Stretch Your Face

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I’ve done some research on how many facial muscles one uses when speaking. I have yet to really find an answer that can substantiated with facts. According to Wikipedia, there are nineteen facial muscles. How many of them do we use when we speak? Who knows? But I do know we definitely use a few.

To help you articulate your words more comfortably and more smoothly, it helps to stretch your face muscles. First, find a location where no one can see you, because if people see you doing this, they may have you taken away in a little white jacket, with a drool cup hanging around your neck!

Now, open your mouth as wide as you can until it hurts a little all around your mouth. Stretch it for about five seconds, to loosen up the skin and muscles surrounding your mouth. After those few seconds, repeatedly say, “Why,” with a huge exaggeration of the mouth. Begin with your lips tightly pursed, and open as wide as you can while saying, “Why.” Do these stretches seven to ten times, and open your mouth as wide as you can on each occasion.

Once done, it’s time to reverse the motion. Begin as wide as you can, and say, “Yow,” closing your lips in a tight purse. Repeat this step seven to ten times as well.

Then, over-pronounce each vowel three or four times, stretching your face and tongue on each vowel. This will stretch all of the muscles you use to speak, and loosen the skin around your mouth so the words flow easier as you deliver your speech.

I have to give you a few words of caution about this process. Perform this stretching about fifteen minutes before you speak, and any red marks caused by the stretching have time to disappear before you take the stage. So, what’s the lesson? Stretch your face for more fluid pronunciation.

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Loosen Up Your Voice

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You know that singers do it, right? You should do it too. Even if you can’t sing a note, you should loosen up your vocal chords before you speak. It’s very simple. Just take some time alone in your car, in your hotel room or outside somewhere, and practice singing the, “do-re-mi” scale.

Why should you do this? Because speaking is just like singing, when you speak, you don’t maintain a constant pitch, volume, pace or tone. Your voice varies in order to apply emphasis as you speak. When your vocal chords are exercised, they loosen up and are free to express a variety of pitches and tones.

But there’s also a benefit that’s a little less obvious. Your vocal chords also help control your breathing, because they can close up and stop air from passing through.

When we get nervous, our muscles tense up. Our vocal chords are muscles, so they tense up as well, not only making speech more difficult, but making breathing more difficult.

All I do is my “do-re-mi” scale a few times in different pitches and at different volumes. I don’t force anything, or push my voice hard; I just apply a normal amount of volume and effort to get the vocal chords in motion. This helps me breathe, and helps my words flow more fluidly. So, what’s the lesson? Loosen up those vocal chords before you speak, and you’ll breathe easier as well as speak better.

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Don’t Rely on Them to Tell You

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Many years ago, I was teaching at ‘Willis College of Business and Technology’ in Ottawa. I was sitting on the front corner of the teacher’s desk, explaining a point to the class, and I could feel something amiss about the energy level in the room. The class, comprised mostly of women, seemed to be in a strange, an almost silly, mood. I concluded that it was due to my magnetic personality, causing the class full of women to be so capricious in my presence.

Then, one of the ladies at the back of the room held up her hand. I acknowledged her, and she said, “We have a problem.”

“What’s the problem?” I asked. “Your fly is down!” She replied, as she giggled. I looked down, and saw that she was telling the truth. Not only was my zipper down, but, because of the manner in which I was sitting on the edge of the desk, there was also a gaping hole to make it easier for the class to peer into my pants. I looked completely ridiculous! Before I entered the class room that day, I had chatted with at least a half dozen other people, any one of whom could have drawn my attention to the open crater in my midsection.

However, it was my own responsibility to check those things before I stepped up to teach, and I neglected to do so. When I was in high school, we had one geography teacher who always wiped the chalk off the board with his hands. (Back then it was chalk boards, not white boards.) He would then unconsciously wipe his hands on the seat of his pants.

Every time he turned his back to the class to write something on the board, there were two giant hand prints on his butt. As far as I know, no one ever mentioned it to him, because we all thought it was too funny. Maybe he did it on purpose, who knows? But the point is that none of us were going to tell him how foolish he looked.

Before you speak, go into the bathroom and examine yourself in the mirror. Make sure your zipper’s up, your suit pockets are empty, your hair is the way you want it, your tie is straight, your dress or skirt isn’t clinging, and you’re happy with the way you look. Most importantly, make sure there aren’t any green or black things stuck in your teeth!

So, what’s the lesson? Don’t rely on other people to tell you about a wardrobe malfunction, check it out for yourself, before you speak.

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Rehearse Your Opening Line

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Even an experienced speaker may, on occasion, forget his or her opening words.I was speaking at a “Your Stage” event in early 2010, and there were many people in the audience who were attending the event for the first time. Many of these first-timers were there specifically to hear me speak. I had a great presentation prepared, and I was excited about the opportunity to present to this group.

Since this was my own event, I was responsible for the set-up before the event began. When I arrived, I was busy setting up the screen, then the projector, and finally the laptop, on top of taking care of many little details that go along with hosting a presentation. In addition, I had to meet, to greet and to mingle with my guests.

Because of this, I didn’t get the quiet time I need to refresh my thoughts before I speak, therefore, I didn’t rehearse my opening line. Though I had it prepared, and had rehearsed it many times before this day, it wasn’t fresh in my mind because of all the distractions before the session.

When the time for me to speak came up, the Master of Ceremonies introduced me as I stepped onto the stage. I suddenly found myself with nothing to say. I looked into the faces of the audience, and my opening line completely escaped me. In silence, I tried to reach into my memory banks to find the words, but there were none to be found.

After what seemed like a month, I finally found some other words to open my presentation with, and I recovered quickly after that. I built up some momentum, and the presentation went smoothly onward. It was, however, an awful feeling when I found myself at a loss for words, even though it was for a few moments only. I was nearly overwhelmed, and the longer the words escaped me, the more the level of anxiety rose. Of course, as professionals, we’re expected to make it completely transparent to the audience, and I believe I was able to do so in this case, but it could have gone the other way. Had I not been able to generate some other opening remark in reasonably short order, my confidence would’ve gone south in a hurry and my presentation along with it.

So, what’s the lesson? Always rehearse your opening line a few minutes before you take the stage.

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Find Someone Friendly and Speak With Them

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In early 2011, ‘New York Times’ best selling author, Peggy McColl, spoke at my business education and networking group called “Your Stage.” The first thing she did when she took the stage was to ask everyone in the audience to smile. She said she doesn’t really like speaking in public, and the smiling faces help to calm her down. Of course, the entire audience gave her a nice big smile. Our official photographer, Ima Ortega, snapped some great pictures, and Peggy went on with an amazing presentation.

Was it all just a nice act? Not at all, there’s tremendous value in knowing that you have allies in the audience, especially if you’re a novice speaker. A good way to secure a few allies is to make a few new friends before you go on the stage. I do that by scoping out the room and hand-picking a few people who seem friendly.

I then approach them, and make a friendly connection, have a little chat and get to know a little about them. There are two benefits to doing this. The first benefit is that knowing someone in the audience, even a new acquaintance, gives you a feeling of comfort. It’s a psychological anchor you can use to emotionally ground yourself if you’re feeling anxious.

The other benefit is more practical in nature. It gives you something familiar to refer to when you’re speaking. I even like to mention my new contact, especially if they’re someone prominent in the group. Let me share an example. I was speaking at a large networking function in early 2010, and I didn’t know anyone at this function. Not a soul. During the opening segment of the meeting, there was an opportunity to mingle, so I made a few connections. I conversed with a few attendees for a while, and picked up some information that was pertinent to my talk.

When the time came and I began my talk, I mentioned my new contacts by name, and referenced some pertinent parts of my conversation with them. “I was speaking with Bill Dobbs before the session this morning, and we discussed the fact that most people don’t have an agenda when they attend a networking function.” All of a sudden, anyone who knew Bill Dobbs felt a tiny bit of a connection with me as well, because I mentioned someone familiar to them in the conversation. Another benefit was the fact that Bill felt like a hero, because he’d had a personal impact on the presentation. It was a win-win situation for everyone.

So, what’s the lesson? If you don’t know anyone in the room, find a friendly face and make a new connection.

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