While traveling in and of itself can be stressful enough for many people, having to travel for a speaking engagement can put some of people’s worst fears right into a collision course. Luckily, there are a few things you can do that will simultaneously help you to relax during your travels and help you prepare for the experience of speaking at an event. To show you exactly how to do this, here are three tips for preparing for a speaking engagement while traveling to the destination of the event.
Work Your Energy Out Physically
According to Rocco Baldassarre, a contributor to Entrepreneur.com, one of the best things you can do for yourself when speaking to a group of people is to move around. However, if you’re nervous to be on stage, you may freeze up and not move at all. To help your body get used to moving when you’re uncomfortable, try taking any downtime you have, be it waiting for a flight or at your hotel before your address, and get your body moving. Not only will this help you work off any nervous energy you have built up before your flight or your event, but it will also help your body to get more comfortable with movement.
Practice Breathing
When you’re nervous to speak to a large group of people, it’s very common for your breathing to get out of control. You may find that you’re taking too many breaths or that you’re not breathing enough. This can make it hard for those listening to you to focus on what you’re saying rather than how you’re saying it. To practice the right type of breathing, Evan Thompson, a contributor to the Huffington Post, recommends that you do some breathing exercises. These can be done anywhere along your journey to your final destination. In fact, if you do them while your plane is taking off or landing, you may get even more experience breathing through an anxious time for your mind and body.
Create A Video Of Your Journey
One great way to get some experience speaking to large numbers of people is through posting videos online. The Young Entrepreneur Council shares with Forbes.com that creating a video channel where you post your own content can get you used to having people listen to you and getting a response from them. If you’re traveling to a speaking engagement that you’re nervous about, consider creating a video of your journey that you post before you go on stage. This can let those who you’re about to speak to get some background on you and what you when through to get there, which may make them more sympathetic to you as a performer.
If you have a big speaking engagement coming up, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you prepare to make your address even when traveling.