Pre-talk rituals are powerful. What are yours?

Musicians do it. Athletes do it. Performers do it and I bet you do too.

Some people run around the building or up and down stairs to get their blood pumping.

Some people close their eyes and meditate.

Some people do voice exercises such as tongue twisters.

Some people get a fresh haircut and pick out their outfit a few days before, sleep early, wake up early, have a solid breakfast, get to the event early to scope out the room and mingle with the crowd to get them ready for their talk. Ok, maybe that’s just my ritual.

Pre-talk rituals are effective in reducing anxiety and to help you shift into a high-performance state of mind. There are no set rules about rituals so experiment to see what helps you get ready and in the moment.

There are different types of rituals that you can experiment with such as:

• Exertion rituals which include physical activities to get your blood flowing.
• Meditation-based rituals which include breathing techniques and positive visualizations to ground you.
• Mantra-based rituals which include affirmations to calm you.
• Voice-based rituals to get your voice warmed up and clear.
• Location-based rituals to make you comfortable with your surroundings and audience.
• Sound-based rituals such as songs to get you pumped up and ready to go.

Whether you’re starting out with public speaking or have been speaking for some time you probably have a few pre-talk rituals you use to get in the right mindset to perform. I’m curious to hear your take on this. Rituals are unique to each person but it’s a good idea to be open to new ideas we can incorporate and make our own.

So what are some of your pre-talk rituals?