Top 10 Tips To Be A Better Speaker: From Breathwork, Caffeine and Custom Playlists to Riding the Adrenalin
As a professional keynote speaker for the last seven years, I’ve created a few tips and techniques for how to be a better speaker.
From custom music playlists to breathwork to strategic use of caffeine, I’ve figured out how to perform at my best.
I know for many people public speaking is terrifying! But don’t worry, there are ways to make it a bit easier.
Whether you’re doing a keynote in front of thousands of people or just addressing your weekly team meeting, here’s a few that may help you.
Sleep: It all starts with the night before. Getting a solid eight hours of unbroken sleep does wonders for your energy. Eat a light dinner, go to bed early, don’t drink any alcohol and try and wake up naturally with no alarms disturbing your circadian rhythms. It sets the foundation for everything the next day.
Exercise: Try and exercise the morning of your talk, at least 30 minutes of vigorous cardio — enough to get the endorphins flowing. That will keep your body buzzing with good energy when you walk out on stage.
Meditation: Spend at least 10 minutes meditating with your favorite app (I like Headspace or Samsara) to clear your mind of all the clutter before you walk out on stage.
Breathwork: The breath is the key to controlling your parasympathetic nervous system. I use an app like Breathwork which has different modules depending on if you want to calm down or get more energized before you go out on stage.
Vocal Warm Ups: Ok this may sound weird, but just like exercise warms up your muscles, you need something to warm up your voice. I used YouTube tutorials like this one but you can easily find ones that suit your vocal range with a quick search.
Create Your Own Music Playlist: I have a custom playlist on Spotify that I listen to before I walk out on stage, thats filled with music that gets me hyped. Whether its Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’ or ‘Eye of the Tiger’ by Survivor, create your own mixtape! And bonus points if you sing it out loud for extra vocal warm up.
Caffeine: I find a single shot of espresso about 30 minutes before I go out on stage primes me just right to get my brain working faster and my senses working clearly. This is not for everyone! Especially if caffeine makes you jittery and nervous. In that case, maybe a nice cup of green tea would do the trick.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate: Just like an athlete, you need to be well hydrated to be at peak performance. The trick is to time your consumption of fluids so your bladder isn’t bursting while you are in the middle of your talk! So use the bathroom right before you step out on stage and that should give you some breathing room.
Ride the Adrenalin: When you step out on stage and see an audience in front of you, the body releases adrenalin in a fight or flight reflex. Sometimes that can overwhelm you! If you can play a video for a minute at the beginning of your talk, it can give you a breathing space to get your body under control. And then use the adrenalin to keep you going the rest of the talk.
Go for a Walk: After I finish speaking, I often feel like a lightbulb thats been burnt out. I like to go for a nice long walk, ideally somewhere with some nature, to help me restore and refresh my energy.
I hope you find these tips useful! Feel free to reach out to me at af@conspiracyoflove.co if you have any others you recommend.