As a founder, you’re the face of your company. You need to project yourself confidently to convince others of your vision and ideas. This applies whether you’re on a sales call, in a pitch competition, or a guest speaker on a podcast.

It’s natural to get nervous during speaking events. That’s not the problem. The challenge is overcoming your nervousness and not letting it affect your performance.

I’ve used the following techniques to be more present, shrug off nervousness, and project a confident voice during any speaking event. After using these techniques, I’ve become a much stronger, more convincing speaker. And you can become one too.

These are poses that you hold for a few minutes each to reduce nervousness and help you feel more confident. I like to use the following poses because it makes me feel as though I’ve already succeeded at delivering an amazing pitch.

Raise your hands above your head in a “V” shape like you’re celebrating victory.

Stand up straight, put your hands on your hips, and tilt your chin upward like you just hopped in to save the day.

Firmly plant your feet on the ground, stretch your arms as wide as you can with palms facing the sky, and lift your chin up towards the sky.

While I’ll usually skip the power poses for a sales call, I always use these breathing exercises before most speaking events. They help you feel more present and project your voice more assertively and confidently. The best part: do them at the start of your day, and the effects will last throughout the rest of the day. Below are my favorite exercises.

This technique increases the flexibility of your rib cage, allowing your lungs to expand more fully and ultimately allows you to project your voice and speak clearly without fatigue. After this exercise, it should feel like there’s more space around your stomach to breathe.

Here’s how to do it:

Hum in both high and low pitches to warm up your voice. You can do this anywhere: while getting ready, cooking breakfast, or in the shower. I like to spend just a couple of minutes humming. Make sure to hum in a low pitch from your chest then gradually work yourself up to a high pitch that feels like it’s coming from your head. This way, you can express yourself with more nuanced tones, keep your voice consistent, and reduce cracks.

I recommend lip trills after humming. Lip trills engage your diaphragm and vocal cords, providing you with a controlled and focused way to warm up your voice. For me, this is the best technique to make my voice project better and sound more confident. Also, after performing them, it feels easier to talk. Since I’m soft spoken, I usually have to exert more energy than usual to speak loudly. But after lip trills, it’s a lot less effort.

Lip trills are commonly used by actors and singers, and they will improve your vocal range and ability to switch between different vocal ranges. For me, this makes a huge difference when pitching so I don’t sound monotone.

Here’s how to do them (also see the video above):

If you’re new to this and feel tired, take a couple of minutes to rest before continuing. It can be difficult at first. After doing lip trills for 2-3 minutes, say a couple of sentences to yourself. You’ll notice it feels easier to talk with a strong, confident voice.

Instead of worrying about what the audience will think, whether you’ll deliver your speech well, etc., reposition the speaking event in your mind as giving the audience a gift. Whether you’re sharing your startup, talking about your product, or speaking about another topic, you’re giving them a gift by speaking to them.

Take it a step further: think about what that gift is and what it means to you. The audience will sense your passion, resonate with it, and support you.

This is powerful, and it works, because it changes your mindset from worrying about your performance to the value you’re providing by just being there. Also, you’re the only one who knows how your presentation is supposed to go, so even if you mess up something, no one else will know you made a mistake.

Spend enough time practicing for your presentation! Adjust your practice time depending on the duration, size, and importance of the event. I usually start practicing a week before an important pitch, making sure I know my presentation in-and-out even without any slides. For smaller presentations, I’ll make sure everything is ready to go one day before the event.

On the day of the event, I like to wake up early, stretch, and perform power poses and breathing exercises. It typically takes 30 minutes in total: 20 minutes to stretch, and 10 minutes for the power poses and breathing exercises.

What other techniques do you use to get ready for a speaking event? I’d love to hear them in the comments below!

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