As a scientist, did you know you have a lot in common with singers? Maybe you aren’t selling out arenas or dressing in fancy costumes, but you do share an important goal: you want to communicate effectively to an audience. There are many different ways that we as scientists share our knowledge; one common way is through oral presentations. Whether we are on a stage at a conference, sharing a poster at a symposium, or even giving a research update to our lab, we want to make our message clear enough to be understood. Crafting a strong story is an important part of scientific communication, and so are the ways we carry and prepare our bodies to tell that story.
Where does sound come from?
Sound comes from adding power, vibration, and resonance to our breath. It starts at the very bottom of your thoracic cavity with your diaphragm, which is a powerful muscle controlling the negative pressure you need to draw in air. Together with your lungs, this is the power source. As air passes outward, it moves through your larynx where your vocal folds are housed. These two muscles close and vibrate together when you exhale to actually make sound. These vibrations then move through your headspace - your nose, back of your throat, and mouth - which resonates or amplifies the sound. Given that so much of the human body is involved in making sound, it is important to treat yourself as you would treat any instrument. Knowing how our sound works, and knowing what we have control over, will help increase the accessibility of our talks.
Tuning in for scientific communication
If performing arts are new to you, or if you never really thought about it before, then I want to share some concepts that I feel have helped me be a better scientific presenter while growing up in the world of singing and theater. The focus of these tips is specifically on vocal presentations, although many of the principles of stage presence and calming your nerves can be applicable for other live communication types, including presentations in a virtual meeting or those from a seated position. I encourage you to try these out the next time you present!
1. Check your posture
You are your instrument, and every part of you contributes to how well you make sound and how comfortable you are when giving a presentation. The first thing you can do for yourself is to make sure your airway is open and your body in a neutral position. Whether you are standing or sitting, keeping your feet grounded and your body forward and alert puts you in a great position. If you need a checklist, try out this rhyme. I learned it back when I was in choir, but with a small twist at the end it works well for speaking too:
Try This Now:
“Feet on the floor, one slightly ahead;
Relax those knees, don’t lock them dead!
Hips rolled under, stretch your spine up tall!
Sternum up, don’t let it fall!
Shoulders: relaxed, back and down;
Head is high, don’t wear a frown!
Loosen up, have no fear –
This is how we stand when we want to sound clear!”
– Adapted from “The Posture Rap” by Kenneth Phillips
2. Identify tension and let it go
Speaking and singing work better when you relax and when you have self-awareness. Nerves can make you hold onto tension in places like your shoulder, jaw, and knees, all of which can make it more difficult (and painful!) to present. Practice identifying where you hold tension when you are at rest and when you are speaking. Once you get used to picking up on your own patterns, it will become more natural to adjust that tension during presentations.
Try This Now:
- Find your right foot. Scrunch up your toes. Let them go.
- Find your left hand. Make a fist. Let it go.
- Find your right shoulder. Squeeze it up to your ear. Let it go.
3. Warm up 5-10 Minutes before your talk
Just like any physical exercise, warming up primes your muscles and gets you ready to perform without strain, pain, or injury. It also allows you to practice appropriate diction and enunciation, or pronunciation of words. It’s ok to over-annunciate a little in a speech so that all sounds are clear and mumble-free. There are many different kinds of warm-ups that target diction (pronunciation), volume, and pitch. Tongue twisters are great warm-ups, for example. Another great warm-up for speakers is “trilling” to vibrate your lips. A resource for more ideas is listed at the end of this post, but here’s one that targets diction, volume, and pitch:
Try This Now:
- Push air out of your lips like you were blowing up a balloon. You should be making a “motor” or “horse” sound.
- Slowly add in vocalizations like a siren (Going high pitch and then scaling down to low pitch).
- Repeat 3-4 times.
4. Use (all) of your breath!
Usually when we are talking face to face with someone else, our breathing is shallow and in the upper chest. When we want to project, we need to engage much more of our airway, especially our diaphragm, so that we can be heard and so that we can sustain our breath. When preparing for a speech, imagine the air starting at the very center of your navel, or even from the back of your hips, and push that through. To get used to this feeling, try this exercise:
Try This Now:
- Inhale for 2 beats, hold your breath for 2 beats, exhale for 2 beats.
- Inhale for 4 beats, hold your breath for 4 beats, exhale for 4 beats.
- Inhale for 8 beats, hold your breath for 8 beats, exhale for 8 beats.
- Inhale for 4 beats, hold your breath for 4 beats, exhale and see how long you can go before releasing all of your air.
- For an added exercise, try “hissing” while you exhale.
5. Think about the natural break points in your talk
At some point, you are going to run out of breath. Where you run out of breath is not out of your control. Your phrasing, where you breathe, helps with emphasis and with the rhythm of your speech. Natural break points are at the end of a sentence or, if you can sustain it, at the end of a complete thought. Other places to breathe and pause can be when you gesture to a specific graphic, when you start or stop walking, and when you turn. Know that you never have to use your whole breath before you take a pause. Practice your story and think about where those pauses fit into your script while keeping the overall meaning clear.
6. Don’t be afraid to play with sound
Sound has so many dimensions that you can layer on top of your words to help tell your story! Speed, volume, pitch, tone, and rhythm all work together to evoke different kinds of meanings, especially emotions. For example, soft and slow sounds can make your audience feel calm, sad, or sleepy. In contrast, loud and fast phrases can signal excitement, anger, or curiosity. Oral presentations generally sit somewhere in the loud and slow area to evoke confidence and instruction. Periodically making specific changes in your tone or volume in any direction can help draw in your audience and make your talk more memorable and interesting.
Try This Now:
- Prepare your script for your next talk. Imagine talking through the story as if it were an action film.
- Now try talking through it as if it were a romance.
- Now try talking through it as if your audience is falling asleep.
- Notice - what did you change to make your story match the prompt?
- When you prepare your speech, think about the feeling you want to get from your audience and what sound changes you might use.
7. Find your focal point
There is so much to keep track of during your own presentation - Maybe someone is coming in late, or your tough-to-read colleague is sitting in the front row, or the mouse gets frozen on the screen. It can shake out all of the prep work you have done - and that’s totally normal! To get through it, try to:
- Pick a spot in the back of the room to speak to, and return to it as necessary.
- Take a break and breathe!
- Get familiar with your equipment ahead of time, if possible.
- Tune into your voice and your message. If you listen to yourself externally, it can be easier to quiet yourself internally.
Good luck with your next presentation!