The fear of public speaking is so strong that our bodies respond to it as if it were a life or death situation. Often when getting ready to do a presentation or public speaking, your body will lock up, causing you to go into fight or flight mode. Connecting to your supportive breath is an important part of any presentation.
The stakes of your presentation may be high, however, finding a sense of calm is crucial so that you can do your job well. You don’t want to be a deer in headlights, right? Next time you are feeling stressed about presenting, you are not sure how to present or you want to simply practice, start with a supportive breath free from bad habits.
The following are three breathing exercises you can work on to connect to your supportive breath.
How to start with a low, supportive breath from your diaphragm or your low belly.
- Stand on your two feet, hip width apart.
- Feel your feet on the floor. Really feel them.
- Place a hand on your low belly, your diaphragm.
- Start to think about breathing from your diaphragm.
- Try not to move your shoulders as you breathe.
Can’t find your breath? That’s okay, connecting with your supportive breath for the first time can be difficult and finding a supportive breath when you are nervous takes time. Try this:
- Stand with your feet wide apart.
- Bend your knees deeply. (like a mini-squat)
- Place your hand on your low belly and your low back.
- Stay in this position for as long as you can.
- Feel your low belly and even your back extend with each breath.
Want to connect further to your body through breathing? If you you are able to, try this:
- Stand with your feet hip width apart.
- Feel your feet on the floor. Really feel them.
- Roll down vertebrae by vertebrae, starting with your head to your chest
- Your feet still feel the floor beneath you.
- Continue to roll down until you are folded over.
- Let your arms go.
- Breath from your diaphragm.
- Stay there for a while.
- Once you find your supportive breath, slowly roll back up one vertebrate at a time.
- Your head will be the very last thing to come up.
Breathing with awareness should never cause tension.
Connecting with your supportive breath should help your body loosen up when you are feeling stressed. Whether you are having trouble engaging your supportive breath and/or you have found your supportive breath but feel tense, these exercises will help you. To master finding and using your supportive breath, you must practice. Try these exercises at home and at work. You may find that your supportive breath is harder to engage before a presentation and that’s okay. Keep breathing.
To learn more about presenting with confidence, check out part two of Susanne’s article by clicking here.
If you looking to work on your presentation skills, check out what Bee Young Comms offers in terms of training by clicking here. To discover more about Susanne McDonald, click here.
To learn more about what Bee Young Comms can do to help you or your team, contact us today.
