2023.03.28 – 0817– Make A Stand!
First, make a stand! Many presenters and voice-over artists prefer to stand at the mic anyway. It enables alertness and better breath control:
· Feet firmly on the ground shoulder-width apart and with three points of contact with the floor: underneath the big and little toe and the centre of your heel
· Have your knees soft, the pelvis balanced, your stomach loose and free
· Drop your arms loose and heavy, with your shoulder blades ‘dripping down the back’ with no muscle tension there at all, a ‘long’ spine
· Have your jaw free, with your tongue resting on the bottom of your mouth behind the bottom teeth, with the head floating on top of the spine
· Your chin should be level with the floor
· Consider your head position: there’s a happy medium between a jutting ‘text neck’ and one that’s unnaturally forced back. Remember your spine supports the head quite far back, not in the middle
· Imagine a string up your spine and through your head, gently pull it taught to straighten your back and neck like a balloon full of helium is attached to the string.
Now pick and mix from these exercises to warm up your chest and lungs and relax-out any tension in your muscles and joints. Pump blood, and let your brain tell your body that you’re going to do some work.
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