Comments on: How To Prepare For Public Speaking

By: Vlad Mackevic

Vlad Mackevic — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 23:51:24 +0000

one strange but good piece of advice – avoid black tea because it dries up your throat and hinders the voice. And also eat prunes before the performance (despite the “good for the bowel” stigma). Prunes are great for the voice. Deep diaphragmatic breathing (when you feel your sides expand) also helps – as does speaking slowly. But those require training. When you learn to breathe with your diaphragm, your voice comes from the bottom of your ribcage and it does not make your throat as tired as normal speaking (the technique which I learnt during my choir experience).

By: Writers and public speaking

Writers and public speaking — Sun, 30 May 2010 22:28:34 +0000

[...] Penn on her blog The Creative Penn has written an excellent article on this very topic. Her article How to prepare for public speaking covers the topic really well. I recommend that you flip over there and have a read – or listen to [...]

By: Ami Mattison

Ami Mattison — Sun, 30 May 2010 15:23:08 +0000

Joanna, how exciting that you’re doing workshops and speaking engagements! You might think about some vocal training as well as learning some deep breathing exercises. I trained vocally during high school and college, and what I learned continues to help me in my performances. One trick is to keep your vocal cords and neck muscles relaxed, which takes training and practice. Also, using your diaphragm to breathe deeply while speaking helps you to project your voice without straining it. But it’s hard to do a whole day of speaking without having a little voice strain. So, maybe with more marathon sessions you’ll naturally adapt. Good luck!

By: Joanna Penn

Joanna Penn — Sat, 29 May 2010 03:42:53 +0000

Thanks Ami – I’d be interested in hearing about how to protect your voice as well. I almost lose mine after a day doing workshops!

By: Joanna Penn

Joanna Penn — Sat, 29 May 2010 03:42:10 +0000

Thanks Leanne, I get paid to speak on digital marketing for entrepreneurs as well as book related stuff. So maybe develop another topic for speaking if you want to make some money that way.
All the best

By: Joanna

Joanna — Fri, 28 May 2010 21:44:40 +0000

Exercise is a good one, or maybe just a walk for some fresh air. I love chatting prior, people become real, I become real too.

By: Ami Mattison

Ami Mattison — Thu, 27 May 2010 12:45:47 +0000

Thanks for the post, Joanna! Sounds like your prep for public speaking is a lot like my prep for performance. One difference is that I don’t listen to music. I really need peace and quiet. I especially like the idea of writing down an intention for the day. Thanks for the tip!

By: Leanne

Leanne — Tue, 25 May 2010 15:16:54 +0000

I like the idea of writing an affirmation for the day and of playing music to enegerize. I too am an intervert who enjoys doing speaking engagements. Instead of taking an aspirin I take a herbal treatment that calms my nerves before hand.
As I am beginning my writing career, I not been paid for my engagements yet. However, I have none a number of spoken word performances and book readings. I have enjoyed each and every one of them and would love to do more.
I even have a book reading on YouTube which you can access by visiting my web site.
I hope your talk went very well and thank you for sharing your tips.

By: Pat Testing Courses

Pat Testing Courses — Sun, 23 May 2010 13:26:50 +0000

I find my training courses go better if I’ve excercised beforehand. There’s no point being hot and sweaty before you get up, but some physical excercise gets the heart and lungs going and makes me feel less nervous.

I agree with the idea of an informal chat with some of the audience beforehand- it certainly is easier than going on to a crowd of unfamiliar faces. It also gives you an opportunity to impress- if some of your audience like you before you get up, you have a head start.