A client shared recently that she had gotten a very dry throat and a cough while giving a virtual presentation. After asking a few questions and consulting with Ignite CSP coach Nathan Crocker, here’s what I think was going on.
My client was presenting to a large group she didn’t know, and she described the audience as “mostly introverts.” Though she could see them on the call, she didn’t get much visual (or any audible) feedback from them during her presentation, and the material she was presenting is a topic that is very important to her.
Nathan suggested that the two factors of 1) really wanting to get the message across and 2) not being sure how it was landing combined to make my client’s throat tighten. Physically, he guessed, her breaths got shorter (or she went through some periods of holding her breath altogether). She was “talking hard,” trying to reach through the camera to land her message, straining her head and neck forward.
Next time, he suggested that she first make sure she is supporting her voice with her breath. Sitting up and a bit forward in her chair, she can use this breath support to send her voice out to her microphone without leaning forward or straining. As part of this technique, it’s good to remember that though it can feel like we need to work harder to land our message, the technology does a really good job of picking up our voices.
If she feels her throat tightening, she can slow down, take a sip of water, and check in with her body. What is her seated posture like? Are her shoulders pulled up around her ears? Is her chin reaching forward? Relaxing the shoulders, dropping the chin, and taking a moment to smile allows the throat muscles to relax.
