What is it?
Our ‘Butterfly Labs’ consist of a series of media available to individuals who are nervous, and want to improve their spoken communication. We provide exercises for breathing and posture which will help with nerves. We help with how to connect with audiences and have easier conversations in person or on the phone. We know that the workplace will put demands on you and how you engage with people. We help you grow your confidence in the first steps of your career.
Why the name?
We like to be visual, and sometimes it is good to be a bit surprising and unexpected. And so we thought that imagining your nerves as butterflies was a good image, and treating them in ‘labs’ was a new and unexpected. And what will we do with your butterflies? Free them? Kill them! Direct them into positive vibes? Well, we’ll give you a range of solutions.
Taking it further
Please enjoy the free media content. If you are an employer, looking to offer confidence building sessions with employees who are reluctant to pick up the phone, then we will gladly deliver face to face workshops which might help.
Stress and Anxiety when Presenting
This video looks at why your body and your mind reacts to stress and the anxiety that comes with thinking that you might say something stupid. We identify the brain’s coping strategies, and find better habits for good presentations.
Standing in neutral (for presence)
We all think we can breathe correctly. But where you take in your breath can make a big difference. Filling your breath from the chest has profoundly different effects on you than breathing from the belly. Richard guides you on how to breathe in a way that makes you calm and grounded.
Breathing Right
Richard helps us understand how to stand properly in order to have good presence, and set your voice. The is more to it than you might think! Did you know that there is a connection between tension in your ankles with tension in your neck? This presentation will help.
Power Posing
This presentation looks at the relationship between how we stand and how we feel, and the benefits of striking a strong pose in order to improve our confidence.
Headlining
In this video James talks about the art of Headlining. This simply means thinking of your presentation like a newspaper, and working out what your headlines are. Headlines help orientate the listener, and they provide opportunities for using a contrasting tone. This raises the energy in the room and draws the listener in. Clear headlines support speakers to land key points and reducing anxiety about getting lost and failing to make an impact.
The comfort of having rules in communication
One source of nerves can be that we don’t understand what is expected of us in a conversation. We have developed lots of rules for many types of conversations. The rules make it easy and comforting for us to participate. Not knowing the rules can be stressful. But following the rules can make us sound dull and cliched. This video, along with the next one, explores some simple ideas about when to follow rules (and when to consider breaking them).
Breaking the rules and avoiding cliché
This video (following on from the last one) reviews whether you might break away from following the normal rules or conventions that apply to certain conversation types, and be a little different. People who communicate differently, and unexpectedly take a risk which either makes others uncomfortable, or they cut through and make an impact. Listen for more thoughts.
Enquiries
You can book me directly, or please see
below for my trusted partner organisations