Obviously, there are many benefits to breathing. Here we’re talking public speaking. In this context breathing is not just an essential life function, its a skill and a tool.
When you’re dealing with public speaking, breathing is no longer an automatic and subconscious activity. In fact breathing often presents one the largest challenges for my clients and for public speakers in general.
As I’m sure you’re aware, when you are nervous your breathing becomes irregular. It’s shallow and your breaths are shorter. When this happens your body responds by tensing up, further exacerbating the situation. All this tension then feeds off itself and will inhibit you as a speaker.
That’s where good breathing technique comes into play. While you are preparing your presentation or keynote address it is just as important to practice breathing as it is to memorize your talk. As you work through your presentation make notes to yourself about where you want to breathe and practice breathing in that exact same spot every time. This will help you build up muscle memory (same as with certain words or phrases) so that when you are nervous your body will automatically take a breath in that exact spot.
The ability to rely on your breathing rhythm will also help if you get rattled. A strong, deep breath can allow you to reset your brain and collect your thoughts. If you feel yourself getting rattled at any point in your presentation, resist the urge to stammer, stutter or and/um and take a deep breath. Your body will relax, your brain will have a chance to catch up and you can move on with your presentation.
The better you master this technique, the more effective communicator you will become. Practice makes perfect, so keep on breathing.