Always walk the stage

There is something so simple that you can do when you first get to an event.

It's so simple it almost feels a bit too obvious to mention.

Walk the stage before you speak.

You don't want your first experience of that stage and that space to be just after you've been introduced.

You want to get in there before anyone arrives, before it gets a bit noisy and people start bringing their coffees in.

There will be some other people in the room: the sound people, the organiser, maybe even a few early arrivals.

But taking that moment to stand on the stage and just assess how it feels is essential.

How much bounce or give is there?
How do your feet feel as you walk on it? 

What noise does each step make? 

What does it feel like to stand at the very edges of the stage? 

How far away are the front row?

What does it feel like to have the light shining in your eyes?

It gives you so much information.

There's a really good reason for doing all this particularly when you first start to speak.

It helps to calm your nerves.

There are many reasons why people can get nervous before a speech and one of them is not knowing the space that you you’ll be speaking in.

Familiarity with the space makes a huge difference.

It gives you the chance to understand the room. 

It gives you a chance to think about how your content is going to fill that space. 

It gives you a chance to understand what might need to change or what adjustments need to be done.

In many ways it's a bit ceremonial.

And you could make it part of your speaking ritual.

Like your face, body and voice warm-ups.

Finding a quiet space or playing happy music in your ears.

Perhaps wearing your lucky pants.

If you feel a little bit self-conscious doing this at the beginning, you can package it in a different way.

Get up there, take a selfie, and tell the organisers it's about social media and marketing.

They'll be quite happy to have you tag them in a post.

Plus as speakers we love the “empty room” shot.

If you want to take your room preparation to a boss level, you can also do this:

Get the organiser to send you details of the room ahead of the event.

Photos, a floor plan, or maybe even just a description.

And if those aren't available, if there's been a previous event, go and check that out on social media.  

All of that will give you an idea of what to expect when you get up there.

Uncertainty of the space that you'll be speaking in will fuel your nerves.

Walking the stage.

Even for five minutes.

Is worth every moment of your time.