The Physicality of Speaking or "Oh, My Aching Back!"

So did you miss me? Notice that I haven't been around for a few weeks? It's mostly because I've been hobbled as both a blogger and a speaker by some compressed disks. I spent a lot of time in the first quarter of the year preparing my book for publication, setting up my new website, and capturing new business, and I was spending 18 hours a day in an office chair. After a while, my body essentially said to me:
"Okay, you've abused me for all this time. What should I break that will slow you down and give me a rest? Hey, how about your back, idiot? See how you like paying an orthopedist!"
So my advice to you is to get up every once in a while and stretch. But I digress....

I really felt it during a competitive speech event, a local Toastmaster Division contest. There was a portion of the speech that required me to get down as though I were being suppressed. (You really have to see it to get the full effect of the drama of the piece, but trust me, it was quite moving. ;-) ) When I did it, I pulled it off well. One person in the audience who knew that I was ailing, and she said she would not have been able to tell. But it reminds me of how important it is for us speakers to take care of our bodies. We need to exercise, stay limber, and remember the athleticism of what we do if we are going to stand out from the crowd. In fact, I practiced the speech in front of other clubs for three of the five days preceding the contest, and my animation was a constant comment. So don't make the same mistake I did. Treat your body like a temple, or at least like a lectern.

FOOTNOTE: I won the contest. I guess both the drama and not writhing in pain clinched it for me. I'll tell you more about the speech and the rest of the competition later. I have to keep some secrets!