Just like in Formula 1 when the lights go immediately from red to green, in a meeting there is no amber. You either leap in with your presence or get left behind in last position.
Thirty-eight percent of what we present is all to do with how we use our voice. But two years into the pandemic, is it incredibly hard to take time out, to stand up and warm up your body and voice.
Here are some quick hacks to get that 38% warmed up and ready and get you in pole position when you are sitting down.
- Sit with your bottom at the back of your chair.
- Plant your feet shoulder width apart.
- Now lean in to the screen and breathe in through your nose, closing your mouth.
- Breathe out through your mouth and lean a bit further in.
- Breathe in through your nose and feel the rush into your pelvic bone (where your bottom is), flowing down to your feet.
- Breathe out as if you are trying to blow out a candle. Feel the friction.
- If no one is around, send a very gentle hum around your head, starting at your nose, getting higher into falsetto, like the bee gees as your reach you forehead, then back to low like a male bass singer (Barry white always helps me) as you reach the bottom of your chin.
- Repeat this a bit quicker. You will feel certain notes you couldn’t make a sound on starting to come back You are waking up your voice.
- Now clean your teeth with your tongue eight times one way and eight times the other.
- For ten seconds, breathe incredibly quickly in and out through your mouth, almost hyperventilating (this is what Michael Caine does before he shoots on set).
- If you can, hum again and this time let the hum continue from a ‘mmm’ into ‘mmmmmy name is’ then say your name. It will be loud, clear, your eyes will be awake and you will feel alive.
- Now turn on your meeting. When the lights go from red to green, you are in pole position. Greet people with your energy and presence — don’t take theirs on!
