Feeling nervous about that presentation you are about to make over zoom or a Teams call?

Learn how to give clear, confident presentations with tips from professional actor and coach Billie Shepard.

Billie Shepard delivers a coaching experience that transforms how business people communicate. She has been a professional actor and coach for over forty years. She has produced guest-artist workshops which include Academy Award winner Alan Arkin. Billie founded Billie Shepard & Associates, leveraging her acting experience and unique training methods into the business arena; transforming corporate speakers into influential leaders.

Discover how to improve your clarity and intentions without fear and stress.

What you will learn from this episode:

  • Find out how you can apply acting tips to prepare for your presentation or meeting
  • Discover the importance of present-moment awareness especially if there’s a sudden change
  • Learn the four things you should do before getting onto any video conference

 

“The more specific you can make your intention at work, and the more you can connect it to a strong feeling, you’ll have no fear.”

– Billie Shepard

 

Valuable Free Resource:

  • How to become more present and enhance your virtual presentation skills without stress and presentation anxiety: http://www.billieshepard.com/

Topics Covered:

02:06 – From acting to business: Billie shares how she founded her business revolving around her acting experience

05:38 – Interacting Online: Billie talks about how can you become more present over Zoom

07:07 – Present Moment Awareness: How to become present at the moment especially if there’s a sudden shift or change

08:15 – The First Component: Billie gives a guide on how to do “quickie breathing”

10:06 – The Second Component: Billie shares the importance of vocal exercises, whether you’re an actor or an entrepreneur

12:22 – The Third Component: What role does improvisation play in being present

16:52 – The Fourth Component: Billie explains the powerful effect of getting clear on your intention beforehand

18:16 – What can having intention look like in a business Zoom meeting?

25:12 – Billie’s power tip for you: If you’re on camera, and you’re using slides, look for a place that really means something to you that you really either like the information, or you’re excited about getting people on board or something and drop the slides, and look right into the green light of your computer. That’s home.

26:21 – Fear is stupid: Billie shares why you should never be afraid of taking risks as a woman leader

Key Takeaways:

“Acting is acting. You’ve got to get in the present moment and be authentic at that moment.” -Billie Shepard

“One recognizes that when he or she is present, they’re listening carefully to what the other person is saying. Their mind isn’t thinking of what they’re going to say or they’ll respond.” -Billie Shepard

“The honor that one gives to a listener, and a speaker, by really hearing them is really a valuable thing for a leader to be able to do. Actually, listen and hear and digest what that speaker is saying. And then observing what that listener is doing when we’re speaking as a leader.” -Billie Shepard

Ways to Connect with Billie Shepard:

Ways to Connect with Sarah E. Brown:

Full Episode Transcript:

Billie Shepard 0:00

The more specific you can make your intention at work, and the more you can connect it to a strong feeling, you’ll have no fear.

Intro 0:16

Hello, everyone. Welcome to the KTS Success Factor Podcast for Women, where we talk about the challenges senior female leaders face in being happy and successful at work. I’m your host, Dr. Sarah E. Brown.

Sarah E. Brown 0:35

My guest today is Billie Shepard. Not only is she a professional actor, but she’s also an acting coach and has been for over 40 years. She has produced guest artists’ workshops, which include Academy Award winner, Alan Arkin. Billie founded Billie Shepard & Associates, leveraging her acting experience and unique training methods into the business arena; transforming corporate speakers into influential leaders. Her clients include Meta, that’s Facebook, Uber, and Intuit. Billie merged her methods with the virtual needs of our time. And she’ll talk to us a lot about how we can apply her techniques to the world of virtual presentations. She has a book called The Billie Shepard Presentation Method which describes her methods and includes participant breakthrough stories. She is a Dean’s Scholar, with a BA in Creative Arts, and a Masters in Theater Arts from San Jose State University. Billie, thank you for being here today!

Billie Shepard 1:53

Thank you! It’s so good to be with you.

Sarah E. Brown 1:56

So, tell us a little bit more about your business, Billie Shepard & Associates, and how you got launched into working with corporate clients.

Billie Shepard 2:06

You know, after being an actor and an acting coach for all those years, I never thought that I would shift or change. I mean, I’d been a devoted, addicted cult member of the acting industry since I left college at 19, and thought this was my route. About 25 years ago, someone asked me- I live in the Bay Area, Silicon Valley area. And someone asked me if I could coach some executives, and maybe use some acting techniques to help them be more interesting and get

them turned away from their slides. It was when slides were coming into fashion and the engineers figured out they didn’t have to face human beings. And I did it and I liked it! And I realized that the same acting methods and techniques worked for them to get them out of their fear and self-doubt and feeling observed and get them into them being themselves and excited about what they’re talking about. And then I picked up the phone and started making calls and call the university and said, “Do you need help?” And that’s what happened, and the business took off.

Sarah E. Brown 3:29

You have a client and you’re working with them. Do most of them come because they don’t have self-confidence or because they want to be more powerful? Or do other people say, “I really think you or my boss needs some help here.” How do they get to you?

Billie Shepard 3:43

It’s usually a combination of both. They usually go to their boss or their boss goes to them because something needs to be improved, that they’re terrific, and they’re smart, and they’re educated, and they have abilities, but they’re needing the next level. So I usually deal with people that are needing the presence and some techniques of communication and presentation to get them to the next level or two or three on the pyramid. I don’t work with people that aren’t already at a pretty high level because their managers are usually wanting to keep them because they have experience and information they need to share and they want them to improve. Or they’ve gone to the manager and with that humility, they’re saying, “I could use some help.”

Sarah E. Brown 4:38

I want to get to this concept of the presence or the present. But when you were using it in that context, were you talking about how they presented themselves, or were you referring to being in-the-present moment?

Billie Shepard 4:52

To be–very good. Their presence as a leader or a leader rising up. And to get to one’s presence, they need to get present and learn the techniques of /how to do that.

Sarah E. Brown 5:10

Okay. So, am I putting words in your mouth if I say that the key to a really powerful executive presence is getting present?

Billie Shepard 5:19

No, I think I’m going to cite you.

Sarah E. Brown 5:23

Okay! Well, I don’t know what the authority is on that, but you’re welcome.

Billie Shepard 5:27

You! I will cite you.

Sarah E. Brown 5:30

And you talk about that a lot in your book. But how did you actually do that over Zoom?

Billie Shepard 5:36

You know, when they asked me, what happened is Facebook came to me. I’d been going into that company for several years. And they came and said, “There’s this COVID thing. We’ve got to switch everything to Zoom”. And I said, “No, I’m not going to do that.” And, of course, they were correct. And what my associate and I figured out when we were struggling through transferring eight hours of the workshop into four hours of virtual training, all of a sudden, it hit us both, almost simultaneously, we said, “Wait a minute! Wait a minute. We’ve been actors most of our lives. We’ve got to transfer seamlessly from camera to stage, or stage to camera. Now they have to do it.” So, the same things apply in getting present. It’s the camera techniques and the vocal techniques that need to be adjusted. So that’s what we focus on. Because you’ve got to get present before you go in front of the camera. And you’ve got to get present before you go on stage. Acting is acting. You’ve got to get in the present moment and be authentic at that moment.

Sarah E. Brown 6:52

Okay, well, I know a little bit about how you suggest doing that because you shared it with me ahead of time, and I’ve been practicing it. But for the sake of our audience, how about sharing a little bit about how you do that?

Billie Shepard 7:08

Well, there are the overarching philosophy and methodology that I develop using my acting training and things that I discovered is “present moment awareness”. How do we get in an awareness of this present moment? And the four components of being in the present moment are our body, an awareness of our body inside and out, an awareness of voice or vocal clarity, modulation and use of pauses, the ability to improvise, and clarity of intention. So, actors always begin getting in the present moment with our bodies from the inside first, and then the outside. And how I start my work with every workshop, or with any individual that I’m coaching, I do privates as well, individual coaching, is we start with a breathing exercise. I can describe that if you like.

Sarah E. Brown 8:14

I would!

Billie Shepard 8:15

For your listeners, I’ll start with a “quickie breath”, we call it before you go on “join a meeting.” You would take this in a longer version. And you might get that on my website on the “Get Ready” audio. I could guide you through it but “quickie breathing” is you take two deep breaths in and out. So, I’m going to do that and it’s going to sound like this. And then I’m going to move through my body, the outside moving up through my body, squeezing out any remaining physical tension. So, I’d start with my toes and feet. Tighten my toes and feet, and release. Tighten my toes and feet, and release. Moving up, tighten toes, feet, calves, and thighs and rear end. Squeeze your thighs tight. Squeeze your rear end and release. And then you feel yourself

needing to breathe. Moving up through our body, tightened toes, feet, calves, thighs, rear end, stomach, chest– tight! Hand, squeeze your hands tight. Arms tight. Shoulders tight. Face tight. Funny Face, every muscle tight. Go! And release and take a big deep breath in and release. Feel your awareness, then you can go in front of the camera, then you can step on stage.

Sarah E. Brown 9:58

Okay, and anything else that we should do to prepare after we do this exercise with our body?

Billie Shepard 10:06

Well, that’s the initial beginning–getting ready with our bodies. And then what we move to is the vocal exercise for our voice. Because remember, there’s body, voice, improvisation, and intention. And with the voice, I have my participants do a pencil-in-the-mouth exercise that your listeners can’t hear. But they will take a pencil, a wooden pencil, or a chopstick, and put it in their back molars holding it firmly in their back molars, like that. I hold it firmly. And then they’re going to read a short poem over-enunciating and making a really funny face in front of the ear. I’m opening my mouth. What we’re doing is lifting weights for the lips, the teeth, and the tip of the tongue, before we go out and run the race or play the football game or play dentists. We’re getting our mouths ready. So, it would sound like this, “We are the music makers.” And then I would remove the pencil. They would remove the pencil and we would say it over-enunciating. “We are the music makers” and read the poem that way. And here’s the thing. What does that do? That exercise that actors do and beginners might feel silly doing it? What it does is add clarity, modulation, and the use of pauses. Because we’re reading a poem as clearly as we can. And hopefully, we’re using highs and lows and volumes in our voice. And it causes us to pause and really look at the word. Look at the word! What does that word make me feel? Or what picture is it putting in my mind? And that gets us in the present moment as well.

Sarah E. Brown 12:16

Interesting! Okay, so we got the body and the voice. And what else?

Billie Shepard 12:22

The improvisation comes with- it’s almost like a benefit of getting our body and our voice present. Because then we do improvisation exercises, and one recognizes that when he or she is present, they’re listening carefully to what the other person is saying. Their mind isn’t thinking of what they’re going to say or they’ll respond. That’s usually how human beings communicate, not usually, often how human beings communicate. They’re thinking of how they’re going to respond. And the honor that one gives to a listener, and a speaker, by really hearing them is really a valuable thing for a leader to be able to do. Actually listen and hear and digest what that speaker is saying. And then observing what that listener is doing when we’re speaking as a leader.

Sarah E. Brown 13:34

I can see that! I can see that you probably have more power when you’re giving your full attention to what somebody else is saying than when you’re actually talking.

Billie Shepard 13:46

It’s a wonderful, wonderful thing to do! And it is what distinguishes a present leader from a non-present leader. We can tell when a leader is on some sort of agenda, and, “I’m fine. I’m fine,” and rushing in and rushing out or stopping and really being with that person. There was a wonderful- he was head of the United Nations. I’m sorry, I don’t think it’s the President of the United Nations. Is it the chairman? They’re elected, the head, the President of the United Nations. And I watched a documentary about him when I was much younger, Boutros Ghali. Boutros Ghali, you’re too young to remember or maybe but he was an amazing person! And what I noticed during that documentary was that he treated everyone the same whether they were the President of a country or royalty, or the service person that was helping with the floor thing. A polisher that was having a problem or the janitor, he treated everyone the same. And everyone had his direct focus and attention whether they were talking about a vacuum cleaner being broken, a polisher being broken, or the state of affairs in a nation. He was present, absolutely present!

Advertisement 15:21

Hi, this is Sarah Brown, again, the host of the KTS Success Factor Podcast for Women. I hope you are enjoying this episode and gaining some tips and inspiration on how you can be happier, more successful, and experience less stress at work. If you would like to learn more about how you can take control of your career, and do it your way, visit sarahebrown.com. There you will be able to download a free chapter from my book, Let Your Personality Be Your Career Guide. It contains information and exercises on how you can identify your unique interests, strengths, and needs, and translate that into career goals that are just right for you. Now back to this informative episode!

Sarah E. Brown 16:17

And as someone who’s been practicing this, and she shared this technique with me, just getting aware of what’s going on in my body before I get on a Zoom call and breathing and slowing down has helped me to be more present when somebody else was speaking, and I was a little bit more relaxed. I’m not rehearsing, you know, in my mind, so I can see how that leads up to being ready to improvise and be present at the moment. So, tell us about the final one.

Billie Shepard 16:52

Oh, my gosh! it turns out, it’s the secret of life, I jokingly say, but it is the secret of real collaborative communication with teenagers. If you’ve ever had one, or you’re falling into one, or your boss or anybody that you’re managing, it’s intention. And for actors, it really is the secret because actors are probably as nervous or more nervous than anybody who’s not an actor.

Sarah E. Brown 17:25

Really?

Billie Shepard 17:26

The stakes just keep getting higher! As soon as you get to a certain level, you think, “I’ve got the key!” You’re on stage and looking at yourself and saying, “Whoa, I just saw that person in a movie. And whoa!” So, getting clear on the intention for the scene becomes your drug. Because why? What does intention do for an actor? It removes all fear, all self-doubt, and all self-consciousness. It’s being clear of my intention for this scene, for this line. What’s my intention?

Sarah E. Brown 18:08

Can you give me an example, an acting example, and then translate that into a business Zoom example?

Billie Shepard 18:16

Oh, let me think. Well, I’ll tell you one that pops to mind. And this is when I was just deciding that I deserved to get paid for acting. I started in amateur theatre and I loved it. And it was fun. And then finally I thought, “Wait a minute! This is costing me gas and time and I deserve to be paid.” And I was in a scene. There was a play called, “Whose Life Is It Anyway?”. And it was the story of a man who was a quadriplegic, and he wanted to die. He did not want to live the rest of his life as a quadriplegic. And I was his doctor. And I wanted him to live for, of course. Philosophically, I wanted him to live but I also had fallen in love with him. Okay, it just happened. He was charming and witty and brilliant and the whole thing, you know. And he wanted to die. He wanted to kill himself. And there was this one scene where I had these lines that they weren’t resonating with me. It was very hard. And we were in rehearsal, and my intention was, “Get him to live. Get him to live”, right? Well, how do you play “Get him to live”? I was a younger actor. “Get him to live” is too huge of an intention. So, what actors learn to do is make it more and more and more specific. And the more specific we can get that intention and add it to a strong feeling inside. No fear, no self-doubt, and we know when we get it because then we know what our job is. When we get clarity of intention, there’s no room for fear or self-doubt, or nerves, because we have a job to do, right? So, what occurred was, these lines aren’t making sense. I want him to take this pill to relax him, so he’ll get a good night’s sleep. And I’m trying to get him to live. So, the lines weren’t happening. Well, finally, after working at home, and what’s the thing I thought, “Oh, I want him to take this pill so he’ll relax and get a good night’s sleep!” It’s this specific– take this pill. So how do I get him to take this pill? I got him to laugh because we enjoyed each other’s company. And I don’t want to be it’s not, “Live! Take the pill!” It’s, “Oh, you’re not going to take this pill? Oh, you’re really not going to take this pill, are you?”. You know what? It became a thing, and he took the pill, which maybe after a good night’s sleep, he’ll want to live! You see, after talking too much about the example, I want to underline two things. First of all, the more specific you can make your intention at work. And I’ll talk about that in a second. And the more you can connect it to a strong feeling, you’ll have no fear. Now, as you suggested, I’m going to try and connect it to a business situation, if I may. Let’s say I want a raise. Let’s say I deserve a raise. I’ve got a raise, and I didn’t get a raise. I deserve a raise. And I’ve got to go to my manager and discuss this raise. That takes a lot of clarity of intention because the manager knows I’m coming in to ask for a raise. And to make my intention specific, I have to know what the loss is. What am I willing to lose if I don’t get that raise? Am I willing to walk? Am I willing to walk and go to a company that does respect my value? So that takes time to work on my intention. Suddenly, my intention may become: I’m happy here. My intention is to stay. I’m willing to go. I’m willing to walk. But my intention is to stay. Let’s see if we can work this out by giving me a raise so I can stay. Do you see how it becomes different? There’s a whole different attitude than “I need to raise. Bob got a raise. And I deserve a raise.” It’s “No, I really like the people. I really like working with you. Let’s see if you can because I want to stay.” That takes time to work out an intention, but it pays off. Because I’m not afraid, because I will walk. My job is to get us to stay. That’s my tip.

Sarah E. Brown 23:29

So, the whole idea is if you’re adequately prepared this way, you shouldn’t have fear going into difficult discussions because you’ve gotten present with your body. You’re speaking clearly because you’ve warmed up your vocal cords. You’re willing to go with the flow of the conversation. And you know what you want. So, you’re putting fear at you’re crystal clear about what you want! That’s what I keep. That’s the way I always call it. What do you really want?

Billie Shepard 24:01

Oh, that’s good too.

Sarah E. Brown 24:03

Yeah, what do you really want? So, crystal clear on intention. That’s really cool! That’s cool. You’d be, I have found practicing this over the past couple of weeks since you and I first talked is when I’m going into a conversation, I’m much more relaxed. And I’m also freer to give what I’ve got to offer in terms of counsel and advice because I’m clear about where the intention from which it is coming. So, it’s that moment, and I won’t- it doesn’t take me more than 60 seconds, but running through your list and breathing and stuff has really helped me relax going into some really challenging conversations. So, I would just like to say it works!

Billie Shepard 24:56

Oh, thank you so much. That does my heart good!

Sarah E. Brown 25:00

So, as we’re wrapping this up, as we’ve discussed, most of my listeners are female leaders. Is there anything else you think they should know about being powerful on camera?

Billie Shepard 25:12

Oh, what a good question! If you’re on camera, and you’re using slides, look for a place that really means something to you that you really either like the information, or you’re excited about getting people on board or something and drop the slides, and look right into the green light of your computer. That’s home. Actors, it’s home! We spend a lot of time learning how to look into that camera, and once we get some technique, we realize, “Oh, that’s the best boyfriend I ever had. That is the best girlfriend I ever had. That is home!”. Because the camera does all the work. Put a person you like in the camera, look in that lens, and connect on your important messaging.

Sarah E. Brown 26:14

Interesting! Good idea. Billie, what should I have asked you that I didn’t?

Billie Shepard 26:21

You know that it occurs to me now that I want to say to most of you, women, are women leaders, right?

Sarah E. Brown 26:31

Right.

Billie Shepard 26:33

Yeah, they’re out there! They’re in the trenches. And I would say I’m a 73-year-old woman. And what I’ve learned is fear in certain situations will still pop up as strong as I become, as smart as I think I am, and as powerful as I can believe I am in the whole thing. Every once in a while, a situation will pop up and I’ll be afraid. And what I have to say is fear is stupid. Do it anyway!

Sarah E. Brown 27:07

Mm-hmm. Okay, so you just say that out loud? Fear, you’re stupid!

Billie Shepard 27:14

I say it. I have friends that I call that I say, “I’m going to do this. Is it right? Does it make sense?” I process it. And if everybody is saying, “You got to do it. What does your gut tell you?” And if it’s only fear, I say, “Fear is stupid. I’m doing it.”

Sarah E. Brown 27:35

Well, that’s good counsel. Very good counsel! So where do my listeners find you?

Billie Shepard 27:41

They can go to billieshepard.com. And they can go to Amazon and put in, “The Billie Shepard Presentation Method” and get the book.

Sarah E. Brown 28:01

And Billie is spelled B-I-L-L-I-E and I will have these links in the show notes. Billie, thank you so much for being with me today!

Billie Shepard 28:13

I enjoyed meeting you very much. Thank you!

Sarah E. Brown 28:16 Thanks for listening to the KTS Success Factor Podcast for Women. If you like what you are hearing, please go to iTunes to subscribe, rate us, and leave a review. And if you would like more information on how we can help women in your organization to thrive, then go to www.sarahebrown.com. You can sign up for our newsletter, read show notes and learn more about our podcast guests, read my blog, browse through the books or contact us for a chat. Goodbye for now!

Sarah E. Brown
Sarah E. Brown

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