Many of my coaching clients ask me "Eleni, do you ever get nervous before you present?"  I always answer with a roll of my eyes, a toss of my head, and an "Are you kidding?  Of course I do!"  Butterflies always knock around my stomach.  "Moe and Shmoe," the little "judgers" in my head, love to hop out onto either shoulder and whisper debilitating, nasty little judgments expressly designed to trip me up, like "They all know you're a fake!" My body gets tense, my breathing becomes rapid- clear signs of "fight or flight." But here's the thing:  After all these years presenting and performing on countless stages, I've learned to harness those butterflies and make them work for me.  The tools and techniques I use to quiet and center myself and keep myself on task when I am presenting are the very same ones I teach my coaching clients. 

I had the opportunity to test out my own tools and techniques in a big way just last week when I presented- not once but twice- at the National Speaker's Association yearly convention in San Diego.  The first presentation was scheduled for the ungodly hour of 8 am, when I was expected to sing my song, The Tallest Poppy, on the main stage in front of three thousand of my professional peers and colleagues.  Yikes!

Now I want to declare for the record that I am not a morning person.  Eight o'clock in the morning is not exactly the ideal time for me to raise my voice in song, especially for a massive audience of my professional peers.  Speaking or performing for an audience of people who don't do what I do is one thing; speaking or performing for an audience of people who speak and perform for a living is, well, another.  Was I nervous?  OH, baby!  I TRULY did not want to screw up in front of this very discerning audience. So, yep, I was nervous.  But I was also terribly excited, and committed to doing a great job, especially because I was going to be sharing the stage with over 100 children, the NSA youth leaders, who were going to sing the last chorus with me. I knew that if I was willing and able to be totally present, my performance could be moving and memorable for everyone concerned.

So, what did I do to help myself stay calm and focused, to squish down those nasty little judging voices that pop out under "fight or flight" conditions?  I did what I tell my clients to do:  I opened up my Preparation Toolkit and ritualistically prepared for my performance.  Here's what I did:

I rehearsed on stage the day before the presentation and made sure my technical requirements (vocal mic and guitar amplification) were properly met.  That same day, I had a separate rehearsal with the children to make sure they were as familiar with their vocal part as possible.  The morning of the presentation, I donned a carefully chosen "costume" that helped me feel glamorous and professional (and I knew would help me be properly seen out on stage). I put my makeup on carefully (applying makeup always helps encourage my "inner performer" to come out and play) so that my face and features could be seen to advantage on the two big screens that flanked the stage.  I got to the stage area half an hour earlier than required, and then made a point of standing on an open-air balcony and vocalizing (much to the surprise of several early-morning joggers passing below). Back inside, I quietly went through the lyrics of my song and tuned up my guitar so it was pitch perfect. And-perhaps most important of all- I continuously tensed and released (with a sounded "aaaahhhhh" exhalation) any and all areas of my body that were accumulating physical tension (or "armor" as I like to call it).  This tensing and releasing of physical "armor" through the use of a sounded exhalation was taught to me by master acting teacher Michael Howard, and is one of the most valuable and powerful tools I know to keep my body and my mind tension free and available to work.   I kept this up continuously, even through the surprise lighting problems that caused us to delay the show by fifteen minutes:  The more agitated and tense the folks around me got, the more I worked to release any tension in my body, and keep my breathing centered and relaxed. 

At this point, interestingly enough, a very nice woman approached me as I waited in the wings and said "Can I stand next to you?  You seem so calm!  Everyone else is a bundle of nervous energy, but you are just radiating peace."  My breathing and relaxation work was paying off! By the time I got my cue to go, I was perfectly ready do my thing, and do it well:  My body was relaxed and available; my breathing was nicely modulated; "Moe and Shmoe," my little self-judgers, were in full retreat; and my butterflies were flying in a controlled formation.  I walked out onto the stage in full possession of my wits and happily nailed the song.

Afterwards, several people commented on how relaxed, calm and in command I appeared on the stage.  Again, I had to smile!  Little did they know what it had taken for me get to- and stay in- that serene state.  But thanks to the tools in my performers toolkit, I HAD gotten there: My breathing and relaxation work-as well as other preparation rituals- had helped me pass with ease through a potential minefield!

Remember:  You cannot properly transmit or receive in a physical body that is tense or locked up!  Relaxation and breathing (and a proper "Tool Kit" filled with your unique assortment of pre-show rituals) are the key. And, as you can see from my own example, that applies to highly experienced speakers as well as those just starting out.

By the way, I've finally recorded an audio CD of my  BREATHING AND RELAXATION EXERCISES.  If you're interested in buying a copy, write to me by clicking here.