By Olga Smith
By Olga Smith
25 January 2021
Actors on stage have to learn how to physically relax, so that tension doesn't interfere with their performance or the voice. In fact, relaxation exercises are a very important part of their training
When one is tense the pitch of the voice goes up and gets high; people often are not in control of their bodies. If you feel tense lower your pitch down. You can practise the pitch of your voice with the app 4Ps, Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause.
Tension comes from anxiety. Our feelings of anxiety resemble a galloping horse. When a horse goes faster and faster it can be very scary for the rider, it feels as though you are against a force that is more powerful than you. Inexperienced riders when scared lean forward and thus speed up the horse. In order to slow down the horse, the rider should slow down his rising, deepen his seat and put his shoulders back. Similarly, when we are overcome with anxiety, we take control back by lowering the pitch, perhaps making longer pauses and allowing ourselves to breathe. In other words, we do the opposite to what our instinct is trying to do.
People who take elocution lessons learn how to become confident when presenting. Confidence comes only with practice. Practising your speech, its delivery and relaxation exercises on a regular basis will help, the more you practise the less you have to think about it when you need it.
You might have practised writing for many years and feel confident writing an essay, but if you have little experience in public speaking then you might not be as confident as you wish. Our blog about the spoken word might be a benefit to you.
To feel confident when presenting we recommend that you:
Think through what you are going to say. Prepare your speech in advance and rehearse its delivery several times using the 4Ps. When you are prepared you feel confident and more relaxed.
Practise articulation exercises on a regular basis and do an articulation warm up just before your presentation. This will ensure that your speech is clear and crisp. The best app and book for this is called Get Rid of your Accent and the video course Get Rid of your Accent Part One.
Practise relaxation exercises regularly and for a few minutes before presenting.
Below are a few basic tips for relaxation:
1. Check your neck, make sure it is not tight by rotating it to the right then to the left and up and down.
2. Check your posture. In our blogs about posture, we explain how you can develop a balanced and graceful posture.
3. Just think: I am letting go of all that tension, I feel grounded and in charge of myself. Stretching your body, free body moves and shakes will help a lot
It would be beneficial to take a few elocution lessons to practise speech skills and relaxation exercises which are so important not only when presenting, but also in any form of professional and social communication. Because when we are prepared and relaxed we perform at our best.
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