- Kim Garreffa
Whether singing, speaking, or playing an instrument, these tips will help you communicate more effectively on stage:
Consciously lift your eyebrows. It will immediately brighten your face.
Smile! A lot!
Channel all your nervousness into your diaphragm. Relax your neck, and your shoulders, and breathe slowly and deeply using your diaphragm to empower your performance. Put any tension you have there! When you breathe in, your stomach should push out. As you breathe out, your stomach should shrink. (Tip - your shoulders should not be moving when you breathe)
Hands should be calmly at your sides, unless you are using them to express your piece, or are holding a microphone.
When holding a microphone, angle it so that you are singing directly into the top of it (don’t sing into the side of it). The microphone should be 2 to 5 inches away from your mouth-no farther! If you are a singer who belts the high notes, pull the microphone away slightly at that moment.
If you are speaking, raise your voice pitch slightly from your normal speaking voice. It will make you sound more energized and less tired. Project your voice to the back of the room, using your diaphragm, not your vocal chords, to increase the volume. Enunciate your consonants.
Stand with legs slightly apart, no more than shoulder width apart. Stand straight. Don’t lean or slouch.
If you are on the platform, but not performing, look at the person who is. Look interested in what they are saying or playing. Don’t fidget. Otherwise you are only being a distraction. Don’t think that there is no one in the audience noticing you at any given moment.
Don’t focus on ‘performing’ as much as on communicating! What do you want your audience to hear? To remember? Prepare yourself as if you are preparing a part in a play. What will you project? What will your face look like?
Own the message you are communicating. Don’t just speak or sing words. If the message clearly isn’t important to you, how can you possibly make it important to your congregation? Every performance should be presented as a personal testimony.
If you are nervous, always remember that the message is more important than the messenger. It’s not about me, it’s about what God wants to say through me.
Make sure to have water handy - nervousness often causes dry mouth syndrome, often unexpectedly.
If you are too nervous to look at the audience, look slightly above them. If singing or playing, it is permissible to close your eyes.
Memorize as much as possible before you get on stage. You will then find it easier to focus on expression and communication.
If you make a mistake, ignore it and move on. The audience will forget it as fast as you do (if they even noticed it in the first place). Funny facial expressions and/or comments will only draw attention to the mistake and make it more memorable!