7 Finding Your Professional Voice
Presentation Session Checklist

  1. Awareness

Always begin by slowing the mind and the body so you're able to bring a high level of awareness to what you're feeling and experiencing.

  1. Release

Spend a few minutes consciously releasing tension from the body.

  1. Alignment

Are both feet on the floor with the weight of the body evenly balanced? Aim for the sense of length in the spine and width across the shoulders.

  1. Breath

Check whether you're allowing a low, free breath into the body. Aim to breath little and often rather than taking a huge breath and then speaking two or three sentences in one go.

  1. Projection
  1. Audience
  1. Intention
  1. Body language
  1. Grounding
  1. Centring
  1. Emphasis
  1. Articulation
  1. Pitch
  1. Pace
  1. Pause

A quick way to find more volume is to open the mouth a little more as you're speaking. This will create more space for the vibrations of your voice.

Get clear on who your audience are and what they might want from you.

What are you trying to achieve? Intention can radically change how we speak, so aim to be as focused on this as possible.

Open body language will build connection as well as make you look approachable and confident.

Check in with how nervous you feel. If you're noticing the nerves in your body, ground your energy through your feet to the floor.

Imagining your words coming from the centre of the torso will up your gravitas and the audience will perceive you as being more confident.

Think about the key words of your speech that will help your audience understand your message. When you practise your speech, make sure to emphasis those words.

Articulation is about clarity. Are you speaking your words in a way that your audience can hear and understand every word?

How is the 'music' in your voice. Look to vary your pitch throughout your speech to help you convey your message with greater impact.

Ensure your pace is energised enough to keep people interested and to demonstrate your passion. But not so quick it makes you look nervous or is hard for people to keep up.

Have you left enough space by pausing regularly throughout for your audience to make sense of what you're saying?