How to Attain Serenity Before Giving a Speech

How to Attain Serenity Before Giving a Speech

Here's the setup: you are seated at the head table of a large banquet hall, waiting to be introduced.

You are about to deliver a keynote presentation to a gathering of several hundred executives in your

particular field of endeavor.

Are you feeling jittery? Do you have butterflies flippity-flapping around in the pit of your stomach?

Good. If you didn't feel a bit nervous, then I would be concerned that one or more of the following

were true:

1.You are too overconfident in your subject matter.
2.You are too arrogant in general
3.You have ingested too much alcohol and/or too many other mood-altering substances in the

previous 30-60 minutes

However, in my experience as a technical trainer, IT professional, and astute audience member I have

seen not an insignificant number of public speakers blow otherwise fine presentations by needlessly

psyching themselves out due to mishandled fear or over-jangling nerves.


In this brief essay I will share with you some suggestions passed along to me by my mentors that help

me to attain a comfortable level of serenity before I teach classes or deliver other types of public

presentations. Note well, friends: by serenity I am not for one minute referring to an attitude of

lethargic, monotonic, sleepwalking, yawn-inducing platform speech. That is misunderstood,

stereotypical 'serenity.'

Rather, I'm talking about a form of serenity, or stillness of mind, body, and heart, that involves being

freed from the bondage of fear and therefore being able to move, speak, and act confidently,

dynamically, and vibrantly from your core. I find that when I am speak from this 'serene-state,' for

lack of a better word, my mind is as sharp as a tack, and my energy is channeled on the audience and

the subject matter (where it belongs)—not on my self-centered fears (where it does not belong). Make

sense? All right—Let's get started.

Here are the serenity tips in a nutshell:

1.Loosen Your Body
2.Wiggle Your Toes
3.Practice Deep Breathing



1.Loosen Your Body
Regardless of whether I am seated or standing when I am 'on deck' prior to giving a talk, I always

take special care to maintain an open body posture. There is something to be said for body language,

folks.

I don't know about you, but whenever I see a platform speaker with his or her arms folded tightly

across his or her chest, legs crossed, etc., I think "this person is either defensive, nervous, or both."

Another strong argument in favor of keeping your body in a wide-open and relaxed posture, and

believe me, I'm no yogi by any means, is that by doing so you increase blood flow throughout your

body. It stands to reason, as far as I am personally concerned, that increased blood flow to the brain

leads to a decreased probability of light-headedness. Similarly, increased blood flow to the extremities

leads to a decreased probability of tingling, numb limbs. And so on.

When I am seated prior to giving a presentation, I sit with my back erect. That said, while I sit waiting

for my turn at the podium I spend my time performing mini-stretches, isometric holds, and subtle

yoga poses with my neck, shoulders, arms, wrists, hands, back, torso, legs, and feet in order to

improve cardiovascular flow as well as to discharge nervous energy. As long as I'm discreet with these

movements, I don't appear like I have Tourette's syndrome to the audience.

A maxim with which I'm sure my fellow instructors and public speakers will heartily agree is that you

are always 'on display' to your audience, even before you appear on stage. Therefore, I always remain

hyper-aware of my body language both immediately prior to and immediately after giving a talk so as

not to inadvertently transmit mixed or negative signals to the audience.

The same body loosening suggestions apply for when I'm standing prior to giving a talk. Too much

movement is conspicuous (especially if I am standing at the front of the room already); however,

there are conservative yoga poses or stretches than can be undertaken that are practically invisible to

bystanders and other presentation attendees. I'd encourage you to do some research on posture,

stretching, ergonomics, and yoga for additional information.

My second suggestion, "Wiggle Your Toes," is related closely to this first topic.



2.Wiggle Your Toes
I referred to the 'wiggle your toes' tip in my related post "Three Good Public Speaking Tips." However,

it is a good suggestion and it bears repeating in this space.

When I was in elementary school my teacher told me when I was preparing go on stage to deliver a

speech during our third-grade play to "wiggle your toes and it will make your nervousness go away."


I'm not precisely certain what scientific method is at play behind the 'wiggle your toes' trick (I suspect

it has to do with the principle of distraction). Nevertheless, I recommend that you spend some or all

of your 'on deck' time in the minutes before you receive your stage cue wiggling your phalanges and

discover for yourself what effect, if any, this technique has on your fear/nervousness level. You may

be mildly or dramatically surprised.



3.Practice Deep Breathing
Stated simply, the practice of meditation, mindfulness, and deep breathing (they are all a single

concept, really) has changed my life. Before, during, and after a presentation, I'm aware of my

inbreaths and outbreaths. Doing so keeps me serene. Doing so delivers me from self-absorption and

allows me to focus on who and what are truly important: my students or audience, as well as the

information that I am obligated to pass along to the good people at the venue.

A great beginner's treatise on mindfulness and conscious breathing, in my opinion, is Thich Nhat

Hahn's The Miracle of Mindfulness.

You can also learn much about diaphragmatic breathing by searching the ol' Interweb. Check out the

following sites at your convenience:

Vacuuming the Lungs
Deep Breathing:
43 Folders: Mindfulness
I hope that you found this essay helpful. Surely, it seems to me that one could find benefit in these

suggestions even if you do not make your living as a teacher or as a professional speaker. After all,

almost everyone is asked to, say, offer a toast every once in a while, right? Or say a few words in

honor of a retiring colleague.

Have a great day.