Physical Preparation: Warm Up and Relax Your Body and Face

1. Stand on one leg and shake the other. (Hold into a chair if you need to.) When you put your foot back on the ground, it’s going to feel lighter than the other one. Now, switch legs and shake. You want your energy to go through the floor and out of your head. This sounds quite cosmic; it isn’t. It’s a practical technique used by actors.

2. Shake your hands…fast. Hold them above your head, bending at the wrist and elbow and then bring your hands back down. This will make your hand movements more natural. Pretend to ‘conduct’ for a few moments.

3. Warm up your face muscles by chewing in a highly exaggerated way.

4. Do shoulder and neck rolls.

5. Warm up your eyes by looking at an imaginary clock. Look at 12, now move them to 3, then down to 6, up to 9 then 12. After doing this 3 times, reverse the direction 3 times.

All of these exercises serve to warm up and relax you. Those exaggerated movements make it easier for your movements to flow more naturally. Now you can concentrate on your message and connecting to the audience.

With large audiences when your talk is IMAGed, (image magnification) the audience will be looking at you more as they do at the movies. These simple techniques used by actors will help you book more natural and professional, and feel more relaxed.

Article by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE