Perfect communication and confident presence in all areas of life: That is the key to success. And most of the time, it's just small screws that you need to turn to move a big wheel. "One is born as a draft of a human and must make sure to turn it into a real human." (André Heller) The basis is the science of rhetoric, the art of speech, which developed over 2000 years ago with the introduction of democracy in ancient Greece. An essential part was not only the presentation and communication of what was said - equally important to the ancient Greeks was the appearance and representation of the speaker. "Speech is the art of arousing belief," says the famous Aristotle. And even more significantly, Socrates notes: "Speak, so that I may see you." In today's words, one could perhaps formulate: "We never only have an impact with what we say, but always also with what we are." At this point, however, a warning: Rhetoric also includes an ethical component, it involves responsibility. The sole effect of the speaker as the basis for forming an opinion is only of minor sustainability. Unfortunately, many training approaches focus on the brief moment of the appearance and mainly teach techniques to master this moment, in other words: to sell oneself as well as possible. Often forgotten in this process is that there is always an aftermath. After a speech, a presentation, or a business meeting, there is continued contact with the recipient. It would be disastrous if they were to realize that they were persuaded with "tricks" or "rhetorical subtleties" to things they actually did not want. Therefore, my coaching is committed to a rhetoric whose goal, in addition to appropriate representation, is a responsible presence. Because: Only a personality that is appreciated and respected in the long term by the viewer or listener can have long-term success. To successfully manage an appearance, it is necessary to realistically assess your own abilities and personal impact. This will prevent you from becoming insecure in the face of unexpected reactions from the audience and will give you self-assurance. At the same time, this will have a positive impact on your future appearances. The prerequisite: You know the aspects that make a successful appearance. A communication relationship between you and your audience - your conversation partner - is established from the very first moment of your appearance! Now, everything depends on shaping this relationship positively and successfully. What does that mean? A positive relationship is characterized by values such as sympathy, sovereignty, presence, credibility, and competence. But how do you become likable, sovereign, and present, authentic, and competent? Your personal impact is determined by a whole range of factors. They can be divided as follows:
- the nonverbal expression: visual aspects such as body language or clothing,
- the paraverbal expression: auditory aspects such as voice, emphasis, or sentence structure,
- the verbal expression: the information you communicate orally.
Feigned, insincere behavior is easily recognized and quickly exposed even by laypeople. Body language, tone, and voice are reliable indicators of fear, insecurity, aggressions, arrogance, or ignorance. But also of: sovereignty, presence, and authenticity. Perfect communication means: Statement and nonverbal signals are synchronous, they match. Therefore, it is important to master and automate relevant aspects of body language and auditory aspects so that they become second nature to you in the end. Only then can you fully focus on your content, your speech, on listening and thinking, and effectively convey your valuable messages.
