Iggy Pop, the long-time rocker sometimes called the “Godfather of punk,” and known for his stage antics, and unpredictable performances, leads a quieter lifestyle at this stage of his long career.  The inventor, perhaps, of the stage dive, or at least one of its earliest proponents, and the former drug addict, takes his music and his performances very seriously today.  And that extends to his pre-show prep.

According to Pop’s own description, his preshow work takes 8 – 9 hours. He begins with coffee in bed, to clear his mind, not talking to anyone.  About 3 hours before the start of a show, he does a form of deep breathing lying on the floor for a half-hour.  Then he visualizes the show for an hour, going over the precise stage movements and positions, what actors call blocking.  Then he does Qigong, a slow martial art similar to Tai Chi.  Then he showers, is driven to the stage, and he sits silently, mentally preparing for another two hours before showtime.

I was impressed when I read this description in a recent New Yorker article, because of the sheer length of time he devotes to (mostly) mental prep. Much depends on the quality of this mental prep, but if he is indeed visualizing, clearing his mind, and running over the show from moment to moment, then it can be very powerful indeed.

What do you do to prepare for a speech?

One of the greatest challenges facing performers today, whether aging punk rockers or public speakers, is being able to focus on the show or the talk – and only the show or the talk – immediately before, during, and after the performance.  I say ‘today’ because the number of ways the world distracts us have increased exponentially in the last decade or so.  I can personally attest to the urge to check my mobile phone while standing in the dark with the A/V people waiting to go on stage.  It’s distracting – and not in a good way – to look at social media, or your inbox then but it’s also hard to stand there and do nothing while you’re waiting for your moment to begin.

So instead you need to have an iron-clad prep routine that takes you right up to the moment you walk on stage.

Sometimes a well-meaning staff member from the conference or meeting planner staff will be assigned to the speaker, and they almost always seem to feel that part of the assignment is to make chit-chat with the talent.  Recently, knowing that I was from Boston, a stage manager whose features I could barely discern in the gloom and glow of the monitors, felt compelled to keep up a non-stop one-sided discussion of the chances of the New England Patriots in the upcoming season.  Now, I get as excited as the next person if the Patriots are in the Super Bowl, but that’s about the time in the season when I start paying attention.  I’m simply not a super-fan.  So not only was the commentary irrelevant to me at this point in the year, but it also distracted me from what I should have been focusing on:  my speech.  Being both irritated and distracted is not a good combination for speech prep.

Note to handlers: Don’t talk to the talent unless they ask to be talked to.  

OK, back to Iggy and his prep.  Most of us, I suspect, don’t have the luxury of clearing the entire day before a speech – which in any case typically doesn’t start at 8:00 PM.  And that means we most likely have to compress our preparation into a shorter period of time.

What are the essentials of stage prep for a speaker, assuming you don’t have 8 hours?

First, you have to prepare your voice.  It’s always amazing to me how little care speakers typically take of their voices.  If your voice goes, no speaking, right?  So it’s the most important part of your speaker tool kit.  Warming it up should be Job One.  I’ve suggested before any number of vocal warm up exercises.  You need to find what works for you and strictly adhere to that regime.  No shirking.

Second, you need to prepare your head.  Focus is the key here, as you hone in on your speech, run through the outline of it in your mind, get your opening in the front of your mind, and generally do what it takes to be ready to give a great performance of the content.  If you’re a highly nervous speaker, then get the first line of your talk in your mind and hold on to that like grim death.  Most people find that their nervousness begins to decline after the first few moments, so make sure those are ready to go.  I have a couple of further suggestions here.

Third, you need to prepare your heart.  It’s not enough just to focus on the words you’re going to say; you also need to bring the emotions that underlie the talk and make it memorable. That means finding your way to conjure them up beforehand, so that you are at the ready when the moment comes.  I’ve got more information here.

Finally, you need to prepare your body.  Speaking puts stress on the body too, so you want to think about the ways in which you prepare for the task physically. I personally like to get some form of light exercise.  Don’t run a marathon; you’ll be too tired to get through the speech.  And don’t sit in your hotel room drinking coffee and binging on donuts – the sugar and caffeine will only help up to a point.  After that, they’ll start doing damage.

If you have the luxury of time, like apparently Iggy Pop does, then use it to cover all these bases.  If you have less time, then fill it up with quicker versions of these essential four aspects of stage prep.  And break a leg!