High Performance Leadership
Alex Caan
Who I am
The Athletic Communicator
The body
The breath
Words
Body language
Verbal Communication
Self confidence
The Power of Words
A former high jumper, I competed internationally for nearly a decade
I studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
I have worked extensively in theatre and television and film
I teach athletic presentation skills using a combination of sport and drama training
I have coached, international sports people from a variety of sports
I am the National Event Coach for High Jump
My high jumpers won a silver in Beijing and a Bronze in London
Introduction
The Athletic Communicator
Silent count 1-10
Being Authentic
Above the Water Level
Body Language
Words
Tone & Pitch of Your
VoiceEye
Movements
Facial
Expressions
Clothes
Below the surface
Prejudice
Fears
Skills and Knowledge
Experience
StatusThoughts/feelings
Beliefs & Values
Aspirations
Class & Background
Face to face communication – Albert Mehebrian
Body language
7%
38% 55%
Tonality
Words
Face to face communication – Albert Mehebrian
BodyDa Vinci Vitruvian Man
1.61 golden ratio
Divine Proportion
Bits that fit
Wingspan = Height
Forearm = Foot
Sternum to Public Bone
Matching Joints
Ankles & Wrists
Knees & Elbows
Hips & Shoulders
Belly button is central
73% muscle and bone
Motion creates emotion
Muscles work in synergy
70% of our body is water, so we must be hydrated
Body
Breath
Oxygen is the most important nourishment our body needs
Don’t eat anything for fifty days and you will die
Don’t drink for five to eight days and you will die
Don’t breathe for three to four minutes and you will die
Therefore…
Breath
Breath
Oxygen is the most important nourishment our body needs
Words are made up of two elements
VowelsConsonants
Words
Vowels carry emotion
Consonants give meaning
Combining these two things enable us to create words
Arranging words, allows us to communicate using
Words
Sentences
Words
A sentence is a thought
A thought is a breath, therefore:
A sentence is a breath
Sentences
When we are children, we learn movements by practice
We develop motor systems in our body by trial and error
Like a child reaching for a toy
We practice, achieve it, remember it
So the next time we recall that movement pattern
It becomes instinctive
How does it all fit together
We unlearn most of what Mother Nature gave us
Mother Nature leaves us open to feeling pain
We don’t like pain so we hide from it
We may hide from pain but we also hide from pleasure
So we never really feel anything
This closing off from feelings has an effect on our voice
A baby can cry for hours and never loses its voice
Children are perfect
Raise body temperature by one degree
Best way is to stretch
Every living thing stretches and warms up
Look at cats and dogs
Even computers warm up
Warm up
Warm up-TheFace
Warm up-The Face
How will you prepare for the day?
What are the winning routines you can adopt?
First impressions count
Winning routines
Five Keys to Communication
1. Motion creates emotion
2. Pitch
3. Pace
4. The fourth wall
5. The third eye
Sculpture Game
Motion Creates Emotion
56
“To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you're not, pretend you are”
More than 50% of your message
Eye contact
Posture
Smile - wagging tail!
Body Language
2.Pitch
High pitch: Nervous, unassertiveMedium pitch: Sincere, confidentDeep pitch: Arrogant, authoritative
Pitch is vital in making speech interesting
Monotone: Black and whitePitch variation: Colour
Important to try and establish vocal mirroring
3.Pace
Too slowToo fastSong song
Breath
Pitch
Pace
Choice of words
Verbal communication
Actors have an imaginary fourth wall
On stage it is always broken
On television, we never break it
Coaches must always break it
Audience
Audio
4.The Fourth Wall
5.The Third Eye
Inner monologue
Critical eye
Voice inside your head
Athletes lose the third eye the better they get
It’s an asset
However coaches must leave at the warm up,
and discuss with it on the journey home!
Stepping into the persona
1. Motion creates emotion
2. Pitch
3. Pace
4. The fourth wall
5. The third eye
Five Keys to Communication
Break the fourth wall
Banish the third eye
Step into the persona
Self confidence
Training
Do actors get nervous? Yes
Do athletes get nervous? Yes
So, what do we do to alleviate the nerves?
We rehearse, or train
Therefore, we practice
I know you’ve all heard that practice makes perfect
Not quite
Practice makes permanent
Perfect practice makes perfect permanently
Shakespeare was a genius
Greatest wordsmith of all time
As you like it
Jacques
The Power of Words
Tony Blair
Iraq speech
The Power of Words
Some say the issue is Iraq. Some say it is the Middle East Peace Process. It's both. Some say
it's poverty. Some say it's terrorism. It's both. I know the worry over Iraq. People accept
Saddam is bad. But they fear it's being done for the wrong motives. They fear us acting alone.
So the United Nations route. Let us lay down the ultimatum. Let Saddam comply with the
will of the UN. So far most of you are with me. But here is the hard part. If he doesn't
comply, then consider. If at this moment, having found the collective will to recognise the
danger, we lose our collective will to deal with it, then we will destroy not the authority of
America or Britain but of the United Nations itself. Sometimes and in particular dealing with
a dictator, the only chance of peace is a readiness for war. But we need coalitions not just to
deal with evil by force if necessary, but coalitions for peace, coalitions to tackle poverty,
ignorance and disease. A coalition to fight terrorism and a coalition to give Africa hope. A
coalition to re-build the nation of Afghanistan as strong as the coalition to defeat the Taliban.
A coalition to fight the scourge of AIDS, to protect the planet from climate change every bit
as powerful as the coalition for free trade, free markets and free enterprise.
Tony Blair
Any Questions