CAREER
n’t mean it in its commonly used, derogatory sense, sug- gesting arrogance or pomposity, but was in fact speaking quite literally: to be full up with your “self ”, with who you are, not diluted or diminished or faded but expan- sively you.
Key Ingredients for Confidence
• Preparation and practise
• Connectedness and presence • Taking up space
When I heard him say it, I immediately understood what he meant. It was what I had perceived as a child in the characters I read about - that fullness, unapologetically present and alive.
Now that’s real confidence. It’s organic, it has integrity, it’s natural. It’s how we are as children. And it starts small. With breath. Breathe fully, expand to the full capacity of your lungs, not the short, shallow breaths snatched on your commute, but into the muscles and between the ribs, front, side and back, just as they were made to be used. There’s space in there that you might be unfamiliar with. There’s space around your body too, between your limbs, above your head, behind your back, underneath your feet, waiting to be stretched into, space that’s yours to take up. To stand in or do star jumps in! And there’s range in your voice. It might feel tight because it hasn’t been stretched for a while, but it remembers the whispered jokes, the ani- mal groans from a good massage, the screams from hair- raising roller coasters and the commanding tone when you bring your dog to heel. Owning your capacity, that is real confidence. Confidence to take up space, when there isn’t a stage to carve it out for you or lights to show peo- ple where to look, is a prize catch, worthy of our patience.
The Pitch Process design bespoke workshops for employees and larger groups as well as individual coaching plans for one-to-one clients. Laura Hanna is an actress, coach and co-founder of The Pitch Process alongside her colleague Peta Cornish. Professionally trained actors, they specialise in helping people communicate clearly and confidently in every sphere of life. Look out for their upcoming Autumn Workshops Harness Confidence & Deliver Dynamic Presentations, information at
www.thepitchprocess.com/services with 25% off for FOCUS members (quote ‘FOCUS’ when booking). Find out more at
www.thepitchprocess.com, where you can also follow their blog. Contact:
info@thepitchprocess.com; Follow: Twitter and Instagram @thepitchprocess; Facebook at
www.facebook.com/thepitchprocess.
www.focus-info.org
FOCUS The Magazine 33
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