Page 14 - Voices! - September 2015

Pre-Routines Improve Performance

By James Wantz, DTM

It is opening night, there is a packed house of paying
patrons, and I am one of three actors facing fourteen
performances over 3 weeks. I am waiting in the wings for
my cue to enter the stage. I know that when I walk on stage
I can show no hesitancy, discomfort, or lack of confidence.
They paid good money and are expecting to see a good
performance, not my hesitation or fear.
At my cue I enter the stage as my character would without
a hint or trace of the fear I feel when all those eyes swivel
to lock onto me the way a predator identifies its prey. The
play is on!
Stage fright is real. I face it every time I walk in front of an
audience. Before every performance I have a routine; it
helps me get into character and set aside the fear. Every
good actor and accomplished speaker has a routine –
some practical: don’t drink milk or eat dairy products before speaking because it creates mucus in the
throat and blocks vocal projection – and some quirky: yawn 3 times before walking on stage because it
increases the oxygen flow to the brain.
My routine is to walk the stage before I perform. I silently run through all the movement and key
moments in my head – putting myself into my character before I enter the space. Before a speech I
also walk the stage. I want to know what the sight lines are, if there are obstacles between me and the
audience, and to walk through key movements of my speech. When I am introduced it is past time
to find out that a part of my talk won’t work because of a potted plant or that the lectern cannot be
moved as I’d hoped. Knowing the space before the speech allows me the flexibility to adjust and be in
command the moment the audience sees me.
As a speaker, you can develop a pre-speech routine. Find what works best for you – how you empower
yourself, how you psych yourself up, and how to use your stage. Once you become comfortable before
a talk, you will present yourself as being, looking, and sounding more confident. And confidence is its
own reward.
James Wantz joined Toastmasters in 2008 and is a member of Tabula Rasa, Storymasters, Feedbackers,
New Horizons, and Toastmasters for Trainers. He serves as club president for Toastmasters for Trainers and
Feedbackers, and VPE for Storymasters.
[Be sure to attend Jame’s Introduction to Linear Stage Psychology 101 - or - How To Use Movement To Make
Your Presentation More Dynamic at the District 7 Fall Conference: Make It Matter-Editor ]

14 Volume 2 Issue 3 - SEPT 2015