Molly Turner 
– and Molly. Thanks for tuning into Longitude Sound Bytes Extra, where Jaena and I share observations and highlights of the latest Longitude Sound Bytes series. Jeana, I can’t wait to “present” today’s episode with our listeners.

 

Jaena
Very witty, Molly. I definitely spent some time thinking about my own presence on our first Extra episode we recorded last month. So I particularly enjoyed and learned a lot from the series number eight of the Longitude Sound Bytes.

Molly
Yeah, it’s been really great to test out this kind of conversational recap format with these Extra episodes, and now we’re going to have another shot at it, and we can’t wait to share our reflections and kind of summary of the great episodes of the series.

Jaena
I completely agree. I just want to reiterate how proud I am of these Extra episodes. Thanks to Ipek for reaching out and connecting me and Molly together. I couldn’t stop listening to it, Molly, I was just so proud. I just want to give a quick shout out that it is Molly who does the editing on this podcast that you’re hearing right now. It’s a bit more of a mayhem than what you might hear. I felt more nervous than I’d like to admit to you last time, but also mostly, my tongue kept tripping over my new orthodontic aligners I got put in. However, I will stop negatively evaluating myself now so I can be “present.”

Molly
Witty, as well, Jaena! Plus, I see you’re already using some tips Professor Janet Rarick shared with Longitude fellow Shvetali in the first episode of the Presence series.

Janet Rarick
Creating presence is a dynamic process, where you choose to open up your attention to the here and now. It is important to let go of judgment and critical thought. Evaluating yourself or others takes you right out of the present moment.

Jaena
For any listeners intrigued by this process of creating presence, Janet beautifully narrates you through an exploration of the present in Episode 61. Molly, can I safely presume you’ve had to have some experience with the Alexander Technique as a musician?

Molly
I have had quite a bit of experience with the Alexander Technique. And I’ve actually worked with Janet while I was at Rice in some group settings. Alexander Technique is a kind of overarching philosophy, and one of the core tenants has to do with presence. And in her episode, she explores some of those introductory things about just noticing your weight in the chair, noticing the sounds around you, and how you feel in your space. And that can really bring you to the present moment, which is great for musicians, actors. and dancers, which the Alexander Technique was initially designed for. But it’s great for anyone because we all sit as humans. We all walk around as humans. And so that’s what Janet was talking about there.

Jaena
That’s a great point you bring up there, Molly. I feel like I’ve been sitting around a lot during this current time, especially finding myself constantly immersed in the virtual world for work, school, volunteering, you name it, even my social life. But surprisingly, one’s presence can leave a resounding impact, or lack of it, on the internet, as Fatmanur and Zehra share in Episode 64.

Fatmanur Erdogan
In today’s world, having a presence is perhaps one of the most critical success factors. Consider this. With the rise of technology and digital tools, there are so many more people competing for your attention, that unless you have a presence, it is tough for you to be heard.

Molly
Thankfully, Fatmanur also shares three ways to develop a presence with us, even in the rising competition to be heard. Her foremost point is that we should all have a worldview of our own by fostering confidence in our thoughts and work, the better our presence will become. But I think building confidence is always easier said than done, Jaena. How do you build confidence?

Jaena
That is a great question, Molly. And I think I actually utilize many different methods to build my confidence. However, these two points always seem to be present, the first being: trying to stay true to myself. Now, while that sounds philosophical and fancy, it’s mainly because that’s where I feel the most productive and efficient, since there’s no extra step filtering through my thoughts or actions to fit certain perceptions or expectations. Actually, I really love this idea of authenticity that Karen and Priya talk about in Episode 62.

Priya Prasad
To me, the word presence means being authentic, giving off that vibe so that others around you form an impression of you that matches your true self.

Molly
This totally relates to the music and performing arts world too because every single time we get on stage or do a rehearsal, we’re just so transparent about our feelings for the music and our own experiences, and how that comes through the music.  What was that second point you were talking about when building confidence, Jaena?

Jaena
Practice is a really big one for me. I’m sure that’s a familiar term to you, and to athletes and students studying, to all of us, but I dedicate time and energy to familiarize myself on the topic I’m aiming to build competence around. So for example, as a flutist, I aim to be able to play through any flute repertoire from memory, standing on a chair, balancing on one leg, and with my eyes closed, before I feel confident enough to perform those works in public.

Molly
Jaena and I are a little biased, because we’re both coming from a performing arts background. But it doesn’t matter if you’re on stage, or making an important pitch for your company, or running a huge race. The versatility of presence and how we prepare for presence is worth noting,

Ato Boldon
I’m sure that everybody’s preparation methods were different. For me, I can tell you that my confidence came from my preparation. And that’s why I’ve had success as a coach because the same way I used to be about my own scholastic life and my own athletic life, it’s exactly what I pass on to my athletes now. It matters because it’s the one thing that I know that I can count on. If you have had great practices, you’re going to be fine.

Jaena
You mentioned the versatility of presence, Molly, and Ato and Maddie couldn’t agree with you more in Episode 66. I’m also so happy Ato talks about incorporating preparation in a multitude of fields because presence itself can be exemplified in a number of ways as well.

Molly
And to share our last highlight of the Presence series, Episode 63, featuring President Jim and Jesse, it perfectly sums up the applicability and importance of presence for everyone in the room, from students, to Olympic athletes to even the president of IBM.

Jim Whitehurst
And I’ll take one example though I think there are a lot of different circumstances where we can think about as leaders how we model behaviors. The CEO who is an extraordinary person was scribbling notes, and scribbling notes and scribbling notes and asking questions. And after he left, we were continuing the conversation and one of the bankers says yeah, that was really extraordinary to see him scribbling notes. And I was used to him doing that. So I said, Well, what do you mean by that? And he said, you know, most senior leaders aren’t willing to take notes like that, because that conveys there are things they don’t know or things that they need to write down to remember. And, you know, I reflected on that and thought, well, that’s kind of crazy because we’re all trying to learn things.

Molly
Jim’s impactful story of the Delta CEO taking notes in a meeting following 9/11 shows us a simple yet resounding example of one’s presence impacting others in the room. Something even as simple as just taking notes is a great reminder to us all that we can take control of our own presence and the way it affects the people around us.

Jaena
This takes us to the conclusion of the second Longitude Sound Bytes Extra episode. Molly and I hope that we’ve highlighted the versatility and multiple forms of presence, and how it can present itself in our lives. And to remind you that the Presence series is full of exercises shared by our guest speakers and Longitude fellows that you can try in the comfort of your own home.

Molly
Thank you for joining us today.

Jaena
And we can’t wait for you to tune into the next series of Longitude Sound Bytes: Optimism!

 

 

I am Sharon Zou, Longitude fellow from Boston University, and today I will be presenting a sound byte by Ian Garrett, an associate professor at York University in Canada. He will be speaking to us about the need for the presence and practice of artistic forms in our society today.

My name is Ian Garrett. I live in Toronto, in Ontario, Canada.

I wear a few different hats. I am director of an organization called the Center for Sustainable practice in the arts. I’m an associate professor at York University where I teach ecological design for performance, and I’m the producer for mixed reality production company called Toaster Lab.

The thought that comes back to me a lot, especially in these strange times, is in regards to the importance of creativity, art and culture, to our society. My work revolves around the idea that the arts are a central part of what will lead to sustainable societies. I do a lot of work in theater and I am attached to this idea that comes out of or I know it to come out of Yuval Harari’s “Sapiens” (referring to this book: https://www.ynharari.com/book/sapiens-2/), which is the idea that all of civilization is made up.

It’s a performance. And as a performance, I think, conversely, that we can use performance or use many creative practices in imagining what we would like civilization to be, if we’re making it up. Our performances, whether or not they’re literally theater or something else, are ways of us modeling how we would want the world to be and how we would like to see it as much as it reflects what we do see. And so they give us an opportunity to reimagine what we would like society to become.

And I think that this is also important because the work that I do shows that the arts have important social impacts, environmental impacts, and economic impacts, especially in terms of local communities, and in terms of individual and community identity. And in terms of bringing people together, and sharing experiences that also share the impacts that we have both positive and negative. And so what this work has shown is that if we put the investment, but take away the agenda, put the investment into artists and art making, for anybody who might be an artist, that this creative practice can function as a driver of sustainable societies. That we can achieve sustainability, not just through our approaches to a metric reduction of carbon emissions, which are important, but also to the way that we articulate what we would like society to be and our shared values through creative practice.

And I think that we’ve lost a lot of our ability to think about that as it’s hard to commodify the arts. So in a market economy, it’s hard to articulate its value. And each of those different parts of it that I mentioned, have different ways of expressing a value.

Whether or not it’s about us individually, or the way that it impacts, you know, local businesses, or the way that it impacts the way that we come together as a community, and bond together and create social cohesion that allows us to feel responsible for each other. All of those things have different values that it’s hard to exchange between each of those and it’s hard to then also put a monetary value on it. So I think that’s part of what has created the peripheral idea of the arts as a leisure time activity. But I think that for the adaptations that we need in the world, they’re going to be something that we need to be in back to the center.

Sharon Zou, Longitude fellow, Boston University:

I am Rachel Carlton, Longitude fellow from Rice University, and today I will be presenting a sound byte by Lori Schiff, an Alexander Technique teacher from the Juilliard School, and she will be speaking to us about presence and learning to be fully conscious in the present moment.

Among the things that fascinate me, in this performing arts world and in life, is this quality we call presence. Presence is that fascinating “it” energy that’s so engaging and attractive and magnetic. But what is it? The performer on stage or in film or the speaker in a lecture, who somehow is speaking directly and only to you, but also to everyone else, that person or living being that draws your attention by being themselves, that being has presence, a light, and magnetism. How do they do that? Their own level of engagement and whatever they’re doing is so pure, so genuine, that there’s no mind-chatter interfering with their attention. We’ve all experienced or witnessed this quality, of when a conscious being is enthralled, totally focused. They have presence, they are present. My parrot, when breaking apart a nutshell to get the nut out, is completely present in that moment and action. Yet, if something happens, a sudden loud noise or quick movement nearby, he’s immediately alert to his surroundings and he’s ready to fly. He’s present and he’s open. There’s an open, even vulnerable, quality to someone who’s fully present. Through learning to be at ease and conscious in yourself, through yourself, you learn presence. Choose to be quiet in yourself. Stillness and calm allow you to listen and to observe and to be. By learning consciousness throughout yourself. You can quiet the normal in the extra anxieties that prevent you from being fully present, with others or in life. Our reactions to our own self doubts and inner voices can be paused. Set aside when we stay connected to others through wonder and curiosity. We become increasingly present in the world when we let interest, and curiosity, and amazement, lead our attention. Try it. Remember a time when you were completely involved and occupied with an activity or interest of yours, playing a sport or an instrument. Where were your fears and neuroses? Somewhere else, most likely. Choose to be present in yourself. Feel your contact with the ground, sense your feet on the floor or your other contact points with the chair or while lying down. Things you are literally in touch with. Connect consciously to your environment. Look around. Let sights and sounds and smells come in. You become present and open and then interconnected. Others will sense this and take note. They will.

Rachel Carlton, Longitude fellow, Rice University:

I am Longitude fellow Maddie Turner from Rice University, and today I will be presenting a sound byte by Ato Boldon, a four-time Olympic medalist in track and field, the lead track and field analyst at NBC sports, and a professional coach. He will be speaking to us about the source of his confidence, and the value of consistent practice and preparation.

I’m sure that everybody’s preparation methods are different. For me, I can tell you that my confidence came from my preparation. So, in the same way that if you have a big exam, and you’re studying for the exam, and it has gone flawlessly. Maybe you have great study partners. Maybe you’ve been laser focused, no distractions, no drama with your girlfriend or whatever. You step into that examination room and you’re like, “It doesn’t matter what they throw at me. I’m ready.” That is exactly what it feels like when you step to the line, when you know you’re ready for a race.

I was a college senior, as a UCLA senior, at age 22 in Atlanta, in 1996, for the Olympic final. You could not have told me that I was not going to win that race that night. And it’s not because of anything else other than I could not have prepared better. No, I didn’t win the race, but in terms of the preparation and where does my confidence come from? My confidence comes from my preparation. And that’s the way I coach, we have to ramp up your preparation and you have to have your best month of practice leading into your biggest race ever. And that’s why I’ve had success as a coach because the same way I used to be about my own scholastic life and my own athletic life is exactly what I pass on to my athletes now in theirs, because it’s the one thing that I know that I can count on. If you have had great practices, you’re going to be fine.

It goes back to Kobe and being in the gym at 3am. He’s in the gym at 3am, shooting a hundred shots or whatever crazy story we’ve heard about Kobe, not for the hundred, it’s so that when he’s called on to take that shot to win the title, with time expiring on the clock, that his body is so dialed in to making that shot, fatigued or not, making that shot under pressure or making that shot with two hands in his face that it becomes second nature. And that’s the life of an Olympian. You have to train so rigorously, that at the moment of truth, your body is not flustered at all because your body goes, “Yeah, we went through training, this is easier than training. This is just one shot. I’ve already made 200 of them.”

Maddie Turner, Longitude fellow, Rice University:

I am Mayra Zamudio, Longitude fellow from the University of Houston. And today I will be presenting a sound byte by Maria Guerrero, a business analyst in the technology consulting sector at Deloitte. She will be speaking to us about presence and figuring out what it is we’re truly interested in, through her experience towards her consulting career.

Mayra Zamudio, Longitude fellow, University of Houston:

I am Longitude Fellow, Zehra Karakilic, from Tilburg University, and today I will presenting a sound byte by Fatmanur Erdogan, managing partner at IPPA Communications, and she will be speaking to us about the importance of developing a presence, and the impact it can have on one’s career and how it opens up new doors in your work.

 

Zehra Karakilic, Longitude fellow, Tilburg University:

Hey, everybody, I want to spend a couple minutes talking about the importance of modeling behaviors. And I’ll take one example that I think there are a lot of different circumstances where we can think about as leaders, how we model behaviors.

At IBM right now, as we think about the cultural elements that we’re injecting into, you know, kind of the future of IBM, one of the things we talked about as leaders is how do we model a set of behaviors that kind of help set the tone that others follow. And I was reflecting back on a story I was recently telling about  when I was at Delta, we were getting into financial trouble after 9/11. And we had bankers coming in and giving us advice. And I remember one meeting, in particular, the CEO was in there, I was in there with a few others. And we had some advisors and bankers telling us, you know, kind of their thoughts about next steps and what we should do. And the CEO, who is an extraordinary person and an extraordinarily accomplished person, was scribbling notes, and scribbling notes, and scribbling notes and asking questions. And after he left, we were continuing the conversation, getting into more detail, and one of the banker says, “That was really extraordinary to see him scribbling notes.” And I was used to him doing that so I said, “What do you mean by that?” And he said, “You know, most senior leaders aren’t willing to take notes like that because that conveys there are things they don’t know, or things that they need to write down to remember.” And, you know, I reflected on that and thought, “Well, that’s kind of crazy because we’re all trying to learn things.” But I do think that’s something that a lot of leaders don’t do, or don’t want to convey that they don’t know things. And so I’ve really started taking that up after that and I found, you know, whether it’s in client meetings or other situations, people later on even remark, “Hey, you really cared, because you were sitting there taking notes.” And (a) I really find that it’s valuable, but (b) I do think that is a physical manifestation that you care about what someone is saying. So as a behavior, when we say as leaders we want to be open to feedback, we want to have a growth mindset, we want to learn from others. You know, it’s a small visual cue that not only helps you but I think importantly helps set the tone that you are listening, that you do care what people are saying. And if that’s a kind of an attribute that you can build more broadly into your team, you’re going a long way towards building the context that allows people to do their best work.

So just a thought of something to try. There are some people want to use an iPad or notepads. There are a lot of different ways to think about taking notes, but I encourage you to think about that as one small behavior that not only helps you be more effective, but does help set a tone for a team that, you know, dialogue is important and that you really do care what people are saying. Anyway, hope that helps. Talk to you again soon.

[To hear more of Jim’s views on culture and open leadership subscribe to his newsletter, “An Open Conversation with Jim”]  

Jesse Annan van der Meulen, Longitude fellow, Rice University:

Leaders, in whatever context that may be, not only carry a responsibility for a specific function but they also serve as an example, a guidance. Therefore, the things they do and the things they communicate to others often serve as an inspiration. The example that Jim gives about CEOs taking notes is a wonderful projection of how leaders can show their presence and engagement, while also taking a more vulnerable stance. Taking notes is not only beneficial to our own understanding of something, it conveys a message to others. It shows someone your interest, and your willingness to understand and listen, and it is perhaps even a sign of gratitude for the person you are listening to. Of course, taking notes is just one of many modelling behaviours that leaders can exhibit, but I particularly like this example because it is easy to implement and something we can all try out without much hassle.

When someone takes notes in a meeting it is only a sign of strength and being open-minded, it also shows that a person is present in the moment. After all, it is pretty hard to lose focus and think about the next thing you’re going to eat whilst taking notes.

I hope that this concept of taking notes will become more prevalent in different environments. How wonderful would it be if we all showed our appreciation for what everyone else was saying, simply by taking notes. Let’s not forget to draw the line between formal and informal conversations though. I’m not exactly waiting for my next date to bring a notebook.

Hi there, my name is Priya Prasad. I live in Morristown, New Jersey and I’m counsel at Exxon Mobil Corp.

To me, the word presence means being authentic, giving off that vibe so that others around you form an impression of you that matches your true self. In some cases, we have time to practice and perfect our presence, such as before a big presentation or speech. But in most cases, we meet people every single day in casual settings and don’t have an opportunity to rehearse every interaction. In the next few minutes, I want to share some stories on how I try to be authentic, as well as a few tools and techniques I’ve used.

I’m currently pursuing an MBA at Columbia University, and an exercise I did in my first semester leadership class is something that I encourage others to do to have a good grasp of what it means to be your true self.

– Take some time to jot down five to eight values that are important to you. You can use a dictionary definition of a value or whatever definition comes to your mind.

– Draw values tree by ranking these values in order of most concrete at the root trunk of the tree to most abstract and your highest value at the tip of the tree. You can draw branches to connect related values. The idea being that everything at the bottom leads up to the top.

– Jot down this tree on an index card and keep it in your wallet.

Anytime you need to make a decision whether it’s personal or work, ask yourself, “Is this decision in line with my values?” Now over time, your values will be ingrained, so you don’t have to keep referring to the index card, but this simple exercise is a great way to gut check yourself. You can do this exercise every few years to redraw the tree. But generally studies show that your values tend to remain constant once you’re in your 30’s, unless you have a major traumatic life event. Now, I’ll admit when I first did this exercise in class, I didn’t see the value, no pun intended. But having to face several work and life decisions over the last six months, I found myself constantly referring back to how each major, and sometimes even each minor, project I take on or hobby I dive into or time I spend aligns with my values, mainly my highest value.

Now, besides being true to yourself, what can you do and what have I done to help give off that true self to others? In smaller settings, I tried to make a conscious effort to maintain constant eye contact to genuinely be interested in getting to know others and how their day is going, and actively listening and responding about others rather than just waiting for someone to finish and talk about myself.

To prepare for being in larger settings, I’ve recently watched YouTube videos of speakers who I personally think have a great presence, and two I want to espouse are former President Barack Obama or Dr. Bernie Brown. From body language to voice modulation, there are a lot of other things that can be learned and modified with practice. But that being said, make sure adjustments to your style don’t deviate from your authentic self. If you start implementing drastic changes to your speaking mannerisms and hand gestures that don’t feel natural, this whole exercise may become draining. More importantly, you may have a hard time mimicking this behavior in smaller more casual settings. And then having two different types of presence; one in smaller and one in larger will confuse both others and confuse yourself.

All in all, be true to yourself. First, find out what that means to you through exercises like looking into your values. Then use videos and books to compliment and improve your techniques for displaying and espousing presence. As they say, make sure you do you.

Karen Martinez Perez, Longitude fellow, Rice University:

I admire how Priya emphasizes the importance of reflecting on our values. I recently participated in a career development week during which we also spent some time trying to discern what characteristics we valued. Personally, faith, gratitude, and love are some of the most important values to me. Because of these values, I want to help others achieve their potential. I am a person who believes people deserve to feel like they matter. I think that I may try Priya’s index card suggestion to help guide my career path as I navigate through the opportunities available to me. Regarding Priya’s advice on presenting yourself in smaller settings, I agree. By indicating your engagement in the conversation, not only does the speaker feel listened to, but it furthers your connection with them, increasing comfortability overall. And when your comfortability is increased, you can relax and talk freely with each other, helping reveal your true selves. Additionally, I find that sometimes copying other people’s mechanisms at first can help with my confidence in larger settings as Priya discussed. Eventually, with practice or with time, I adjust those mannerisms to feel more natural to my style. I think that through Priya’s advice, the person that we want to be and the person that we truly are can be unified into one.

Hello, everyone. My name is Janet Rarick. I’m a professor at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. In past years I enjoyed a vibrant career as a performing oboist. As a performer, I became interested in finding ways to be more present in my work. Now as a teacher, I work with our music students on advancing their careers and improving their performance skills. So how can you cultivate presence in your life? Several years ago, I trained to become a teacher of the Alexander Technique. The technique is useful in exploring presence. It shares concepts with other disciplines that cultivate presence such as mindfulness, and sports psychology.

Creating presence is a dynamic process, where you choose to open up your attention to the here and now. It is important to let go of judgment and critical thought. Evaluating yourself or others takes you right out of the present moment. Now, let’s experiment with coming into the present moment.

First, take a moment to thank yourself for taking the time to explore presence. Balance over your feet in a dynamic way, so that you could move easily to another position. If you’re sitting in a chair, move your feet to a slightly different place. We are going to think about opening up our sensory perception. So activate your peripheral vision. Notice the space all around you – 360 degrees space around your entire body. Notice your breath. Think of a little smile behind your eyes and let go of any tendency to do this correctly. No judgement, right? Notice the spaces between the places in your visual field. Sense the floor beneath your feet. Imagine all of the space behind you. If you are standing, take a short walk around the room and breathe. You have all the time in the world in this moment. Come back to sensing your whole 360 degree self. Remember that everyone struggles with distraction. So be grateful that you have taken the time to come to the present moment. You can also practice this exploration with routine activities when our attention tends to go off task to autopilot. Such as brushing your teeth, standing at the sink, working at the computer. Take a short break and enjoy being present. I hope you enjoyed exploring presence.

Shvetali Thatte, Longitude fellow, Case Western Reserve University:

Thank you so much for such a lovely presentation, Janet.

I couldn’t agree more on this idea of creating presence in her life. As a college student, I can attest that it’s often easy to get lost in the whirlwind of assignments, compounded by the brief moments of laughter with friends. Time often blurs together. And it’s difficult to find myself truly appreciating the present moment, as the back of my head is frequently thinking about my to do list, or what I’m going to do later that day. As you said, coming to senses in our present moment, can help us be grateful for what we have. And it can alleviate our stress as we embrace the moment rather than worrying about what the future may bring. Personally, I try to appreciate the present by making a gratitude list every night. Before I fall asleep, I take five minutes to write down five things that I’m grateful for in the moment. And I do this without thinking. So it’s always the first five things that come to my mind. I also take a few minutes to stretch every night. And during this time, I focus on my breath. I’ve found that when I think about my breath and become aware of my body, I can get out of my head. And doing so allows me to focus in the present moment and where I physically am, as opposed to wherever my wandering mind might take me.

We’re running out of time, but I’m so glad you walked us all through this technique of cultivating presence. And I can certainly say that I will be using it in the future.

We hope you enjoyed today’s segment and felt inspired to continue your journey towards finding your moments of presence in life. Please feel free to share your thoughts over social media and in the comments, or write to us at podcast@longitude.site. We would love to hear from you. Join us next time for more unique insights and Longitude Sound Bytes.