I’m giving a speech tonight on my favorite topic, “The Two Conversations,” so I’m spending the day getting prepared.  What do you do the day of a speech to get ready?  Following are five steps to ramping up for your big moment. 

1.  Go over your speech several times.  This is a speech I’ve given before – for the most part – so it’s one I’ve rehearsed thoroughly.  Now, I’m looking through my notes, focusing on the parts where I’m less than perfect and trying to get all of it in my head. 

2.  Have a light workout.  You want some adrenaline during the speech so that you can do your best, but not too much.  Exercising beforehand is a great way to get rid of some of the adrenaline so that it doesn’t come out during the speech in ‘happy feet’ or some other distracting way.  Don’t run a marathon – you want to unload some of the adrenaline, not lay yourself out cold.  I’ve just come back from some easy stretching and lifting.  I’m saving the aerobics for the speech itself. 

3.  Breathe.  Breathing is a little thing to most of us most of the time, but it accomplishes so much.  It grounds us, focuses us, makes our voice nice to listen to, and – oh, by the way – keeps us alive.  When you’re in adrenaline mode – i.e., nervous before a speech – you’re likely to take shallow breaths.  This autonomic response is not most effective for delivering a sonorous, elegant, grounded speech.  So force yourself to breathe.  Slowly, deeply, throughout the day.

4.  Engage in positive self-talk.  All of us have moments of self-doubt, and adrenaline magnifies those fears into mountains of worry.  Instead of climbing, cut the mental chatter with positive self-talk.  “I know the material.  I don’t have to be perfect, just show up and do my best.  I’m going to be fine.”  Whatever your fear is, take the positive side.  Mine is going blank – forgetting what I’m about to say, a holdover from my acting days, so I’m saying to myself, “I know the material, I am clear-headed and feeling good.  I’m going to remember everything.” 

5.  Get to the room early and get comfortable in it.  I can’t stress this one enough.  You don’t want last-minute surprises.  So get there early, check out the room, and find your beginning spot.  Run over the speech in your mind in the space, figuring out where you’re going to stand, move, and so on.  Be present in the moment!

By the way, the speech is on the Harvard campus, at the Kennedy School, Taubman Building, NYE – B, and it’s open to the public.  If you’re in the area, and have a free evening, drop by to hear the talk – it begins at 6:30.