Tips You Can Use to Calm Your Nerves Before Speaking
Do you get nervous before you present? Did you know that stress often creates vocal symptoms? The most common voice symptoms associated with stress include: tight voice, voice breaks, weak voice, and a shrill, high pitch. If you experience these symptoms (or any others) in stressful situations try the following exercises before speaking:
- Concentrate on deep breathing for one minute to ground yourself.
- Initiate a yawn (to relax) and then sigh.
- Hum a song. (Also, naturally relaxing.)
These three activities can help you become relaxed and warm up your voice before you speak. Additionally, being well-rehearsed takes a lot of the stress out of public speaking. Practice your presentation out loud several times so that you get used to hearing yourself talking.
Public speaking is a fun journey of exploring and trying new things. Enjoy the process and the self-confidence you will achieve as you become a better speaker.