Date: July 27, 2018
I step out on the stage. Even if my heart is pounding, I stand still as the lights come up and take a minute to look out and connect with the audience. Then I close my eyes, and for one moment I’m alone. I take a breath. I remember my purpose: why I wrote this song and why I want to share it. In that moment, I’m completely present and more alive than I have ever been. It’s time to sing.
What does all this have to do with the presentation you need to give next Monday? More than you might think. You will have a purpose. You will have an audience. You may even have sweaty palms and a racing heart. But there are plenty of lessons from the concert stage that you can apply on your own stage. Here are three key ones.
Every performer and business presenter has felt their palms sweating and their pulse racing. Successful ones feel it and keep going. Dismiss your inner critic. You can either focus on WHAT you are doing or HOW you are doing. You can’t do both at the same time. WHAT is better. But most important, focus on why it is worth it for you to speak, the importance of your message, and keep going.
Singers are musicians who use their body as the instrument. In a professional setting, so are you. Eye contact; breathing; posture; gestures. Your body is not just your instrument of sound, but also your power source, your visuals and your special effects.
Here is one quick exercise you can use to power up your voice before presenting:
Imagine the roof of your mouth is the ceiling of a vaulted cathedral. Airy, lifted, roomy and tall. Now yawn. Yes, really, yawn! Feel your soft palate lifting in the back of your throat. Imagine you could swallow a small tangerine whole. As your throat actually opens up it creates more space for resonance. The more resonance you have, the more dynamics you can create when speaking. Tone improves, vocal inflections become more varied, and the end result of that is a more engaging sound that holds the attention of an audience. Speaking with a soft yawning sensation will force your larynx to relax -- and a by product will be that YOU actually relax as well. Keep your jaw dropped. Keep your tongue loose (as if you have had a few beers.) Elongate and narrow your vowels. Keep your face neutral (not stretched or wide with nervous smiling.) And remember to keep the roof of your mouth lifted. Your voice will be strong and powerful and so will your presentation.
Most people fill silences when they are speaking, with “um” and “you know.” That’s because dead air, for even a few seconds, can seem terrifying. But actually, pausing for dramatic effect, or just to collect your thoughts, is a powerful performance tool. Great performers know that the right pause increases their presence. Plus, whatever you say after a good pause sounds really ----------- really ------------- important!
Instead of being the person who blathers on, pause and keep the audience on the edge of their seats to hear what comes next.
Once you realize the relevance of voice techniques to your daily business performances, there is a wealth of resources and coaching available -- including voice coaching that applies singing techniques to public speaking.
What are your special challenges around speaking at work? What techniques have worked for you?
Date: June 13, 2018
We all have something we would like to say no to but don’t. It could be an invitation that feels obligatory, it could be a task at work, it could be a social obligation, a romantic advance, or could be simply declining anchovies on your pizza. While almost everyone has this, women often have extra difficulty saying no, and social pressure to say yes. As women we have been taught to be accomodating, polite, patient, amenable and deferring to “higher” authority. The consequences of this range from unwanted anchovies all the way to the horrors that have come to light through #metoo.
Being able to say “no” and make it stick isn’t just saying the word, it is using your voice of authority. Voice of authority is both mental and physical, and can be practiced. Here is one voice training inspired exercise I use with coaching clients. I hope you find it helpful.
In this exercise, we reject something with the simple but powerful word “NO.” And then we run through a melody saying “NO” with power, conviction, sincerity, and personal authority.
This exercise is more about intention, tone and pitch than just about practicing a word most women don’t use frequently enough. Speakers, like singers have the most power when they speak about something they believe in. Like a method actor, we must root our expression in an anchor of past experience or personal reference that actually matters to us. But we also need to express this intention in a physically authoritative voice.
That’s why this exercise is sung in your chest voice. You may ask what is your “chest voice?” Your chest voice is the voice that you naturally speak in. Say “hello” out loud without animated inflection. Yes, right now, do it. Simply say a plain “hello.” That’s your chest voice! See? Easy. You’re halfway there. The chest voice is your voice of authority. It has depth and power. It’s not looking for approval and it should not be an effort to speak from this place.
Ready?
First, think of one thing that resonates for you personally to which you want to be able to say “no.” Now, close your eyes and think of that unacceptable or unappealing thing.
Now sing a famous song you know well, for example, “Let It Be” by the Beatles (but it could be any song really, as long as you know it well.) Sing the melody using only the word “no”. Think of the personal reference of something in your life that you would prefer to decline or say no to. And say “no” to the tune of “Let It Be.” Sing the whole song on “NO!”
How does it feel to say “no” to something that you sincerely wish to decline? For many it is liberating. And for the listener, it is believable.
Saying no is a choice that matters as much as saying yes, and possibly even more. After all, we are defined as much by what we are not as what we are. What we decline makes room for what we choose to accept.
Here’s to authoritative “NO”s that make room for your freely chosen “yes”!
