How to Prepare your Mind/Body to Give Great Speeches

Sure you have catecholamines ? all speakers do. (including Sir Winston Churchill and Presidents Kennedy, Carter, and Reagan.) Those are the chemicals that make you sweat, make your heart beat fast and make your hands shake. Get rid of those chemical and psychological reactions by becoming message-centered and audience-centered, not self-centered.

1 Replace fear and negative noise with positive affirmations. Create new beliefs that nurture you and support you with new ways of thinking. The New Adult You! example: "I am well prepared, and the audience wants me to succeed."

2. Do a quiet meditation, visualization, or exercise before you speak. Breathe deeply. Deep breathing sends a message to your brain that you have nothing to fear. It calms you down.

3 Who cares if you're nervous? Researchers have found that most people report noticing little or no anxiety in a speaker. If you are thoroughly prepared, your internal nervousness seldom shows. Prepare 150%.

4.Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Talk out loud, and walk around while you practice. Use the same physical energy you plan to use on the day of your presentation.

The Coach sez. . . practice in front of your mirror .Practice in the car. If you can concentrate while driving, you will be able to pull it from your unconscious when are you in front of the group. Make your points sound spontaneous and conversational.

5. Exercise is an antidote to stress. Arrive early and take a brisk walk for at least five minutes. If it is raining or snowing outside, you can still do some body stretches.

6. Abstain from caffeine and alcohol before you speak. You don't need more jitters. Always wear your favorite outfit and use attractive colors. Women, go simple on the jewelry. Avoid too much black and white.

7. For trembling hands, place your hands on the side of your chair, and, count to 10 as you try to lift the seat. This is an isometric exercise that works and nobody will notice you doing it.

8. Don't be perfect. Give yourself permission to make mistakes. No one is perfect in real life. Get the butterflies in your stomach to fly in formation. That's how you convert your stress into speaking power!

9. Reduce your nervousness by taking several deep breaths immediately before you 're introduced. And for you chocoholics, eat some chocolate to relax your vocal chords.

11 If you experience dry mouth, chew your tongue to increase saliva flow. Singers do this. Close your lips and bite down on the entire surface. Always have a glass of tepid (not cold) water nearby.

12 Focus on a friendly face in the audience. Pretend you are having a conversation, rather than giving a speech. Just be yourself.

13 The Coach sez. . .Most of all, enjoy yourself and have fun. SMILE. After all, aren't you glad to be there? The sign of a mature adult is one who does not take himself too seriously.

14 Here is a vocal warm-up exercise used at the Ryal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. Say:PaPaPaPa, BaBaBaBa, TaTaTaTa, DaDaDaDa, KaKaKaKa, GaGaGaGa Then do it backwards. (from Robert and Rande Gedaliah)

Get more speaking skills at our "Summer Sizzle" webpage: www.schrift.com/summer_sizzle.htm

©2004 by Sandra Schrift. All rights reserved

Publishing Guidelines: You are welcome to publish this article in its entirety, electronically, or in print fre*e of charge, as long as you include my full signature file for ezines, and my Web site address. Please send a courtesy link or email where you publish to sandra@schrift.com. Thank you.

About The Author

Sandra Schrift 13 year speaker bureau owner and career coach to emerging and veteran public speakers who want to "grow" a profitable speaking business. I also work with business professionals and organizations who want to master their presentations.

To find out How to Become a Highly Paid Professional Speaker, go to http://www.schrift.com/ProfessionalSpeaker/

Join complimentary bi-weekly Monday Morning Mindfulness ezine http://www.schrift.com/monday.htm

---

Getting Results from Your Writing & Speaking

When we communicate, we usually want something to happen. We... Read More

Top 7 Tips for Speakers

Public Speaking is the number one way to advance your... Read More

15 Tips For Making A Great Speech

1. Listen to your internal dialog. 2. Visualize a positive... Read More

Ten Speech Tips for Writing Powerful and Persuasive Presentation

Have you ever had to give a speech?Do you remember... Read More

How to Answer Questions Your Audience Will Ask

In elementary school, most of us asked questions which were... Read More

Etiquette - An Essential Ingredient to Your Success As a Public Speaker

Sadly, the public speaking circle has its fair share of... Read More

Speak With E?s Part 2

"Educate, Energize, Entertain, and provide an experience for your audience"1.... Read More

For Speakers: Ten Tips on How to Increase Your Fees

One of the most important tools speakers use is their... Read More

Voice Coaching - Training Your Voice to Give Better Presentations

Picture a cool crisp autumn morning in the wide open... Read More

Directing Voiceovers: Dont Be, Do!

Directing a voice-over talent you've hired to read a spot... Read More

How to be a Great Speaker

Did you know that great speakers are often nervous with... Read More

How to Write and Deliver an Outstanding Speech - Using the PEPP Talk Forumla

I learned my craft as a speaker a long time... Read More

How to Prepare your Mind/Body to Give Great Speeches

Sure you have catecholamines ? all speakers do. (including Sir... Read More

How to Polish Your Speaking Skills: Its Time for T.I.P.S.

When requested to write an article about public speaking tips,... Read More

Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking

Knocking knees, butterflies (who came up with that word?) in... Read More

20 Tips to Becoming a Professional Speaker: How to be a Rising Star

Entering the speaking industry can be both daunting and exciting.... Read More

How Well Do You Speak?

The ability to speak well can enhance your career, clinch... Read More

How to Present Your Proposal at an Executive Meeting

What's the worst reaction you've ever gotten when you made... Read More

Speakers Learn How to Define Your Niche

This is one of the hardest things speakers have to... Read More

Speech Presenting - Seven Ways to Tailor Your Speech to the Audience

Every speech has an audience and every audience is different.... Read More

Ethics in Speaking: A Practical Point of View

Often managers have to deliver presentations with unpleasant content. The... Read More

Presentation Skills Without PowerPoint

Can you identify what each of these actions or activities... Read More

The Ten Habits of Highly Effective Speakers

Successful speakers do not do all the right things all... Read More

The Top 5 Public Speaking Questions Answered

There are a number of questions that we consistently get... Read More

How to Use your Inner Circle

Who do you know that knows that you speak?There is... Read More

Pay Attention To Your Appearance!

During the coffee break of one conference I attended, whispers... Read More

Foreign Translations of Your Talk - How Do You Ensure Your Message is Delivered Properly?

There are a number of possibilities as to how this... Read More

The Porch Light* Method to Speaking Confidence

You know the feeling. Looking out at a sea of... Read More

Performance Feedback: Why Were Scared and How Not to Be

Effective communication is not a one-way street. It involves an... Read More

Overcoming Your Fears of Public Speaking

You're waiting your turn to make a speech, when suddenly... Read More

Get Real

Humans are born storytellers, but our education system doesn't help... Read More

Speaking Body Language

I observed an almost surreal event when I was a... Read More

How To Dramatically Improve Your Public Speaking Skills

This Article Is For Those Who Understand How Persuasive Communication,... Read More