A president of a global company asked me, “What do you do just ahead of a big speech?”. We were working on a keynote presentation he was about to give in Spain.

Great question. You can be prepared, confident, ready. But what do you “do” to get into the zone the minutes before “D Day” aka Delivery Day?

My answer to my client

• Breathe.
• Practice your beginning and ending out loud.
• Do my 7 to 1 improv exercise.
• Arrive early.
• Give the meeting organizer your introduction to read about you, printed on hard copy (even though you’ve already emailed them a copy in advance)
• Set up any A/V equipment
• Play some fun music

Eleni Kelakos offers a great list of pre-show rituals gained from over two decades as a professional actor and an award-winning singer-songwriter in NYC and Hollywood. Eleni provides these suggestions in Speaker Magazine.

Eleni Kelakos’s Ritualized Pre-show Activities

• Vocal exercises
• Physical warm-up (stretching, running in place, Tai Chi)
• Uttering a mantra (“I know that I know”)
• Sipping room temperature water
• Belly breathing
• Running through your opening or closing
• Wearing or holding a sacred object (a pin from my mentor comes to mind)
• Repeating a prayer
• Be intentional on your specific preferred outcome

Kelako says to pick and choose what works for you.

By doing these rituals you minimize your conversations with your Shoulder Devil and maximize your presence.

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© 2024 Karen Cortell Reisman, All rights reserved