Bravura Coaching & Image

By Mandy Lehto

Is it curtains for your speech or presentation from the moment you open your mouth?  Nab some tips from renowned Canadian Soprano, Carla Huhtanen, on how she beats ‘Sahara Mouth’ and those dreaded red blotches unleashed by nerves….

What breathing techniques can help me to speak better?

Once you are comfortable with the Neutral Position, discussed in How to Speak, Part 1, concentrate on learning to breathe properly. Take a few minutes to go through these exercises – even if you’re busy or skeptical – and you’ll begin feeling the benefits when you speak.

‘Knowing how to breathe keeps you centered and relaxed while speaking’,  says Carla. ‘If you feel stressed, your breathing becomes rapid, uneven and shallow. Good breathing habits can override this’.

So what should I do?

Get to know your diaphragm!  It’s the thin dome-shaped muscle that separates the lungs and abdomen.

• Try making a “baby belly” without arching your back.  Inhale deeply and watch your abdomen expand. Exhale and watch it fall.  If you don’t see this happening, you’re breathing too high into your upper chest and throat.  Take slow measured breaths, count three seconds in, four seconds out.

• Try five inhale-exhale cycles per day, either standing or seated, with good posture.  With practice, proper breathing will begin to feel more natural.

Err, sorry, what’s the point of this again?

The first ‘clench-point’ when we’re feeling anxious – when we’re giving a speech or presentation, for example – is our breath. When our breathing becomes shallow, it moves up to the chest and throat.  ’The voice sounds weak with insufficient air’, Carla warns.

If your voice cracks or trembles, resume your deep breathing and refocus.  ’Don’t apologize for being nervous’, she adds. ‘It only underlines your anxiety and distracts listeners from your message’.

How do I avoid ‘Sahara Mouth’ during a presentation?

Steer clear of anything with peppermint, eucalyptus or menthol before speaking, all of which dry out your mouth and throat.  The same is true for caffeinated drinks.  Water is best.  Many professional singers use apple and orange slices between entrances to moisten the throat, but anything non-drying that stimulates saliva can help.  Avoid talking with sweets or gum in your mouth – it’s distracting and looks unprofessional.

If you have nothing available during a presentation and ‘Sahara Mouth’ does set in, gently bite the sides of your tongue to stimulate your salivary glands (perhaps while someone is asking a question – not while you’re trying to talk!).  Or touch the end of your tongue to the floor of your mouth (under the tongue) and wiggle it around to induce saliva flow.  Both are singer’s tricks!

How do I stop getting red blotches on my chest and neck when I speak?

‘It’s nerves. Remember to breathe’, Carla says, ‘and remember too that the audience is your friend – they want to learn about what you have to say.’  Recall that old chestnut about imagining the audience in their undies?  Probably not a great idea, but the bottom line (pardon the pun) is that they are ordinary people, like you – friends rather than foes.  If that’s not enough to reassure you, wear chest-covering clothes as a back-up.

Ladies, if your cheeks tend to flush, make up can also help to disguise colouration before it arises.  Skin neutralizers are available with a greenish tinge, worn under the foundation to diminish flushing – but use them sparingly for a natural finish.

I need to give a client pitch.  How can I prepare?

‘When rehearsing for an audition, I’ll consider my body language, gestures and facial expressions – NOT just the content of my script or sheet music’, Carla adds.  ’Whether we are singing or speaking, it is all a performance – and the material you’re presenting is only part of that performance’.  It is also about YOU, your confidence and your ability to engage your listeners.

Run through the process of presenting in your mind – the location, the size of the audience, where you’ll be speaking (will you be seated or standing? Will there be a mic or any technical components to consider?).  Familiarizing yourself with the logistics of your presentation helps to minimize the fluster-factor on the day.

As for the content of your talk, rehearse it.  Out loud.  Record, or better yet, film yourself presenting so you can see the visuals as well.  It may feel strange at first, but you’ll discover where you get caught, fade out, or where you need to slow down to emphasize certain words.  You’ll notice if your left leg keeps shaking, or if you’re gesturing too choppily.  Keep rehearsing out loud until you feel prepared and confident. You will; and you’ll be glad you did.

How can I improve myself in daily conversations?

• HEAR HOW YOU SOUND TO OTHERS.  Send yourself a voicemail (or a voice memo on iPhone) and listen to it.  Painful? Maybe.  Useful?  Definitely!  Listen for your clarity and pronunciation.
• SEE YOURSELF SPEAKING.  Use your next Skype video call with a friend as an opportunity to watch yourself speaking. How do you come across?
• ERADICATE FILLERS (“um”, “ah”, “like”, “do you know what I mean?”) from your speech.  You will sound more articulate.  Ask a partner or friend to remind you when you use filler words.  It’s a habit.  Break it.
• SLOW DOWN.  Studies show that we rate people who speak more slowly as being 38% more knowledgeable than those who speak more quickly.  It’s not about the number of things we say, but about the number of things your listener understands and remembers! (David Niven, The 100 Secrets of Successful People, 2002).
• CONNECT WITH YOUR MATERIAL! Whether it’s Mozart or sales stats, if you fail to connect with your material, you’ll sound like a robot delivering a script. If you are not passionate about what you’re saying, no one else will be. You may as well pass out the eyeshades.
• SMILE!  Greet people this way, even when answering the phone.  ’A smile is a conscious decision to make this a good conversation from the outset’, says Carla.  No prizes for guessing what she’s doing as we wrap up our interview….

Carla Huhtanen has been described as having ‘a winning stage presence’ by Michael Kennedy in the Sunday Telegraph.  Her many engagements include Teatro La Fenice (Venice) in Gershwin’s Lady, Be Good! and Cherubini’s Anacreon; Angelica in Handel’s Orlando ; and the title role in Purcell’s Fairy Queen in Marseille, performing in Aix-en-Provence, Tarascon, Toulon, and Avignon. Carla sang with the UK’s Garsington Opera – Lisetta in La Gazzetta and Serpetta in La Finta Giardiniera and with London’s Mostly Mozart series at the Barbican. Upcoming performances include Karin Rehnqvist’s Puksanger-Lockrop (Queen of Puddings) and Susanna (The Marriage of Figaro) with Opera Atelier.