Many participants in our Power of Presence course ask us how they can get that perfect poker face; a face that shows no emotion, a blank expression.
I often reply that it’s not so much about not showing any emotion, but that it’s much more effective to give yourself a ‘reset’ and react from a neutral balanced starting point. Because once you are grounded and aligned, you will be able to make the choices you want to make in any situation; especially the difficult and stressful ones!
So, when that tough negotiation or tense conversation gets you riled up or stressed, instead of going for a poker face, why not try to first ground, grow and breath so that you can take optimal decisions? And then it will be your decision whether to show emotion or not.
Instead of bursting out in anger, or aloofness, wouldn’t it be great to center yourself and then react in a much more effective way? You wouldn’t feel that lingering thought “Why did I let my emotions get the better of me?”
The Toolbox
The Toolbox, our tool we’ve developed to achieve a centered starting point, is an easy and highly effective way to become aware of – and manage your emotions. In addition, it will increase your social awareness and relationship management. In other words, you’ll also increase your emotional intelligence (EI). Emotional Intelligence has proven to not only increase your income, but is the main determinant of one’s job performance. By increasing your EI, you will remain calmer under pressure, resolve conflict more effectively, and put more consideration into business decisions. (for more info on EI see Travis Bradberry’s Emotional Intelligence 2.0 Talentsmart publishing)
This ‘reset’ button or neutral point is achieved by four simple yet highly effective steps, and has multiple benefits such as building a healthy posture, and moving with ease and grace. It gives you stability and mobility. It helps you to listen to yourself and others, to have courage and to make effective decisions. But you need to practice it many times in order to be able to use it when you need it. Only by frequent practice, can it be used under stressful circumstances, to balance yourself quickly without having to retreat from what you were doing. The great thing is that you can practice this toolbox anywhere, during any activity.