Calming Public Speaking Jitters - It's Just Breathing, Right? by Jo Jameson

One of the things that we continually get wrong as adults is actually one of the most basic of all human functions - breathing. Have you ever watched a baby breath? Which part of their body moves in and out? Their belly right? Yet why do we as adults raise our chest when we breathe? By only breathing with our chests, we're only using a portion of our lungs. When breathing from our belly (or diaphragm, which is the muscle at the bottom of our lungs that pulls down to fully expand our lung cavity) we can take in much more oxygen.

I'm not sure where is goes wrong but at some point in our lives we forget how to breath properly and this can have a massive effect on our ability to speak effectively, especially to larger groups. To achieve enough air to project our voices sufficiently, we need to be breathing from our belly - just like a baby does. It's this extra air that allows us to speak with depth, and for a longer period before needing to take a breath. Stage actors spend a lot of time learning how to breath properly so that they can project to the back of the theatre, and as a public speaker, you need to do the same.

It can be tricky at first to identify where our diaphragms are and how to use them effectively. I've found the best way is to practice breathing lying on your back with one hand on your chest and the other on your belly. Practice breathing and notice which hand rises and falls. It will more than likely be the hand on your chest at first. Then try and breathe so that your other hand rises. With practice this will become much easier.

Studies have shown that breathing from your diaphragm has many other benefits apart from being able to project your voice. It helps to reduce stress - in fact, a few slow, deep breaths from your diaphragm can instantly reduce your blood pressure by a couple of points. It also helps to circulate more oxygen around your body and, by making sure your fully expel any remaining air in your lungs, will increase your energy levels because you won't be retaining so much carbon dioxide (the stuff that we breath out. Most of us don't fully expel all of this causing a build up in our bodies that can have a detrimental effect on our systems.)

So learning this simple yet incredibly powerful breathing technique can be hugely beneficial to you as a public speaker - and in other areas of your life where you may want to reduce life's stressful load!