I’ve gone on and on in the past about how important your voice is as a presenter or public speaker. I’ve written books about it in fact. On our presentation skills training courses I sometimes (depending on what people need) use an exercise to develop breathing that involves a candle – you have to keep the flame tipped over, constantly, for a long time without blowing it out.
It’s a great exercise and works brilliantly but it has obvious downsides associated with flames, candles, hot wax and so on… :)
Visiting my God Daughter recently, I was introduced to this little toy:
I don’t think it does the trick quite so well as using a candle but it’s not as dangerous!
Essentially, it’s a tool for developing your diaphragm muscles – if you’re breathing in the wrong way the ball might fly up in the air but you’ll not be able to keep it there: the only way to maintain the ball’s flight is if you’re using the right muscles to breathe with.
It’s not a beginners tool – you need to know what you’re doing first – but it’s a good practice tool!
… oh yes, and puffed up cheeks are bad! Do as I say, not as I do! :)
