TALK

Talk​

​

1. Now we get to the Talk part.

Repeat after me, please.

 

Before we speak,

​

(Audience repeats. Coach steps forward.)

 

we plant our feet, 

 

(Audience repeats.)

 

we tune into our audience,

 

(Audience repeats.)

 

and then, feeling connected inside and out,

 

(Audience repeats.)

 

we simply talk.  

 

(Audience repeats.)

 

Plant. Tune. Talk.

 

(Audience repeats.)

 

2. Finally, we get to put all the pieces together.

We’re planted. 

We’re tuned. 

Can we “simply talk”

in a natural, conversational way?

We’ll use one of our favorite performance mantras. 

Repeat after me, please:

 

“It’s not about me.”

 

(Audience repeats.) 

 

“It’s all about you.”

 

(Audience repeats.)

 

The idea there is to replace self-consciousness 

with audience consciousness.

 

3. Okay, so I’ll demonstrate Plant Tune Talk and 

exaggerate my breathing so you can see.

 

(In-breath. Step forward.)

(Out-breath. Plant.)

(In-breath. Tune.)

 

“My name is _____. 

But it’s not about me. It’s all about you.” 

Then I take a power pause . . .

and step back.

 

If you want to get better at speaking, it really helps to self-assess: Did I actually . . .

• Plant?

• Did I tune in to the audience before speaking?

• Did I manage to “simply talk”? To make it conversational?

• At the end, did I remember to take a “power pause”?

 

4. You can also watch to see if your peers do all four of those steps.

 

I’ll start.

. . .

So why Plant and Tune before we Talk?

Because the body.

It can sabotage us, right?

Or synchronize us.

Over time, the feeling of connection

becomes a muscle memory,

freeing the mind to stay present and --

major bonus! -- 

remember what to say.

 

(Transition to next activity . . .)