free tests
self-help
community
personal coaching
support
'UdefineU'
A Personal Review
written by Alison Finch
I first reviewed the UdefineU website towards the end of last year. At that time, they were producing only physical products which, because of their size and weight, could not be cost-effectively shipped outside the US. Now I'm delighted to update my review to tell you about the all-new downloadable versions of the UdefineU program, which is accessible to everybody and provides the same high-quality content in an even more affordable format.
As I hope you would expect and demand of me, I consider myself to be a confident woman with high self-esteem. After all, it would be ridiculous of me to attempt to run this website if I could not say those things of myself.
But I am also sufficiently humble to acknowledge my many imperfections, and I'm a strong believer in constantly seeking opportunities to learn and grow so that we can each reach our potential. So I'll admit that I was rather excited at the prospect of some developmental "ME time" as I carried out my evaluation of this resource.
what's in the package?
 |
 |
 |
The complete UdefineU program consists of four 30-minute-long streaming videos that can be downloaded directly from the Internet, covering:
- posture and poise
- voice and speech
- etiquette
- style
These audio files are accompanied by pdf files that can be downloaded to your computer and printed out at your convenience. These comprise:
- UdefineU's exclusive style cards
- UdefineU's unique style guide
- A free bonus Reference Guide
Every aspect of the program is beautifully presented and has been produced to the highest quality standards.
how it's helping me
Within minutes of watching one of the streaming videos - I started with Posture and Poise, followed by Voice and Speech - I felt a building sense of excitement mixed, I must confess, with a few nerves.
I'm not trying to suggest that the video itself builds a movie-style tension to draw you to the edge of your seat (although I did find myself sitting upright on the edge of my seat a little while later!). The nerves were prickling because the video had stirred up some feelings from deep within me; feelings that I'd not listened to seriously for a very long time.
The introduction to my first video was serene and rather uplifting. The music that accompanied "Do you know how beautiful you are?" was not patronising or corny; it really made me feel curious enough to ponder the answer. Then those nerves came alive when, out of nowhere, I had a couple mental flashbacks to my teenage years.
I was brought up in a town in northern England called Blackburn, Lancashire. I went to a school where saying "yes" instead of "yeah" was considered to be posh, distant, snobby and - in today's terms - definitely uncool. There were other unwritten rules for social acceptance too: among them that ballet dancing was for sissies and snobs, and sitting up straight during lessons made you Miss Prim & Proper.
For those of you unfamiliar with my hometown but who may be fans of Frasier, a Lancashire accent makes you sound like Daphne Moon. So, during my first year at University near London, I frequently became the object of some hilarity because of the way I spoke. Ironically, when I returned home at Christmas that year, I recall three young men in a bar poking fun at me for being posh, of all things, so some of the coarseness of my pronunciation must have been rubbed off without my knowing.
The UdefineU videos made me realise that I had never consciously dealt properly with all these crazy, conflicting, nonsense stereotypes that evidently formed a part of my youth. Because at the time it had made me feel rather awkward, I suppose I had just buried thoughts about the meaning of things like etiquette, posture, poise, elegance, and the way I speak.
Yes, of course as I matured I had worked hard to develop my own unique style of communication, and experience has shown me that I can create a presence or command an audience when I want to. But have I really been presenting myself in the best possible way? My truthful answer has to be no. I'm not talking about being approval-seeking here, it's more about ensuring that I make the most appropriate impact.
So where am I now? As I write, I've watched all of the UdefineU videos once and I've made myself a commitment to watch them again at least four times before February next year. I am going to extract whatever I can, and whatever I don't know already, from the videos so that I can absorb their teachings into my way of living, my way of being.
Why four more times? Well, partly because I know I have some latent feelings of "Oh, I feel silly doing some of this" and "Gosh, there's a lot to take in all at once". And partly because I want to change some of my deep-seated habits, and I know that doing so will take time and repetition.
Even though I am a confident speaker and, because I am well-practised, feel relatively few nerves when speaking in front of hundreds of people, and even though I have achieved results I am proud of over the years, I still think that the Voice and Speech package will be the most challenging for me. It tells me that I need to focus on my posture, manner of breathing, voice vibration, pitch, voice placement (projection), articulation of sounds and choice of language. Wow, it sounds daunting and fun at the same time!
a beautiful package
The UdefineU programs are packed with memorable little tips that just seem to stick in your mind. I particularly loved the one about clasping a tissue with your thumb and middle finger, whilst using your elbow to manoevre your arm gracefully. Of course, the video explains this act of manual dexterity much more elegantly than I have just done, but I've tried it for myself and - while still feeling a bit self-conscious - thought to myself "that is so much more elegant than the way I would usually grab a tissue out of the box to wipe my daughter's runny nose!"
That's what I love about this beautiful package, it contains countless (I honestly couldn't count them all) small but incredibly powerful tips that all start fitting together once you start adding a few to your new ways of doing things.
Honestly, I was blown away by the UdefineU program. It was far better than I had anticipated. There was so much information. It was very well balanced as I was thinking of the different UdefineU videos. I think they covered pretty much everything: how to walk, how to sit, how to dress, how to behave, and how to talk, and I know you have more senses, but that pretty much covers it! UdefineU is not trying to command anything on you, they are giving it to you in a very gentle flowing way, as though they were suggesting to you whether or not you would like to do this, it's up to you. The whole thing it's U defining U, which is absolutely perfect - you determine the type of person that you want to be and apply UdefineU's simple principles to make it happen. Joy
what does it cost?
The price of the complete program is currently $24.99, but you can choose to purchase individual lessons for $9.99 each.
summary
UdefineU is no ordinary off-the-shelf superficial or remarketed pack of details. The program is a pure delight. It hangs together, it's polished, professional, and packed with valuable information that collectively can help any of us to hone that "It" factor - you know, the hard-to-define quality that enables you to turn heads as you walk into a room, delight people with your presence, captivate an audience, enthrall the people you speak with, and leave a lasting positive impression.
If you would like more of this "It" factor, all you have to do is dare to put into practise what you will learn from the UdefineU program and then take pleasure in the results. For myself, I cannot say that I'm there yet, but I'm loving the journey!
Please click here or on the banner below to this highly recommended website to see for yourself!
