If you’ve ever felt your voice trail off or caught yourself clenching your jaw as nerves creep in mid-presentation, you’re not alone. Fear not though as former actor and co-founder of Be Your Own Coach, Kathy Brooke, shares some of her go-to warm-up techniques to help release tension, sharpen delivery and elevate your next presentation or public speaking gig.
Hold tight…this one is about to get weird.
Welcome to week three of our February Public Speaking and Presenting series, where we move beyond understanding the ‘why’ behind the fear of public speaking and the secret weapon to mastering those fears.
This week, I have brought along my trusty ‘actor’s toolkit’, full to the brim of techniques and exercises to support clear diction and delivery. From the tongue to the toes, no part of you is safe from the theatrical wrath that is about to be thrust upon you!
READ MORE: Prolific Mindset: Why public speaking feels like a ‘threat’ — and how to reframe it
Let’s start by addressing a growing challenge that I see when working one-to-one on public speaking.
For most of us, our daily reality involves some form of microphone device. AirPods, phones, headsets, laptops, car audio systems, smart watches … even our Ring doorbell enables us to shout after the Evri delivery driver when they drop-kick your parcel three doors down.
We are surrounded by technology from every angle, and these devices have taken over our need to enunciate – making us lazy when it comes to diction and articulation. In the realm of public speaking, this presents as unclear, muffled, barely audible speech. Nightmare!
Now, I am not suggesting we all adopt a Morgan Freeman-esque voice when ordering a flat white at Starbucks. However, we can take some of these theatrical warm-up techniques to ensure we are getting the most bang for our buck in terms of vocal delivery.
READ MORE: Prolific Mindset: The secret weapon for tackling those public speaking nerves
So let’s start with the bit that holds it all together – the jaw.
Many people hold a fair amount of tension and stress in their jaw, with clicking, aching jaws and teeth grinding forming part of their everyday reality. Needless to say, that tension is a hindrance when it comes to diction and clear speech, so we need to give it a helping hand.
A bit like you would with any muscle ache, self-massage is a great way to relax tension and encourage movement in the area. I would recommend starting by placing two fingers on the side of the face, at the top of the jaw, just an inch diagonally down from the ears. With light pressure, massage this part of the jaw in a circular motion, adjusting the pressure until you feel some muscular release.
Once you have got the hang of this, continue while opening and closing the jaw. Don’t hold back. I always recommend going ‘above and beyond’ here (as long as it’s not uncomfortable), purely so that when you come back to ‘normal’, it feels very mobile.
A second exercise you can try is to imagine you are chewing a tiny piece of toffee – keeping the lips closed throughout.
As you chew, imagine the toffee becoming bigger and bigger until it is filling the whole mouth. At this point, your mouth and jaw will be embodying a slow, laborious cement mixer! This might evoke a yawning sensation – brilliant! If it does, take the biggest, most exaggerated yawn of your life, really opening the mouth and letting all the muscles stretch out (just make sure you’re not sitting in a meeting at this point!).
Okay, your jaw is sufficiently warmed up – now for the tongue.
If you think of the tongue as a big, flat sponge in our mouths, if it is just lying there, flat and lifeless, it is absorbing and potentially limiting the amazing projection possibilities you unlocked in last week’s column when we explored projection.
So let’s wake it up and get it engaged.
Keeping the lips closed, I’d like you to circle the tongue in front of the teeth as if you are cleaning the front of your teeth. Try that 10 times clockwise and then 10 times anti-clockwise.
Do not worry if this feels achy and difficult – that’s just evidence that we really do need to loosen and release this muscle.
Exercise number two focuses on the front of the tongue, which is crucial for clarity in articulation.
First of all, try to touch your nose with the tip of your tongue, then try to touch the bottom of your chin. Next, aim to get the tongue to touch the corner of your lips on the right, then the left. Repeat this ‘four-point exercise’ a few times as quickly as possible. The aim of the game is to really wake up the dexterity in the front of the tongue.
Finally, let’s bring the body into the mix.
If you spend most of your day sat at your desk, there is a high chance your shoulders might rest slightly forward and your general posture might appear a little ‘closed’.
This isn’t ideal if we want to hold our space in a room and embody a persona of confidence and authority.
I’m not asking you to walk around like you have just bench-pressed a Highland cow, but I am suggesting you give your body a bit of a wake-up stretch to really encourage you to take up space with pride. Simple stuff like stretching the arms out wide, reaching up tall, clasping your hands behind you to stretch the chest, and rolling the shoulders back and down are all great ways to loosen any tightness in the upper body and release tension or stress in these areas.
Tony Robbins famously has a small trampoline at the side of the stage to bounce on before he presents, so I am sure you can have a quick stretch without feeling too daft.
Which brings me to my final point. As an ex-actor, it is easy for me to share these techniques. However, if this is new for you, pop your ego aside, focus on the goal and find a way for this to become part of your pre-presentation prep.
If you feel a bit silly, find a private spot to try these out, or allocate time at home to weave this into your day.
Remember, if you want to see any form of change in your results, we first have to do something different, so give these a go, and enjoy your newfound clarity and confidence in your delivery.
I’ll see you next week for our final episode of this Public Speaking and Presenting mini-series.
