Is presence something you’re born with? Or a skill set you can learn? Jonathan Bender contends that with the right support, confidence and charisma are traits that CAN be learned, and he is on a mission to help people develop the skills necessary to be fully present on ANY stage and connect with yourself and your audience.

Jonathan is the founder of WholeSpeak, LLC and The Performance of Your Life, programs that teach people how to show up on stage—and in life—with authenticity, power and dynamic presence. Since 1996, Jonathan has coached and taught workshops to thousands of entrepreneurs and professionals, focusing on self-expression, public speaking, personal growth and ‘the performance of your life.’ He has an MFA in Theatre and a master’s in performance studies, and works as a professional theatre director, writer and actor.

Today, Jonathan joins Emerald to discuss how competitive speech and theatre helped him find his voice and informed his understanding of life as a performance. He shares his childhood experience with bullying, explaining how emotional pollution can be countered by seeking support and nurturing from other sources. Jonathan offers insight around how he learned to step into his power and his current work on healing the wounds of disconnection. Listen in for Jonathan’s guidance on building the confidence to speak in public and developing presence as a skill set.

What You Will Learn

How speech team and theatre helped Jonathan find his voice

Jonathan’s calling to help people awaken to who they are

Jonathan’s understanding of life as a kind of performance

How your purpose evolves as you grow and the world grows

The concept of emotional pollution presented in Soar Above

How a men’s group helped Jonathan step into his power

Jonathan’s work around healing the wounds of disconnection

How good mentors have performance & coaching experience

How the skills of confidence and charisma can be learned

Jonathan’s advice around building confidence in speaking

1. Trust self to be responsive in moment
2. Competence increases confidence
3. Warm up and prepare
4. Care for self (silence the inner critic)
5. Develop presence in mind and body

How being present helps you connect to your audience

Connect with Jonathan Bender

Your True Voice

WholeSpeak

The Performance of Your Life

The Performance of Your Life on Facebook

Jonathan on Twitter

Resources

Soar Above: How to Use the Most Profound Part of Your Brain Under Any Kind of Stress by Steven Stosny

Connect with Emerald GreenForest

Creative Age Consulting Group

Emerald’s Website

Emerald on LinkedIn