Pattern #1
You do not meander through life. You move with powerful, focused, decisive energy and a clear sense of direction. You are competitive, like to keep score and hate to lose. Your motto: “Just do it!” When you speak, you might increase the volume, pitch and intensity of your voice to stay on point. Your speeches can be inspirational and even transformational. Your strengths include setting clear goals, cutting through what is superfluous, and determining the direction people should take. You are not afraid to challenge others. If you operate too much in this manner, you can be impatient, aggressive, close-minded overly opinionated, or quickly dismissive of opinions that differ from your own. You may also work too hard.
Pattern #2
You tend to live and move in an orderly, contained and precise manner. You are systematic, logical, and prefer “correct” ways of doing things. You have the ability to grasp the relationship of the parts to the whole and utilize left-brain thinking when approaching tasks or solving problems. Presented with chaos or confusion, you create order. In public speaking you speak in a contained dynamic range, stick to your text and provide plenty of detail. As a leader you remain calm, stay on task and finish projects on time. If you function too much in this mode, however, you can become stubborn, perfectionistic, risk-avoidant, overly cautious, too concerned about others’ opinions, or become a workaholic.
Pattern #3
There is a smooth, to-and-fro quality to your movements, manner and thinking. As a leader you are skilled at networking, “reading the room,” multi-tasking, seeing both sides of an issue, and engaging everyone in the team. When facing obstacles you have a knack for figuring out practical solutions. You understand other people and know how to discern and work with the emotional center of a group. When you speak, you use a conversational, personal tone of voice, and read your audience well. If you operate too deeply in this pattern, you can become overly impulsive, unreliable, talk too much, imagine conspiracies everywhere, or engage in inappropriate behavior.
Pattern #4
Your movement and mindset does not come from a fixed part of your body. You “flow”, imagine, and maintain a high degree of openness. Inquisitive, creative, imaginative and curious, you think in conceptual leaps and remain open to unfolding opportunities and possibilities. You are future- oriented, think outside the box, sense unmet needs and ask what else could happen here? As a leader, you are a visionary who “sees” possibilities. You have a good eye for talent, sense the “essence” of people, and find new solutions to problems. If you become unbalanced, and operate too much from this pattern, you can become disorganized, unfocused or pay insufficient attention to details. Others may find it hard to follow or understand your conceptual leaps or your tendency to jump from one topic to another when they need decisions or closure.
These four distinct rhythmic patterns—specifically kinesthetic energy patterns—discovered by kinesiologist Josephine Rathbone, have been studied and developed by people in several disciplines.
Basically, these rhythmic patterns determine how we move, think, relate to one another and behave in our environment. Shaped by a variety of factors, our primal pattern is the one with which we feel the most at home and do our best work. Rhythm, therefore, is an important factor in developing and improving one’s presence and leadership skills.
My experience and approach
Dr. Marcia McFee’s groundbreaking PhD dissertation on kinesthetic energy patterns has been foundational to my work in embodiment and leadership development. (“Ritual Dynamics, Ritual Resonance, Polyrhythmic Strategies and the Formation of Christian Disciples” (Ph.D. diss., Graduate Theological Union, 2005), 15.) Combining rhythm (energy patterns) with posture (the Alexander Technique) has made it possible for me to develop a unique and effective way to incorporate embodiment when coaching people in executive presence and deepening their leadership skills.
Benefits
- Increases awareness about indivisible connections between mind and body.
- Develops Executive Presence and improves leadership through holistic processes.
- Identifies the characteristics, strengths and challenges of each kinesthetic energy pattern.
- Provides experiential education on ways to access and use all the patterns and select the best pattern for the task at hand.
- Shows leaders how to use the patterns to build healthy, balanced, efficient teams.
- Teaches leaders how to deal with conflict and improve communication.
Testimonials
Sandra’s course [“The Excellent Liturgist” was unique in offering tools for mastering the physical and vocal presence needed to lead worship with confidence, focus, and seamlessness. Sandra’s work is rooted in somatic awareness and methods of using the body that allow liturgical leaders to be open and present while praying, singing, and enacting rituals. Her knowledge in this area is deep and wide. She is also extremely gifted in perceiving the learning needs of her students, and in bringing her deep knowledge to bear in offering specific guidance and techniques that facilitate each student’s growth.
While taking Sandra’s course, I and other students developed a repertoire of ways for using our bodies and voices to evoke the mood and meaning of the reading, prayer, or song we were leading. Thanks to Sandra’s gentle, direct guidance we rapidly–and in some cases stunningly– transformed from hesitant, awkward beginners to confident liturgical leaders and public speakers. I remember one shy student who was adamant that she couldn’t hold a tune, and would never learn to lead a liturgical chant. Yet, within three days this student was confidently chanting prayers of the Lutheran liturgy in key. While this student’s improvement was especially impressive, each of us experienced dramatic improvement in a short period of time.
Sandra’s methods enhance the leadership of ministers of all levels of experience, while also transcending ministry and bringing greater confidence and presence to other areas of life as well. I have found her techniques helpful in teaching, conducting meetings, and initiating interventions as a chaplain on the hospital floor.
Sandra is highly professional and models for others what liturgical excellence and ministerial leadership looks like at its best.
Rev. Naomi Schulz
[Sandra] is personable, approachable, has a great sense of humor, and puts people at ease in her presence. She is a very effective teacher who is able to integrate theory and practical application with those she is teaching… Her training in the Alexander Technique adds an even greater dimension of insight into training and equipping worship leaders.
Rev. Don Haven