How to Mentally Get Ready for Your Presentation

Training the body to deliver an effective message is like training for anything else. Ultimately, you have to: ‘Practice How You Play’.

As a speaker coach I often hear, "I wrote my speech down and read through it multiple times but when I went to present it, it did not come out the way that I rehearsed, at all.” When you prepare your content keep in mind that writing and reviewing your content is an introverted activity. When you study the differences between introversion and extroversion you learn that these are two completely different functions inside of the brain. One is quiet and contemplative, and the other is initiating and expressive.

Most likely, when we are reading on the couch, our pulse and blood pressure rates do not change; however, the very act of standing up, focusing bright lights and a camera on you, begin to change your physiology. We need to put the body under stress, while at the same time communicating our message.

Practicing out loud and standing up, in front of people, just as you will be at the time you present will build this chemistry in your brain that tells the body “everything is ok” and “you have this”. If you can, it is also wise to get familiar with the environment in which you will be speaking: check out the space, move through it and listen to how your voice sounds within it.

If a person was told in two days that he (or she) had to run a half-marathon, that person’s body and psyche would not be prepared. As an athlete would condition before a game, treat your “speaker’s body” the same way before a presentation. Get plenty of hydration, nutrition and rest. Condition your speaking muscles. Practice deep breathing and breath support before and during your speech. The more that you do this, the more that your nerves will melt away and the more that your brain will build the neural pathways that will tell your body, “you have done this before and you are prepared”.

Public speaking is the number one fear among people. The act has us suddenly doing something that our body is not typically conditioned for, it is no wonder that it reacts in such traumatic ways. We have to exercise the body, and this is where practice and preparation come in to the equation.

When you practice, try to replicate the potential scenarios that your body will experience at the event so that you can be better prepared. When I work with clients one-on-one, I take them to the site where they will be presenting and have them practice their speech. I worked with a CEO in preparation for his largest fundraiser, and we had him and his entire team don their tuxedoes and ball gowns to warm up and do a dry run. We practiced over and over, in the exact ballroom where the event was to take place. We encountered multiple distractions, like waiters dropping trays, errant talking and lights not working.

The CEO got very frustrated that these problems were occurring, but I just said, “Keep going, just push through it, because these items may happen on the night of the event and now you will be prepared”. He and his team were so successful, that they exceeded their financial expectations by a considerable margin. This result was due to this specific work that we did with them. This process does work, and not only for transforming people who have public speaking events, but also for improving people and their interactions with customers, investors and employees. Consider all of the possibilities and how better engagement may improve your top and bottom lines.

We encourage you to get as close to the experience as possible. If it is a Zoom meeting, go and practice there, if it is a conference room, go and practice there, your results will be so much better. The key is to best mimic the location in which you will be delivering your words. It also helps to throw yourself into the physical stress of the situation. Sometimes I direct clients to walk backwards or to do the ‘grapevine’ while they are doing a speech to mix up the left-right brain functions. I have had people recite their opening lines in plank position (yoga) because their body starts to go into physical distress. These are just a few ways to better anchor your material into your body. After all, the words live in you, not on your page.

Using a teleprompter is one of the most effective methods to get your content into your memory. Inexpensive teleprompter software is available for all computers and mobile devices. This method allows for continual engagement with your audience. If you practice from written notes, when you look down, grab only the next 5 or 6 words with just your eyes (for a quick cue), then look up at your audience and speak, as opposed to just reading from your notes.

Another important item to practice is the act of breathing. Seems obvious, right? You would be surprised how many people run out of air; then suddenly panic, as they try to catch their breath. Practice; breathe and practice. There are wonderful videos and other web-based tools that can help you with belly breathing or warrior breathing. Mark Divine, CEO of SealFit is a personal favorite. Incorporate your breathing exercises every day until the day of your event. When you step up to begin your presentation, take a deep breath or two and make eye contact with your audience. This will help you calm down and it will fill your lungs before you begin to speak. This will be extremely helpful in becoming present and is important so that you do not run out of air.

The majority of people speak from their neck up, without realizing that they are excluding the rest of their body. They do not get their full vocal range or the voice variety that is possible when you learn to speak from the diaphragm. These items assist with voice projection, as they bring the whole body into the experience. While speaking and rehearsing, focus on compressing your stomach and core, as if you are doing abdominal crunches in the gym, and you will soon discover a bolder personal sound.

When your body starts to react to public speaking, pause and remember that your body is only doing its job. Your body is informing you that you are about to do something out of the ordinary. This is your cue to send a message to your body to calm down. Nerves are not a bad thing; they are just signals to us.

Here is a message that you can send back to your body:

 Hello, body.

Thank you for bringing me here today.

I am about to give a presentation.

It is going to be fine.

It might even be awesome.

{Deep belly breath - in through nose, out through mouth}

~Kendall Colman is a C-level executive coach who advises some of the nation’s most elite leaders and brands.