Members of the Taurus team recently attended a special Professional Speakers Australia event hosted by Allan Parker OAM, a world-leading Micro Behavioural Scientist and Negotiator. Allan is an expert on neuroplasticity and specialises in negotiation, dispute management, organisational change and communication and works across APAC, Europe and the USA. A jack-of-all trades, Allan has been a pro-golfer, ultra-marathon runner and even negotiated a unanimous agreement for the United Nations across 462 delegates from 192 countries.
Allan wowed guests with a crash course in neuroplasticity and demonstrated how simple actions and gestures in presenting and public speaking can activate different parts of the brain, spark thousands of dormant neurons into action and help speakers connect with audiences in completely different ways.
Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain to adapt and change through experiences. When we learn or experience something new, our brain forms new connections between our neurons and rewires itself to adapt to new circumstances. Our brain does this automatically, however we can actively train it to do more through neuroplasticity.
Allan provided an entertaining presentation-within-a-presentation to show how each move, breath, gesture and sentence can impact how the audience engages and responds to a speaker. Here are three of his top tips for bolstering your presenting skills:
- Practice peripheral vision when presenting by extending your field of vision to its edges to have everyone in the room on your radar. This will help you feel more relaxed and connected to everyone in the room and in turn, the audience will feel more connected to you.
- You don’t need to be an extrovert to be good at public speaking. Allan is a world-leading speaker and self-professed introvert. He recommends going out of your comfort zone bit-by-bit to build confidence and comfort in being in front of audiences until it just becomes a habit.
- The brain remembers difference. To create a presentation your audience will recall and remember, think of ways to deliver it beyond the standard power point.
Allan certainly hosted an evening to remember with his energetic and interactive presentation to demonstrate which parts of our brains were being triggered by each of his actions. Guests left with an entirely new perspective on presenting and how to incorporate neuroplasticity into their future presentations and speaking engagements.