Triple Take #10: yawning, proxemics and getting prepped for peak performance
- Voice Confident
- Apr 6
- 4 min read
Voice Confident's Triple Take - your fortnightly trio of tips!
In this issue - why yawning is good for your voice, proxemics for public speakers and getting ready to perform at your best!
Voice - Yawn, yawn, yawn!
The yawn technique is a powerful vocal exercise that helps create a resonant speaking tone. By mimicking a yawn, we naturally open the back of the throat (pharynx), creating more space for sound to resonate.
This technique works by:
Releasing tension in the throat and jaw
Lifting the soft palate to create more resonant space
Encouraging proper breath support through deep inhalation
To practise this exercise, just fake a yawn. If it turns into a real yawn, brilliant. This means you are really relaxed and your nervous system is resetting and you will get the maximum release of tension in throat and jaw. But fake yawns are good too.
Complement this exercise with ‘G g g g g ahhhhh’:
Breathe in through the nose
On the outbreath use an aspirated hard ‘g’ (almost a ‘k’) sound till you have expelled a comfortable amount of air
Breathe in, dropping the jaw and opening the mouth and throat so you are breathing in to an ‘ahhhh’ sound.
Repeat a few times.
This in itself is powerful reset for the nervous system and may make you yawn!
It's good to do as part of your regular vocal warm up but also as part of a short warm up before giving a talk or presentation, to release tension and make you feel relaxed.
Presence - Proxemics! Or, how close you are to other people
Understanding and managing the physical space between you and your audience is crucial for effective public speaking.
Avoid staying fixed in one spot, especially by the presentation screen or behind a lectern, where you can create a barrier between the audience and your content
Use the stage intentionally:
move closer to the audience during personal or emotional moments to build intimacy, when making important points for emphasis, or when listening (eg. in Q and A)
step back for more cerebral content or transitions
Avoid pacing aimlessly; instead, anchor your movements to your message
Your presence in the space should feel open, confident and purposeful, helping the audience feel both safe and engaged throughout your talk.
Confidence - Physically prepare yourself for success in spoken communication
Before any important speaking engagement, presentation or meeting, it's crucial to ensure your basic physical and emotional needs are met. If you are familiar with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, a celebrated theory from the 1950s onwards, you will know that physiological comfort and a feeling of being safe and secure is needed before our emotions and cognitive abilities can fully function. Your brain's ability to process and communicate information effectively depends on being in a balanced state.
So - don’t underestimate the importance of being physically prepared for your meeting or presentation.
Stay hydrated - keep water readily available
Eat properly - avoid presenting on an empty stomach
Regulate your nervous system and emotions through breathing exercises
Give yourself time and space to be calm beforehand - for example, don’t sit in the lobby checking potentially stressful work emails right before a job interview!
When these fundamental physiological and emotional needs are met, you can better:
Maintain focus and mental clarity
Regulate your speaking pace
Project a confident, resonant voice
Stay emotionally balanced under pressure
A well-prepared body supports a well-performing mind.
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Upcoming workshops in Grantham:
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