If you want to knock it out of the park at your next speaking gig, be prepared both physically and mentally — before you get on stage.

Here are 4 public speaking exercises for optimum performance.

1. Schedule time for light exercise. Don’t run 10 miles, but consider going for a walk or taking a yoga class. Exercise releases endorphins, so you’ll feel good. Plus, releasing a little nervous tension will help you be less jittery in front of your audience.
2. Get in the right headspace. Go through your outline one last time and memorize the first few lines of your presentation. If you nail the opening, chances are you’ll feel more confident. Don’t think about what you’re eating for lunch, the meeting you have later in the day or the tune-up that you missed yesterday. Just focus on your presentation and how great it’s going to be.
3. Remember that you love what you do and you’ve earned the right to be in front of the room as an expert. Let your passion shine through. Nobody wants to listen to a robot, so use your emotions and tell personal stories that connect with the audience’s challenges. Being human and transparent helps attendees remember the content and you better.
4. And lastly, warm up your voice. As a speaker, your voice is your most important tool and we often neglect it. Drink some water. Warm up your vocal cords. Remember those annoying warmups from your high school choir? Yeah, do those. Greg Justice from Virginia Tech has a great warm up routine you can watch on YouTube. It’s linked here in the show notes.

This is Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. If you’re looking to build out your speaking career to grow sales and visibility, and of course your expert status, let’s connect. Email me at Robin@RobinSamora.com.  Talk tomorrow!