It started in line inside a gas station about 6 weeks ago. The crisis was still very much in the beginning phase in the Netherlands in terms of awareness and social distancing, and as I looked at the people in line for the cash register, they barely had any space between them. So, I chose to stand in another aisle (which was closed) and await my turn there. They all looked at me, and I told them (in a polite way) that I didn’t think they were standing 1,5 meters apart from each other. They all just shrugged. I felt like directing them where to stand, but refrained from doing so. In the following weeks, when I had to go shopping, or go to the post office, I noticed I would have to constantly be moving in order to keep 1,5 meters from all sides. It was at times a daunting task, but at the same time, in a weird way, fun; I was dancing I realized.

Last moments matter, because they are freshest in our memory, and the last thing we experience. So those moments after all has been ordered, and the bill has been paid, really matter to a guest. If you ignore them, they will feel snubbed (as I did at the Delauney), and you risk losing that guest forever.

I tend to focus in my articles about all the things I see lacking in terms of hospitality; how the wait staff and management treat their guests, so I figured it was time to look at some positive examples.

Whenever we give a presence workshop, the participants in our training almost always dread being in front of a group, whether it’s presenting or even something as simple as having to introduce themselves in front of the group. We explain to the participants that the body always reacts to what it perceives as a threat or something that causes them stress, and the body almost never lies. This blog presents 3 tips on how to manage the stress of standing in front of a group.

The Toolbox, our tool we’ve developed to achieve a centered starting point, and to bring you back “in the moment” has many additional benefits. It gets you more Presence, builds healthy posture and helps you to listen to yourself and others, have courage and to make effective decisions. It is also an easy and highly effective way to become aware of – and manage your emotions. In addition, it will increase your social awareness and relationship management. In other words, you’ll also increase your emotional intelligence (EI). 

Many participants in our Power of Presence course ask us how they can get that perfect poker face; a face that shows no emotion, a blank expression.

I often reply that it’s not so much about not showing any emotion, but that it’s much more effective to give yourself a ‘reset’ and react from a neutral balanced starting point. Because once you are grounded and aligned, you will be able to make the choices you want to make in any situation; especially the difficult and stressful ones!

I came across a fascinating and inspiring article last week in the New York Times (Using Meditation to Help Close the Achievement Gap by Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D.)

The article discusses how certain poor inner-city schools in the US struggle with issues like attendance and quality of education, and are trying new ways to close the gap between these inner-city children and the wealthier suburban students. Students in those inner-city schools experience a lot of stress, because they are dealing with ‘factors like poverty, deprivation, lack of steady parental input, physical danger and constant fear,’ (see NY times article). These stressful factors are a main contributor preventing them from learning.