Psychological time is key to attention, frustration, and cooperation in healing practice. You can create a more compelling and time-compressed experience by learning to emphasize (punch up) certain words as you speak. Practice this while you monitor how intensely people hang onto your words as you speak. You may need to desensitize yourself to the experience of people paying intense attention to what you say and leaving room for you to say it. You may also find that they want to get in sync and contribute ideas along the same line. Watch for a slight forward lean or head forward posture, less blinking, and a slightly wide-eyed quality in the person you’re communicating with.

As you speak, slightly alternate your foot pressure on key words that deserve emphasis. This will alter your state as you speak. Try saying this sentence, emphasizing the key words marked with an asterisk (*) and shifting to the specified left or right foot.

For the first (left) key word, put pressure (right) on your left (left) foot, and for the second (right) key word, put pressure (left) on your right (right)."

This may be awkward at first, but it can become automatic with practice. Notice that you can have several words in a row that are not emphasized, but they will not be lost on people. In fact, people can concentrate and digest what you say more easily when you minimize key words. You might not want to make this a habit for presenting, but this practice can change how you experience presenting. In actual presentations, however, you should consider gestures, shifting your weight, and position changes that create bi-laterality (side-changing) during much of your presentation.