Just Be Yourself: Authenticity and Presentation Style

One client approached me during a workshop and asked, "Terry, you are telling me to demonstrate more power and authority with greater volume AND you are telling me to be authentic. That feels like a contradiction to me. Can you help me with that?"

Having heard variations of this question over the years, I felt that I had a breakthrough in articulating my meaning that particular day.  I asked him, "If the desire to demonstrate greater power comes from deep inside you, and the realization of that in your style requires that you change, what could be more authentic than that?"

The question that I put to clients and to workshop participants is not, "What is your style?" as "What do you want your style to be?" Not, "Who are you?" but "Who do you want to be?"

Recently, I was introduced to Carol Dweck’s book, "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success".  I recommend it very highly. Dweck is a psychologist who has taught both at Columbia and Stanford Universities.

Her central thesis is that there are 2 basic mindsets that people operate from:

• The Fixed Mindset
• The Growth Mindset

For more on how mindset relates to communication style click here >>

Below, Carol Dweck speaks about The Fixed and Growth Mindsets.