortlessly and so fluently without notes to which he replied ‘he had all the thoughts and knowledge but it was a question of getting them out in the right order’.

 This just stuck in the back of my mind and I really didn’t think much more about it until earlier in the year when I started a new job. Part of the role was talking to groups of people-some I knew, others I didn’t.

 I had undertaken Presentation skills training courses in various guises in the past whereby they had taught the basics of presentation but they never really covered the issue of confidence-the confidence to actually get up and just do it. I always had to be cajoled into it.

 My first presentation was an unmitigated disaster-I had ‘over-prepared’ in terms of notes and ‘under prepared’ in terms of delivery. In every presentation, there is the singer and the song. I had a well written song-but couldn’t sing it. The next couple of presentations were slightly better but I was never comfortable and I really had to push myself to do them. I knew that I had to do something positive about it.

 I did some searching on the web for the Alexander Technique and came across Alan Mars website and got in touch with him. I explained in our first telephone conversation how I would get nervous before a presentation and then ‘bottle’ it and he explained how adrenalin affects the body and he said there were techniques (tools as he called them) that I could use that would help me take control of these situations. This seemed to make sense because I likened it to playing golf. When I first learned to play, I would just walk up to the ball and hit it and sure enough it would go anywhere-probably anywhere but straight! After a period I learned a set up routine and I now have to go through that procedure before hitting every ball…feet, posture, hands and grip etc. Alan recalled a story of a client, a Solicitor, whom he had taught to sing but who also was helped with his golf game by using Alan’s skills. I said I was interested in meeting him and having an initial session but that he would not get me singing!

 At our first meeting Alan did some ‘centering’ with me, he got me reciting a poem, he taught me how to control my breathing and lastly to start using my voice. This last thing is interesting because he had me humming which I would not have done openly before our meeting. What was more unusual was that his colleague turned up towards the end of the session and I was humming in front of her and also reciting a poem. At the end of the session he said I should go carefully as I might be feeling a little ‘high’.

 The next few days were unbelievable-I practised using my voice at every opportunity and I noticed that people started to listen to me more than they had done previously. I had been working on a new Presentation and I was able to finish off preparing it very quickly and then deliver it without notes-talking without eermms and aarrhs for 15/20 minutes.

 Something else that changed was that I had a sudden surge in confidence. I am an average golfer (handicap 18) and that weekend following the visit to Alan I had put my name down for a club competition and had been paired with the Assistant Pro against the Captain and the Club Pro. Under normal circumstances, I should have been quaking in my boots but I wasn’t-I was quietly confident that as long as I maintained positive state of mind, I could match these players and use my shots wisely.

 Standing on the first, I felt on top of the world as I smashed the ball down the middle of the fairway, then chipped on and 2 putted for a par to take the first hole. This sort of form followed the next few holes and by the 5^th the Captain was a bag of nerves and I knew he had blown it mentally. I also knew that the Pro, who had been a Pro all his life was a different kettle of fish and it would take more than this to wear him down. Shortly afterwards, I overheard him mutter ‘he is fallible’ after I mis-hit one of my fairway shots…but that was a rarity.

 It was ‘tit for tat’ and this went on until I won the 15^th with a Par to go 1 up on the stroke index 2 hole. We halved the 16^th and so should have set ourselves up for the win but a lapse in concentration meant we lost the 17^th and then disaster, we also lost the 18^th to lose the match by 1 hole.

 Afterwards I could see the relief on the Captains face who was still trying to recover his composure and the Pro was most complimentary about my game and blamed the Assistant Pro for not closing out the game when we had had the opportunity.

 Having discovered my voice from just one session, I am now seriously contemplating asking Alan to teach me to sing.

http://alphainventions.com

Sir Walter Scott on Adversity – quote

“It’s a matter of ABC: When we encounter ADVERSITY, we react by thinking about it. Our thoughts rapidly congeal into BELIEFS. These beliefs may become so habitual we don’t even realize we have them unless we stop to focus on them. And they don’t just sit there idly; they have CONSEQUENCES. The beliefs are the direct cause of what we feel and what we do next. They can spell the difference between dejection and giving up, on the one hand, and well-being and constructive action on the other. The first step is to see the connection between adversity, belief, and consequence. The second step is to see how the ABCs operate every day in your own life.”  Sir Walter Scott

“Belief is a matter of customary muscle tension” F. M. Alexander

 The second quote is by F M Alexander, the originator, of the Alexander Technique. It was considered to be quite a provocative statement in the 1930s. Some people have suggested that he said it in order to shock. Walter Carrington, however, believed that he was perfectly serious about it because he, F M Alexander, equated belief with fixation. In Alexander’s experience a rigidity of mind corresponded to a rigidity of body. (Walter Carrington on the Alexander Technique in discussion with Sean Carey, 1986, p.45f)

Voice, confidence & presentation coaching with Alan Mars

I love the above quote by Sir Walter Scott – it’s so modern! As a little experiment try putting the key words into Google and see what you come up with. You might find quite a few modern versions of “ABC” out there but, to my mind, none of them quite as succinct and pithy as Sir Walter Scott’s.
Try buying into the two quotes. Decide to treat them “as if” they were true. Believe that by changing your muscular reaction to adversity you will also change, for the better, the consequences that arise from adversity.
How can you change your muscular reactions? How can you weaken the hold of a limiting belief? I’m sure there are many possibilities… including, perhaps, dipping into the preceding pages of this blog.

alan.mars@yahoo.co.uk

Alexander Technique photo album

Courses in London, Brighton & Hove

Memory and Centering

“If only I could remember my words then I would be composed” is a complaint that many of us could identify with.

My friend and mentor, Robin Prior, has suggested that the following is a more constructive approach “If only I could be more composed then I would remember my words.”

Have you had the experience of struggling to convey your thoughts on a subject that you know thoroughly? This could range from a total blanking of your mind to finding that you are simply not articulating your thoughts with the accustomed ease.

Adrenaline, the fight/flight hormone, tends to dampen our usual thinking and memory processes. Its job, after all, is to drive us to take physical action. Have you noticed how fast you can move when a speeding car is accelerating toward you? Logical, serial thinking is too slow in this context. It could, literally, be the death of you.

So the most important factor is to moderate your adrenaline flow and turns fear into a buzz, into a pleasant excitement. How? Please see the previous posts, Confidence Tricks 1 – 4.

You do, of course, need to practise what you want to say. It’s important to remember that memory isn’t just psychological – it’s physiological also. So, if you are going to be addressing an audience of 200 it won’t help you if you practice your speech slumped in an easy chair with your feet up in the mantelpiece! At the very least you’ll need to practice your speech whilst standing upright. Preferably standing upright centred, with your weight nicely distributed and a good wide sense of space.

It’s nice, but not essential, if you can practice in the actual venue. If you can’t get into the venue you can always visualise, pretend, that you are practising in it.*

In summary – you link your words and thoughts with a balanced and centred physiology. You link your words and thoughts with the appropriate presentation environment – either physically or in your imagination.

This simple approach can really quieten down your cognitive processes and clear your mind for action. Not only will you be able to articulate your thoughts fluidly you may also find that you are thinking more creatively. You might… surprise yourself… and find that… you know more… than you even suspected… you knew.

* I’ll say more about visualisation and mental rehearsal in a future post.

alan.mars@yahoo.co.uk

http://thetechnique.co.uk/

The cast of final term drama students are reciting in unison. At least that is the idea. The sound is flat and ragged. Stressed or disengaged expressions are plain to see on the performers faces. Strain and slump in the postures. Tomorrow is an important evening for everyone’s future. An audience of theatrical agents. Careers could be made… or fizzle out before they start. You can almost see the thought bubbles – “Why do final rehearsals so often end up like this?”

What is happening here? Anxiety? Yes, in varying degrees from person to person. Tiredness and a feeling of not being quite equal to the task? The final term has been a long haul. Conflict of priorities? Time devoted to the ensemble piece is time subtracted from the all important solo slot. Despite the fact that the ensemble pieces are like the rich dark velvet that shows off the individual pieces of jewellery to best effect.

What to do? A good old fashioned motivational speech and then push on? It can work wonders… but not today, not now. The director decides – now is the time for pausing. For regrouping and redirecting the considerable individual and collective resources of the cast.

“Alright everyone! Take five!” A collective sigh of relief. Pursuit of other, small but important, goals ensues. A visit to the ladies or gents. A quick call on the mobile. Smokers huddle at the main entrance. Catch up on some gossip. Some are resting in the Alexander semi-supine position. Some sits and thinks. And some just sits.

We all have an actual need for distraction. A need to place attention elsewhere periodically. Too much work and not enough play etc.

“O.K. everyone, let’s get going again!”

Do they dive straight into the unison speech? No.

For the next ten minutes the students separate out into pairs. One of the students, the tester, starts to gently push the other student, the testee, who becomes wobbly and loses balance. After a short pause the testee places their hand briefly over their lower abdomen and then, returning their hand to their side, stands in a neutral posture. The tester begins to gently push again. This time the testee is stable and not only confidently balanced but looking calmer and more collected.

After swapping roles and repeating the same procedure the attitude in the cast is calmer, more powerful and motivation is high. Unison descends on the cast – the collective voice, like peeling bells, is now bright, clear and resonant.

The performance the following evening, both the ensemble and the individual pieces, is a resounding success. Students get agents and take the next step of their career.

alan.mars@yahoo.co.uk

http://thetechnique.co.uk/

Festina Lente – Hasten Slowly

A potential student approaches a famous Japanese sword master asking for instruction.

The student asks how long it will take for him to achieve mastery in swordwork…

“It will take ten years for you to become competent in the basic skills” the master replied.

“What if I study twice as hard?” the student asks eagerly.

“Then it will take you twenty years!”

“And if I study three times as hard?”

“Thirty years! A pupil in such a hurry learns slowly.”

“No! You may not call me a “Confidence Guru!” Absolutely not!” – Alan.

“But “Guru” is an extremely respectable term in media circles!” – Television producer.

“That’s as may be but my fellow regulars at the Red Lion will take the… will mock me mercilessly if they hear!” – Alan

“How about “Confidence Coach” then?” – television producer.

“Ok” sigh…

“Ok then” sigh… “Let me introduce you to the “datees” in the Green Room”

I’d been asked by a television production company to help coach some members of the public for live television. It was a dating programme. Interestingly most of the participants were in their late forties or early fifties. The usual participants were in their teens and twenties.

The “datees” would say a bit about their life, their loves, hates and hobbies directly to camera. We sat at a cocktail bar where everyone had to deliver a chat-up line and come up with an appropriate and, hopefully, humorous response. And, oh yes, we all had to strut our stuff down the catwalk (steady tiger!)Nerve wracking, of course, especially if you are not used to being in the limelight.

I taught the participants some basic centering techniques. I’ll say a bit more about the background to some of these techniques in the near future:

• Place your attention in your centre of gravity – just a few inches below your navel.
• Distribute your body weight evenly onto the ground
• Maintain wide vision and wide shoulders
• Balance your head easily on top of your spine

In the end we only had time to rehearse one or two things. The participants could sense the potential of the techniques however. And this seemed to really motivate them to simply have fun in front of the camera. A virtuous cycle?

Not everyone got a date. But everyone had fun. What is it about that wonderful mixture of relaxation and excitement that seems to make the world sparkle with possibility?

One woman who was really quite shy and reserved in the Green Room absolutely blossomed on camera. She demonstrated a golf swing, her hobby, to the camera and very shortly thereafter an eligible gent phoned in with a request to get know her better!

The two interviewers were impressed. How come a group of men and women in their late forties and early fifties could be such fun on camera? Why were they so much less inhibited than the usual “datees” in their teens and twenties?

The centering techniques certainly seemed to help. Is it true that wisdom that comes with increasing maturity? And, perhaps, the ability not to take yourself too seriously? If so then it’s good news for all of us!

The interviewers were also somewhat sceptical. Couldn’t these acting techniques stop people from simply being themselves?

I simply quoted Shakespeare “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players”

And I might have added – we often end up playing a part that is unsatisfying and unsuitable. A part that someone else wrote for us. These centering techniques can give us the flexibility, courage and motivation to try out new behaviours. Not all of the techniques will be suitable all of the time. Some of them will be entirely suitable but may take a little time to get used to. Some of them will be absolutely bang-on or, as the old sherry advert used to say, “One instinctively knows when something is right!” and we will take to them like the proverbial duck to water.

PS I’ll be running an introduction to Confidence Tricks at the NLP One day conference on April 19th.

PPS Many of the centering techniques I teach come originally from my training in Ki-Aikido. They’ve grown and adapted with me. Here is a link for my old sparring partner Charles Harris. We did our yellow belt grading together more years ago than I care to remember. He is chief instructor now for one of the biggest Ki-Aikido clubs in London.

alan.mars@yahoo.co.uk

http://thetechnique.co.uk/