I recently had a client come to me for presentation coaching. She needed help keeping her meeting updates shorter and less technical – a common ask, and one we tackled with focus.
We met three times and saw steady, incremental improvement, even over the weekend. Then came her fourth practice run, Sunday evening, and something was off. Her delivery slowed, her message grew sloppy, she ad-libbed comments that weren’t on the slides, and she skipped points that were. It felt like a step backward instead of forward.
I was surprised, honestly a little disappointed. Then she told me why: a bad toothache, almost no sleep in two days, and a course of Amoxicillin to fight the infection. Suddenly her “regression” made perfect sense.
๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ช๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ป๐ฒ๐๐
My coaching shifted in that moment. We’d already covered the tangible fixesโpacing, rehearsal reps, relaxation techniques. Now the conversation turned holistic. I told her to get outside and move, breathe deeply, eat lighter and earlier (heavy meals were clouding her focus), andโif the medication or exhaustion had her feeling truly unwell – to simply postpone the talk. Presenting sick rarely serves anyone, least of all the presenter.
This isn’t just intuition. Research consistently shows that insufficient sleep impairs attention, working memory, and decision-making, all of which are essential for clear, confident delivery. And speaking coaches have long recognized that physical and emotional health directly shape a speaker’s effectiveness and credibility in front of an audience.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐: ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ
Great speaking isn’t just about better wordsโit’s fully integrated with how you feel physically and mentally. Treat your body the way a stage actor or athlete treats theirs on performance day: prioritize sleep, eat lighter, breathe with intention, and build in real recovery time.
Keep everything in balance. Your slides can be flawless and your talking points razor-sharp, but if your body is depleted, your delivery will show it. Take care of yourself firstโyour presentation will follow.
