Triple Take #26: face stretch, posture reset and visualisation for confidence

Voice Confident's Triple Take - your fortnightly trio of tips!

Introduction

When you speak, your body and mind shape your delivery long before a single word is heard. Clear articulation, confident posture and a calm, prepared mindset all combine to make you a more effective communicator.

This week’s issue focuses on three simple but powerful tools; a facial warm-up that boosts vocal clarity, a posture reset that improves presence instantly and a visualisation method that reframes large audiences as exciting rather than intimidating.

Voice - face stretch for articulation

Articulation becomes clearer when the facial muscles are awake and responsive. A quick and surprisingly effective warm-up is the “big face, small face” exercise; it stretches and mobilises the lips, jaw, cheeks and eyes, helping your speech sound brighter and more precise.

For “big face”, open your eyes wide, lift your eyebrows, drop your jaw and stretch your mouth fully. For “small face”, squeeze everything inward; close your eyes, scrunch your features and pout up towards your nose. Repeat the sequence three times.

To deepen the stretch and release the tongue root, stick your tongue out during 'big face' and curl it down towards your chin. This helps to release tongue tension and makes articulation easier.

👉 Try this: complete three rounds just before joining a virtual meeting. When you speak aloud, notice how much easier your mouth moves and how much clearer your words sound.

Presence - posture reset

Posture plays a huge role in how you enter a space. When your body lifts and aligns, your presence immediately feels more grounded and confident. One simple reset can make a noticeable difference as soon as you walk into a room.

Roll your shoulders back and down, then gently tuck your chin so the back of your neck lengthens. Imagine a string from the crown of your head pulling you upwards; this gives a sense of lightness and poise without stiffness.

This alignment frees your breath, opens your chest and prevents the collapsed posture that can reduce energy and impact. The goal is not to look rigid, but naturally upright.

👉 Try this: before entering your next meeting, pause at the door, roll your shoulders, lift through the crown of your head and walk in with a slow breath in and out. Notice how different you feel!

Confidence - visualisation exercise

Our evolutionary brain is wired to feel wary when outnumbered; in early human history, being surrounded usually meant being in danger. This instinct is still with us, which is why standing in front of a large group can trigger panic. But for public speaking, this instinct is not helpful. We need to retrain the brain to associate many eyes watching us with opportunity rather than threat.

Visualisation is a powerful way to do this. The brain responds to vivid mental imagery as if it were real; mentally rehearsing success builds familiarity and reduces the stress response when the moment arrives.

Two useful approaches are external visualisation, where you watch yourself from the audience and see yourself presenting confidently and being received well, and internal visualisation, where you imagine being on stage feeling calm, steady and connected. Practised regularly, this conditions your mind to feel at home in front of a crowd.

👉 Try this: for two minutes a day, picture yourself walking on stage feeling composed, speaking with clarity and receiving warm engagement from the audience. Repeat often; your brain will recognise the moment when it arrives.