COM 63 — The Right to Speak: Finding and Freeing Your Natural Voice
Quarter: Spring
Day(s): Thursdays
Course Format: Live Online (About Formats)
Duration: 7 weeks
Date(s): Apr 6—May 18
Time: 6:00—8:05 pm (PT)
Refund Deadline: Apr 8
Unit: 1
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Tuition: $505
Instructor(s): Ted DesMaisons
Limit: 30
Class Recording Available: Yes
Status: Open
Spring
Date(s)
Apr 6—May 18
7 weeks
Refund Date
Apr 8
1 Unit
Fees
$505
Grade Restriction
No letter grade
Instructor(s):
Ted DesMaisons
Limit
30
Recording
Yes
Open
We all want to be heard, and we're all scared of speaking up when it matters most: at work, in relationships, and in our families and communities. And that's true even for the savviest of speakers. The good news: you were born with a ready presence and an open voice. It’s in your DNA, a birthright gift for your survival. The challenge: you have almost certainly developed habits, stresses, and tensions that inhibit your fundamental ability to communicate.
In this course, we will identify and dissolve such restrictions by applying the same exercises that famed voice and presence coach Patsy Rodenburg has used successfully with Oscar winners, Olympic gold medalists, and global business leaders alike. We will learn to inhabit what she calls “the second circle,” a physical and attitudinal way of being that promotes grounded confidence, ready connection, and easy charisma. With your body, breath, and voice fully present, your communication gains its natural clarity and power. Students will come away from the course noticing profound shifts in how they move and speak in the world.
In this course, we will identify and dissolve such restrictions by applying the same exercises that famed voice and presence coach Patsy Rodenburg has used successfully with Oscar winners, Olympic gold medalists, and global business leaders alike. We will learn to inhabit what she calls “the second circle,” a physical and attitudinal way of being that promotes grounded confidence, ready connection, and easy charisma. With your body, breath, and voice fully present, your communication gains its natural clarity and power. Students will come away from the course noticing profound shifts in how they move and speak in the world.
This course involves significant participation out loud, with skills building incrementally each week. The more students engage with the assigned home practice, the more benefit they will see.
TED DESMAISONS
Founder and Principal, ANIMA Learning
Ted DesMaisons has studied, performed, and taught improvisation internationally, including with Patricia Ryan Madson, the Stanford Improvisors, and BATS Improv of San Francisco. He is a trained mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) instructor and trained extensively with renowned voice and presence coach Patsy Rodenburg. He co-hosts the Monster Baby Podcast and is the author of Playful Mindfulness. He received an MBA from Stanford and an MTh from Harvard.
Textbooks for this course:
(Required) Ted DesMaisons, Playful Mindfulness: a joyful journey to everyday confidence, calm, and connection (ISBN 9781950373000)