“Your body contains an autonomic mechanism that synchs you up with strong, external rhythms, pulses or beats, a phenomenon known as entrainment. Actually we entrain to the rhythms around us all the time, although we are not aware of it most of the time.” – Dr. Frank Lipman
How entrainment can get you heard
Have you noticed that when you are talking to someone whose arms are folded, you tend to fold your arms too? Have you noticed that when you are around an inspiring speaker you tend to feel uplifted? Have you noticed that when you are around someone who is dull, angry or bored you tend to want to leave the room? This all can be explained through entrainment. When we can use entrainment with our awareness, we can use it to our advantage to get our message heard.
People will entrain with each other because it is the path of least resistance. It takes less energy to sync up to our surrounding energy and takes way more energy if we are out of sync with our surrounding energy. That being said most of the time your audience will sync up with the energy you are creating as a speaker unless it is way out of their comfort zone to do so, such as surrounding energy of “boring” or “aggressive” “unsafe” or even “ecstatic”. Frequencies and rhythms that are not comfortable or haven’t been experienced before are harder for people to entrain to.
When you are using your voice as a speaker you can consciously use the concept of entrainment to get in sync with your audience to allow them the greatest opportunity to receive and comprehend your message. Also when you entrain consciously you can do it in a more timely manner to engage the audience more quickly.
To entrain consciously and in a timely manner here is a tool to get your audience to hear you:
Before getting on stage, open up your field by asking this question below. Then open your self up like a funnel for the awareness to come thru. The awareness will be subtle and it will guide you as you are speaking to your audience. Your biggest job is to listen and trust your awareness, even if it goes against your “plan” .
What energy, space and consciousness can I be to match the potency that this audience can receive?
This is a powerful question to ask before your talk and it will help you to entrain to your audience and them to you. It allows you to tune in to the frequency they are riding. Can you shift them from that frequency? Sure and it is my point of view that you will have a better chance of engaging and entraining if you meet them where they are first then it will be easy to bring them somewhere else.
This is using entrainment consciously instead of by default to get in sync with your audience and get your message heard.
Any comments or questions? I would love to entertain them!
- Rebecca
