Your Public Best - Lillian Brown [118]
It has been said that smoke from a smoldering cigarette in an ashtray may contain more harmful ingredients than the smoke that is inhaled by the smoker.
Thus, before you make a speech or other public appearance, avoid a smoke-filled room, and move away from people who are smoking.
Public figures who are smokers should seriously consider quitting. Another reason not to smoke is that if you are meeting the public, as a smoker you cannot conceal your “smoker’s breath” and the odor that permeates the hair and clothes. This odor is particularly noticeable clinging to wool suits. Smoking can irritate nonsmokers, and in general, is a highly unpopular habit right now.
GETTING EXERCISE
Just before your public appearance, it is a good idea to keep moving around so that your brain can receive an adequate supply of oxygen. Even if you have to sit or stand for long periods of time, you need to keep your circulation going.
Coaches often advise athletes not to stand still before a game, but, rather, to keep moving. As a platform person, you can use this knowledge to great advantage.
Walking is a great exercise, since you can do it anytime, anywhere, and anyplace. Before your speech, you can stroll the corridor, move around the room to keep the circulation going, or possibly walk around the block. Walking can help to reduce tension, keep you calm under stress, and make you sleep better; it is also a safe form of exercise for people of any age.
While sitting, you can do unobtrusive heel-to-toe exercises. You can do such exercises behind the speaker’s table or on a long plane ride. One such exercise is to twist and rotate your feet around and around to activate the muscles in the backs of your legs.
When standing at the podium, you can occasionally shift your weight from one foot to the other or step slightly forward or backward. The simple act of walking up on the stage or approaching the platform can become a pleasant, mildly invigorating experience.
People who must stand long hours on their feet—such as teachers, store clerks, chefs, nurses, and security people—often use various techniques to help keep the circulation going. They do nearly invisible exercises with various muscle groups, or they slightly shift their weight to the outside of the shoe, as though to turn the toes inward. You can do the same thing.
Another exercise you will find most helpful is to stand on your heels with the toes up as far as they will go. Rock forward on the toes. Do this for one leg at a time—walking in place, so to speak. You will be able to feel your muscles working for you to keep your circulation going.
FOOD AND DRINK
The food you eat can make a critical difference in your overall health as well as in your public performances. What you eat can influence your energy level, mood shifts, and mental alertness.
Before you make a major speech or give an important interview, go into training much as an athlete would. Decide in advance what you will eat and drink. Develop a routine of your own that works well for you. Some speakers eat at home, and ignore the banquet fare. They know from long experience the proper balance of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and sugars that gives them a feeling of well-being and contributes to a good performance.
Avoid overeating just before your speech or other public appearance. Heavy, rich, highly spiced foods can rob you of your energy. If you are the banquet speaker, you may choose to ignore the big steak, and opt instead for the salad, vegetables, and baked potato.
At a cocktail party, patronize the raw vegetable tray. Eat the apple from the cheese tray, even if it was meant as a decoration. Remember, you can eat anything you want when your speech is over.
Avoid suspicious-looking foods such as mayonnaise-based salads, shellfish with no ice,