Hanging in the hallway leading to my office is a large, black-and-white photograph of me at twelve, pigtailed and squinting as a fat softball hurtles toward my outstretched leather glove. I’m wearing cutoffs and dirty white Keds sneakers, guarding first base with every fiber of my being. Whenever a client admires the photo, I shrug and say, “I caught that ball.” It still gives me a ripple of pride. That photo captures a sweet moment on a sweet day when, as part of a co-ed softball team at the Walworth Barbour American International School in Israel, I fell even more deeply in love with America’s favorite pastime: baseball—or, in my case, softball.
Softball and baseball have been integral to my life for as long as I can remember. One of my first public successes was singing the national anthem at a Mets game at Shea Stadium as a newbie singer and actress. My first two husbands (let’s get this straight: my hubby, Jim, is my third, and three times really is a charm) were baseball nuts. My first spouse was a rabid Mets fan, and my second—let’s call him Ted—was an ex-professional baseball player. With my first husband, I learned to sit patiently in creaky stadium seats, game after game, and keep accurate score even in the rain or sleet. With Ted, a ninety-five mile an hour pitcher, power hitter, and first-round draft pick for the Detroit Tigers right out of high school (whom I met when I joined a co-ed softball team sponsored by our talent agency), I learned how to throw bravely, accurately, and hard. I also learned not to plant myself literally on top of first base and risk getting run over. After he was released from pro-ball, Ted played for at least two local baseball leagues at a time for years, and I spent hours sitting in the Southern California sun watching inning after inning of baseball, perfecting my tan and cheering him on.
Playing and watching baseball and softball have taught me lessons I’ve been able to apply to both life and the art of presenting with excellence. Here are five of my favorite lessons:
Stop Trying to Clobber the Ball Out of the Park
Ted used to bat clean-up, which meant he was fourth in the line-up of batters. His job was to whack the ball hard enough to drive other teammates home. The pressure to be the Big Dude and smack the ball into kingdom come invariably made Ted try too hard, and all too often he struck out. This happens time and time again with my presentation coaching clients. Instead of simply doing the best they can with their presentation and calling it a day, they push themselves to metaphorically hit a home run and often psych themselves out in the process. To them, I say, “Just try to get a hit and not a home run. Focus on just metaphorically connecting the bat with the ball.” Take the pressure off yourself to be brilliant and do the best you can. It’s more than enough.
Warm Up
Ted and his buddies always took the time to limber up before a game. They took some batting practice, swung their bats until their shoulders loosened up, and threw balls back and forth to each other. They understood that in baseball, as in public speaking, a body that is loose, limber, and ready is one that won’t trip you up or hold you back. A body that is tense is a body that is not breathing properly. And if you’re not breathing properly, you’re not thinking properly.
Ritualize Your Preparation
Like any athlete worth his salt, Ted started preparing long before he walked out onto a baseball field. He’d been playing since he was five years old, for hours and hours every day. He practiced continuously, going to the batting cages, throwing imaginary balls, and swinging imaginary bats again and again. He used visualization techniques, seeing in his mind a positive outcome to each game or each pitching session. He bought and used a bat that felt right in his hands, laundered his uniform, and made sure his glove was clean and oiled. On the way to each game, he bought a package of sunflower seeds, a big pack of bubble gum, and some chewing tobacco. He popped a stick of gum and a wad of chewing tobacco in his mouth as soon as he hit the field (combining the two extended the flavor, apparently). On deck, waiting to hit, he’d practice swinging his bat until he felt ready. Then, in the batter’s box, he’d whack his cleats with his bat three times, touch the tip of his bat to the plate, and swing his bat lightly behind his head three times. Then, he was ready. Every single guy on his team had a similar preparation ritual, from how they physically warmed up to how they wore their caps and approached their time at bat. Why did they ritualize their preparation? For the same reason a great presenter or actor does it: it helps them feel ready and in control. Period. What’s your preparation ritual?
Be Ready for Anything
Those of you who have sat through nine or more innings of baseball know that it is a game of ebbs and flows. Sometimes nothing of consequence happens for five innings, and then, in a burst of dust, speed, and activity, major plays occur and the outcome of the game shifts from certain to uncertain. Baseball players learn to live very fully in the moment, developing enormous patience, a willingness to be thoroughly present, and an ability to surrender to each moment as it unspools before them. That lets them be ready at any time for whatever happens. Taking a similar approach in both life and public speaking allows you to surf the changes and surprises that will inevitably occur—like the slide advancer malfunctioning, or the challenging and unexpected question lobbed your way.
Shrug it Off
Ted got struck in the chest with a runaway ball thrown by a tired pitcher. The ball knocked him off his feet and left a purple sphere marked with little indentations from the ball’s stitching on his chest that lasted more than a week. When the ball took him down, he lay on the ground, clutched his chest, moaned for a while, and then got back on his feet. He shrugged off the pain and kept on going. Our lives—and presentations—are full of challenges that can knock us off course or scare the bejeezus out of us. It’s up to us to think like a baseball player: shrug it off and keep on going.
Since summer is here and baseball season is in (ahem) full swing, here’s hoping you get out there and watch your local major league team (Go, Tigers!) or your kid’s little league team play ball. Spend a few hours at a baseball park, suspended in time, drinking bad beer, eating expensive hot dogs, and yelling at the umpire. You’ll remember why games are fun and leisure time was invented, and you’ll reinforce a few essential lessons about life and public speaking.
Eleni Kelakos, CSP The Speaker Whisperer®