Our Presence. It’s one of the most powerful tools we have; but rarely do we actually know how to use it. We toss it around like it’s some ordinary thing… often forgetting about it; at times fighting it; and all too often, suppressing it. But in reality, it’s one of our greatest gifts. It’s the very essence of what makes us unique, and one of our most influential tools for connecting with the world around us.

So why do we have so much trouble with presence? Something supposedly so innate to us…

In short, because we feel the need to “perform.” Everyday we feel this pressure to communicate in a certain way… where everything needs to be a “story,” that makes sense, keeps people interested, and is also clear, concise, and wrapped in a bow. There’s pressure for everything we say to “have a point” or be “going somewhere;” and this pressure is the very death of presence. Because fundamentally, it asks us to be someone else — some idealized version of ourselves that doesn’t exist: A person who understands what their doing, commands a room, knows just what to say, and fundamentally “has their sh*t together.” But rarely do we give our “actual selves” a chance, considering that just maybe… it might be OK to be ourselves.

What we (at BetterMe) are here to tell you is that your greatest strength as a communicator lies not in trying to be someone else, but in embracing who you already are — your organically-opinionated, anxiously-eccentric, optimistically-unsure, authentic self. Because that’s who people truly want to hear from: Someone imperfect, but real. No amount of planning, preparation or technique can ever replace the power generated through authenticity. And that’s the goal of this experience: To help you speak from your most authentic self, because only you can.

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THE EXPERIENCE
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We aim to create a space for you to speak free from the pressure to perform. You don’t need to make sense; you don’t need to have a point; you don’t even need to be interesting… You just need to be yourself. We think this is important because this type of talk isn’t really OK in the world. Every arena of our lives is filled with the pressure to perform, and life never actually gives us the “protected space” we need to explore being ourselves. So we created it.

We will show you how to shift from a “performance-oriented” mindset, to a “connection-oriented” one, that focuses on listening and understanding, rather than performing. Because at its core, communication is about much more than the words we say: It’s about how we look at a person, how we listen & engage, our posture & attitude, rhythm, even the things we don’t say… All of these speak volumes over any word we could ever utter. So in this experience, we’ll move away from everything that’s not naturally yours, and pull from everything that is. We’ll help you tap into your own natural wit, humor, vulnerability, rhythm, logic, and style — qualities that only you possess — in “your way.” And through it all, we hope that you’ll learn how to find your “true voice.”

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WHAT YOU’LL GET
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You’ll be playing alongside 9 others, to explore a mix of speaking, listening, and presence exercises based on the principles of “Speaking Circles” (see below). Every person will be there to improve themselves and support one another along every step of this journey.

We will indeed be “speaking,” but our focus will be on “presence;” so there is no way to go wrong or mess-up. This experience will undoubtedly help you become a much stronger speaker, communicator, and connector. But we specifically hope that it helps you to:

>> Get comfortable speaking without any planning or preparation
>> Understand the Art of Listening
>> Communicate using your entire being — not just your words
>> Find power in “not knowing” — on stage, in conversation, and in life
>> Make friends with fear / anxiety…. transforming it into magnetism
>> Use vulnerability to connect with others
>> Break free from the traditional “rules of speaking”

[GROWTH AREAS]: Uncertainty / Fear of Unknown / Awareness (of Self & Others) / Connection / Listening / Public Speaking

*** [FOR MORE DETAILS VISIT]: https://trybetter.me/presence ***

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WHAT’S A SPEAKING CIRCLE?
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“Speaking Circles” is a powerful niche movement developed in the 1970’s by former standup-comedian Lee Glickstein. Glickstein originally started Speaking Circles as a way to help himself overcome stage fright and become a better public speaker. However, over time — and through the publication of his book, “Be Heard Now!” — Speakings Circles has evolved to impact people’s lives in many other ways, so far helping thousands globally to overcome fear / anxiety, build community, gain clarity, find peace, and resolve conflict. Every circle does indeed involve “speaking” in a group. But the work delves much deeper than communication technique, and instead very elegantly helps us tackle (and overcome) the inner-human forces holding us back.

Note: We encourage you to “not” research Speaking Circles online any further. Let us surprise you 🙂

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MEET YOUR MAKER: PHILIP BLAGG
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My Purpose: To help people embrace their differences, head-on; to teach them how to listen to each other compassionately — not just to speak; and to facilitate these types of relationships across diverse communities, through Speaking Circles.

My Story: Growing up in the 50’s, playing in the fields of rural-California, I always dreamed of being a truck driver or a firefighter. So far, I’ve done both and so much more, including becoming a Certified Mediator and a Licensed Speaking Circle Facilitator.

Entering this new stage of life as an “elder,” I see work differently. I see it as the chance to use the culmination of my life adventures — with all its heartache and struggle — to help others. You see, throughout my life I’ve always felt somewhat misunderstood. I’ve been in countless situations where I’ve watched my opinions be discounted or shot down. But one thing I’ve learned while chasing my dreams is how to really hear people, and to be heard myself. I want to share that experience.

As a firefighter, one of the first things I learned was to find an “anchor point” — a place that offers the most advantages to attack a wildfire from. It’s tempting to start directly at the height of the blaze; but starting at a roadside or stream instead is often much smarter, safer, and effective. I offer this metaphor because it heavily relates to the process of resolving conflict in our lives through Speaking Circles. When we find ourselves in a heated argument, where do we choose to start cooling the fire? Do we attack the roaring “head” — the issue that set us off in the first place? Or do we instead try to go deeper, listen, and really get to the root of the friction?

I find that life gives you all the lessons you need. And I think that leading Speaking Circles is work that I’ve been preparing for my entire life. Perhaps, my most important work…

*** LEARN ABOUT PHILIP: https://trybetter.me/philip ***

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BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Better Me
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We are a local Miami organization that aims to help you become your Best Self through shared, inspired experiences.

We believe our journey towards “that-person-we-hope-to-be,” doesn’t always need to be so hard. It can be fun, meaningful, and epic — if we let it. And we never need to do it alone, because there are many others like us, walking the same path.

**** TO LEARN MORE VISIT: www.trybetter.me ****