The lovely Debbie McGee
I recently gave a 50 minute presentation which seemed to go very well (I say “seemed” to go well, because it’s sometimes hard to tell from the stage). As I left the stage, walking into the dark of the wings, I very nearly walked into the (lovely, as it turns out) Debbie McGee. I was a bit taken aback as I’d no idea she was there.
Not only was she lovely, she was very complimentary.
One of the things she was so nice about was a comment I’d made at the end of the presentation, talking about not drinking during presentations. I’d thought everyone knew that, but apparently not! Why shouldn’t you drink during your presentation? Well here goes….!
Let’s start off with the obvious. I meet a lot of people who get sore throats while they’re speaking (usually because of bad habits) and resort to drinking water as a way of soothing the soreness. Let’s be clear though, the water you drink can’t soothe your sore throat because it never reaches it. If you’re vocal folds are sore the water isn’t going to help because the only time water is likely to actually flow over and around your vocal folds is if you’re drowning.
Water will go from your mouth to your stomach, not from your mouth to your lungs.
In short, there’s no point in drinking if your throat is sore – at least in the short term.
Obviously in the long term the whole thing is a bit different; your body needs water to create the lubricants that do help your sore throat but it takes a while.
The best option, of course, is to learn to project from your diaphragm and stand with your head/neck in the right position, so that you don’t get sore throats in the first place. It’s not hard, honestly! :)
Hadn’t thought of that one, Simon – thanks for the tip!
Just as an aside, it pays not to drink alcohol before or during a presentation, too … in my experience as a speechwriter for clients my heart sinks if they order a couple of stiff drinks before the show to “give them courage.”
It nearly always means they will be terrible….
Hi Suzan – sorry for the delay; don’t know how you slipped past me!
I’m with you there – it’s about as sensible as those people who insist they drive better after a couple of pints…
Morons! :)
Most sore throats are not serious and pass within three to seven days without the need for medical treatment. Over-the-counter painkillers, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen, can usually relieve the symptoms of a sore throat without the need to see a GP. `”.,
Hi.
You’re right – the symptoms are fairly easily treated… so long as doing that doesn’t mean you ignore the real problem ;)