Thursday 4 March 2010

Trainer Training Day 1. Trial by microphone

After registration about 120 of us excited and anticipating participants waited to be let into the auditorium. And here we went. A real multinational and cultural mixed bunch we are. I was expecting far more Americans and was very wrong. Never assume. Participants from Canada, USA, UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Slovakia, Thailand, India, Ecuador, Hong Kong, China and several countries I have forgotten. Most noticeably are a contingent of 31 from Japan each linked up to a translator.
The morning session commenced with Richard selecting 4 demo subjects who were apprehensive or nervous about standing in front of an audience... it's all about changing what we do to ourselves before we get onto the stage.
Cue the anchor music.
Each of us then in turn had to come up onto the stage and present ourselves and to speak into a hand held microphone. I had never used a mic before let alone focus on my positioning, angle to the audience and finding the soft spot with the mic. I didn't know whether to swallow it, lick it or to spit onto it. All our efforts were recorded on our own DVDs... This first attempt was to establish a baseline. My baseline.. well I am curious to watch it at the end of the course as I have no recollection as to what I did while I was on stage.
Feedback to self... even though you are using a mic, remember to use your voice and to breathe.
To close the first day we had a few exercises with Richard... repeating words backwards to different tempos and to look at his face and to follow his finger with ours (some unconscious fun).

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