In a world where polished perfection often overshadows true connection, Andrew Eggelton is on a mission to bring a more profound level of authenticity to the stage. Growing up in the rural farmlands of New Zealand, his journey into the arts wasn’t mapped out with a clear purpose, but one thing was certain—acting and presenting were his passions.
Over three decades, Andrew has honed a unique approach to presenting, one that transcends technical skills and dives deep into the heart of what it means to be truly present. In this exclusive feature, we explore how his philosophy of “energy is information” is transforming the way we connect with audiences, and how he’s helping presenters rediscover their most authentic selves. Ready to unlock your true presence?
Andrew’s wisdom might just be the key.
Growing up in rural farmland in the South Island of New Zealand, how did your environment shape your early perceptions of creativity and expression?
When I first arrived in the farming area of Otaio in South Canterbury at age 5, there were only 8 kids at the school and my father was my teacher and headmaster.
There was a lot of space, I could get lost in my imagination, creating imaginary characters to go on adventures, heading off early in the morning with a packed lunch to explore the endless fields, mountains and rivers. In the 70’s and 80’s you knew it was time to head back to the house once the sun began to disappear. It was a good time to be a kid.
In the cold winters, I would spend time in the neighbouring school room writing or watching films at home on VHS. Comedies had the greatest impact on me, Monty Pythons The Holy Grail, Blazing Saddles and Airplane to name a few, I still remember how much my sides hurt from laughing. These films shaped my humor as an adult and how I express myself from stage and camera now. I can see that expressing myself through words has been there all along. I would write long-winded, fun stories that my dad would let me read to the other children and seeing their reactions inspired me further.
Authenticity is at the core of your teaching. How do you define “true authenticity,” and why do you think it’s such a challenge for many presenters?
Authenticity is the thread I can trace throughout my career from day 1 to now, it’s the baseline of my teaching, not the end goal. I learned to differentiate between ‘just be you’ and true authenticity while filming TV shows. A director would often say “Andrew, just be you” and of course, I thought I was, but what they meant was they had a specific version of me they wanted, so in time I was able to ask them what version they needed from me, and it was rarely authenticity.
My value is in being able to teach back to other presenters what true authenticity feels like and then more importantly, a process to achieve it in the simplest way possible every time you need it and want it.
Firstly, there’s the authentic self vs the conditioned self. The conditioned self is the parts we’ve layered upon ourselves, to project for others to see. There’s a lovely quote from Michelangelo when he was asked the question ‘How did you create David?’
He replied – “it was easy, all I did was chip away everything that wasn’t David”.
The best presenters have been able to chip away at everything that is not themselves and these things show up when we present, as projections. We project what we want our audience to see and in most cases, a presenter will unconsciously project likeable, inspiring, smart and confident. They’re false ideas we have of what we believe the audience wants and then we cater our external expression to them.
You’ll find that an audience isn’t greatly moved by the act but instead feel greatly more by the purity of the act. Energy is information.
Presenters have been sold a story that they need to be ‘more’ when on stage and it’s in this attempt to be more that they lose who they truly are. They attempt to become who they think the audience wants to see; however, an audience doesn’t know what they want, they only know what they’ve seen before and it’s our job to bring something unique to the stage – and every single person is unique when the conditioned self is stripped away.
If you look at many TEDx talks as an example, they don’t stand out from each other because each speaker is essentially a carbon copy of the last one, the hand gestures, facial expressions and movements far removed from the person they are at home, their range of expression diminished by the act they’ve created that fits their version of what a speaker should look like. Their story may be different, but it soon gets lost in the standard way it’s delivered.
You’ve spent over 30 years refining tools for presenters. Can you share an example of one of these tools and how it transforms someone’s presentation style?
I love this question. I use a few powerful methods, in that they deliver immediate results. One powerful tool I use is horses (equine-assisted training), and I know that sounds kind of weird but hear me out. A horse reflects to you exactly how you’re being. They’re the ultimate authenticity meter, highly sensitive, relational beings who thrive on connection – sounds like a presenter right? They mirror our inner states and will show you without fail or care who you’re being or when you’re hiding behind a mask. It can be both brutal in its honesty and the most beautiful and powerful experience of your life. Authenticity is a feeling so when you figure out what that feels like you can never go back.
One other tool I use is a process that a presenter goes through to ensure that who they are off stage is seamlessly transitioned to who they are on stage. This is step 1 of my methodology and is ‘no change of state’. It shows a presenter that the magic today will come from who they are right now instead of wrestling with another version of themselves that they think will serve them better. Each different state you’re in will influence another version of your truth, you’ll articulate it differently. You’ll get new insights depending on what state you’re in – so today is always the day when the magic happens. Ask yourself, when you’re presenting do you want certainty, or do you want to create magic?
In your experience, how has the art of presenting evolved over the years, especially in an era of digital platforms and virtual connections?
I look at this from my point of view of how much presenting has changed during the 30 years I’ve been in the arts. From a craft point of view, my honest answer is, very little. Presenting is still seen as an act and people aspire to be storytellers or wisdom sharers, but very few have the skills to curate a truly memorable experience.
Most speaker coaches share technical tools that should only be, as most rules are, guiding principles. We’ve ended up with so many cookie-cutter approaches to presenting with the majority trying to figure out what their story is. I believe that if you’re good at your craft you don’t have to have a story to be memorable.
I talk about redefining what world-class presenting looks like moving away from the age of information to the age of connection, and making our presentations more impactful because they’re an external expression of our true inner world. I want to see presenters build experiences and connections with their audience.
Experiences teach more than words and I think the question before you begin is, “What kind of experience do I want to have with my audience?” Then the building blocks to create are easier to find and learn. Maybe, you don’t even need a story.
Although nothing beats an in-person experience we do now have the availability to build relationships, and connections and share virtually. What a time to be alive, right? In the past I used to fly anywhere I needed, to work with the best and now we have the option of not even leaving home. The idea bores the hell out of me but it’s handy, enables a worldwide audience and I know others love it.
To begin with, people were taking TV presenting skills and directly translating that to Zoom or social media lives and it didn’t work, you’re not meant to barrel the camera for 5-10 mins at a time and speak like you’ve had 5 coffees, but this is progressing. A rule of thumb is if you find your energy is depleted after a Zoom session or creating a video, you’ve likely been pushing it and moving away from what should be the most effortless delivery ever – ‘conversational reality’.
How do you envision the future of presenting and the role of authenticity in a fast-paced, tech-driven world?
You can create change as fast as you want but some things stay the same and one thing is going to be connection. People crave connection and something I’ve noticed now that we all have so much access to being ‘visible’ is that words without intention and authenticity lack believability and impact.
You see this in my live events when someone first speaks, most of the time the audience isn’t moved, as though the words were empty, but with a little feedback the words feel more layered, they have more weight to them, as though they now have a little ‘you’ attached to them.
Your delivery attracts your audience so if it’s not congruent with you then prepare to attract the wrong kind of people. I’m taking a punt that the busier we all get and the more ‘content’ that is put in front of us, the very best leaders will be the ones who can connect the most with their audience, teams and clients.
If you could design a workshop for children to teach them the foundations of authenticity and connection, what would it look like, and why would starting young matter?
There’s a saying in TV and film – never share the screen with either a child or an animal because they both have the capability of stealing the show. They’re both unpredictable, spontaneous and truthful and that’s glorious to watch when in action.
Designing a workshop for kids is beyond my expertise, and while I ran one in 2015 it was my first and it was my last. During the lunch break, I called in my mother as backup, who like Dad, was a schoolteacher and handled it with ease while I vowed never again!
One thing I would love young adults to be taught before they leave school is the different styles of communication people have, we’re all predictably different. I know that learning this would make a world of difference in their lives and set them up in life to be more effective communicators.
Over time we create the many versions of ourselves we believe the world wants to see, which ends up being the conditioned self. Effectively that’s what I must undo when clients come to me. Perhaps, It would be great if children weren’t taught to project to please, but how do we do that when it’s become so ingrained in our culture?
Can you share a moment from your career when a client’s transformation deeply moved you or changed the way you approach your work?
It was at a retreat I ran in Portugal, we were doing a future pacing meditation exercise so the attendees could see what the greatest version of themselves looked and sounded like on stage. I music producer had worked with me on a 12-minute track that elevated them via 3 separate peaks, the 3rd being the apex that really set them free from their current version of themselves. I’ve learned to choose with intention how I want my words to sound, and how I want them to be received and felt. I had practised it over the year while touring and was getting great results, but this one was the start of something different and unexpected.
This attendee really ‘went there’ and I could see he was going to need some space to come back and ground. My assistant and I cleared the room and when the time felt right, I asked him what he had seen, through tears of joy his response was “I saw exactly where I’m going to be in 6 years and my family is going to be ok, I can see what I have to do next”.
He was never going to approach another day the same after that experience and I began to trust that the work I was doing expanded beyond presenting.
