Warm-up: Your first speaking day

Week 3 Module 3 Warm-up: Your first speaking day

In sports, a warm-up activity, as defined on the Stretch Coach website Links to an external site., is "any activity, either physical or mental, that helps to prepare an individual for the demands of their chosen sport or exercise." Likewise, in our class, our warm-up activities help prepare us for the physical and mental demands of presenting speeches.  There are two types of warm-up activities we do in our class:

  1. Speaker warm-ups: These consist of physical relaxation exercises and vocal warm-up exercises that we will practice in class. You are also encouraged to practice these warm-ups each time you practice your speeches at home.
  2. Daily Presentations: These presentations, designed by BC Public Speaking Professor, Fabiola Butcher, are "no pressure" low-point activities (10 points each) that allow you to practice a variety of speaking skills without preparing in advance. You will volunteer to complete 3 of the 8 activities over the course of the semester on 1 of the Daily Presentation days. Each "Daily Presentation" is 30 seconds to a minute in length. Each of the 8 activities is different and you will be able to review them on the warm-up page for the week. How to find your points for Daily Presentations: View your total daily presentation points here. 

This week's warm-up activities

Speaking day physical warm ups:

  • Breathe normally while you shake your hands out, then continue to shake out your hands while shaking one leg, then the other.

  • Shoulder shrug: take a deep breath in and shrug your shoulders up tight while clenching your fists, release your breath out  and relax your entire body.

  • Upper back stretch: Stretch by bringing one arm across the body, keeping the shoulder depressed and pulling it in with the other arm.

  • Triceps stretch: 
    • With arms overhead, hold the elbow of one arm with the hand of the other arm.
    • Gently pull the elbow behind your head, creating a stretch. Move slowly.
    • Hold for 5-10 seconds.
    • Repeat with the other arm.

  • Overhead stretch: lace your fingers over your head and push away from the body. Hold for 10-15 seconds

  • Ragdoll: when you release the overhead stretch, roll forward and the waist, knees bent, into a relaxed, limp, ragdoll pose (your fingers may graze the ground here but it isn't required).

 

Speaking day verbal warm-ups:

Warm Up #1: Jaw release: Reduces tension in the mouth and jaw area during speaking.

  • Place your palms on the sides of your face and slowly massage the jaw and cheek muscles with slow small circular motions
  • Continue to massage while lowering and raising your jaw
  • Add the sound – “mamamama” with a very light lip contact for the “m”
  • Change to “wawawawa” with very light lip round for a slightly distorted “w”

Warm Up #2: Lip buzzing: Improves the resonant focus of the sound and continues work with maximal stretch on the vocal folds.

  • Put you lips loosely together and exhale by vibrating your lips
  • Make sure to keep your tongue relaxed as you exhale
  • Repeat the inhaled yawn, and vocalize as you trill your lips
  • Repeat again, and sweep up in pitch then back down
  • If this begins to tickle your lips and nose, then you’re doing it correctly

Warm Up #3: Breath support system

  • After a slow deep inhalation, expel sharply by contracting the abdominal muscles hard with a loud “huh”
  • The larynx and throat should stay relaxed and open
  • This is a difficult exercise and excellent focus must be maintained on separating the contractions of the abdominals with the maintenance of relaxed upper airway
  • As you improve your ability to perform this correctly, increase the speed and repetitions

Warm Up #4: Humming: Highlights different vibrations in your lips, teeth and facial bones.

  • Begin with your lips gently closed with jaw released
  • Take an easy breath in and exhale while humming “hmmmm”
  • Repeat and change the “hmmmm” to “ahhhhh” halfway through the exhaled breath
  • Try to change nothing but the opening of the mouth

Warm Up #5: Quick tongue twisters. Repeat each one 3 times fast:

    1. She sells seashells down by the seashore.

    2. A flea and a fly flew up in a flue.

    3. Rubber baby buggy bumpers.

    4. An ape hates grape cakes.

    5. Top chopstick shops stock top chopsticks.

    6. Time takes a terrible toll on intentions.

    7. Don’t go deep into debt.

    8. Ensuring excellence isn’t easy