#TALKTIPS DAY 23: ALL THE FEELS

There are 'zillions of advice bits out in the world about how to have better presence on stage.
Eye contact, energy, volume, posture, articulation, tell great stories!

I've heard most of these dozens of times, I've researched and read books on how to do it better. While I understand most of these things intellectually, actually getting all the goods into one talk, into one performance, is a bit more challenging. I find I have to focus on them individually, slowly, over time. I find I resist or dismiss a good deal of "tips" I read simply because they are not "ME". 

A tip that is very me is to feel "the feels."
I take a moment before hitting the stage to take a deep breath in and FEEL. I feel the energy in the room. I feel each individual, attacking heart beat. I feel my hands shaking. I feel the message intended with my story. I feel the tone I want to send out into the room. 
I'm not sure how that comes out all the time. I've seen a couple videos and there's always room for improvement. It's "the feels", though - all those feels that make me ME. And if I bring that to my talk, I know I'm doing my very best I can in that particular moment.