You're sitting there waiting to speak. You feel the tension creeping into your shoulders, your thighs. Your stomach tightens up. Maybe your mouth gets dry. And the confidence and enthusiasm you felt a minute ago starts wobbling.

Now's the time to get up from wherever you are, excuse yourself and head for any place (even the restroom) where you can have five minutes alone. That's really all you need--just those few minutes to do these easy exercises and get your blood flowing, your muscles unlocked and your confidence back in place.

Your body, your vocal cords, your brain are all connected in such a manner that tension in one affects the others and makes it difficult to focus on your message. This is not news to you, right? You may already have noticed that if your knees are quaking, your voice may be shaking, and your memory may be forsaking you!

What you want to do is break that connection, which only reinforces the discomfort, in as many ways as you can so that every part of you is supporting, rather than sabotaging your presentation.

If you can spend five minutes in a room by yourself just before you speak, do these simple exercises: (If you can't, scroll down; there's help for you, too.)

• Stretch your body up and around, and gently bend over.
• Take some good deep belly breaths. Make your ribs and back work.
• Stretch your face into funny shapes to get it loose and relaxed.
• Make your eyebrows go way up, and your eyes open very wide.
• Sigh deeply several times.
• Hum.
• Stick your tongue out.
• Do tongue trills.
• Pant. (This is particularly effective to release any tension around your middle.)
• Flop--really flop--over as far as you can easily. Be sure your head flops all the way down. Holding your neck and head up creates more tension and is counterproductive!)
• Smile.
• Remind yourself that you are going to enjoy yourself while you're being terrific!

  Now, if you're at the head table, or firmly planted on the stage or elsewhere, and haven't a chance of escaping before you speak, there are still things you can do to keep your body from freezing in place. Depending on your situation, you can use one of these breathing relaxers:

• Inhale for a slow count of one, exhale for a slow count of two. It's easy to look as though you're listening attentively to someone while you do this.
• If you can get away with it, double the counts to two and four. (Best not to allow your eyes to glaze over.)
• Wiggle your toes.

  If you're lucky enough that the tablecloth extends to the floor, you're in good shape!

• Wiggle you toes. Do tiptoes. Circle your ankles.
• Put your hands under the table and wiggle your fingers and circle your wrists.
• No matter how long or short the tablecloth is, SMILE!

If you're in handcuffs, footcuffs, headcuffs and bellybuttoncuffs you may be out of luck. However, there's always Imagining! Science is telling us that our brains cannot distinguish between a real and a fancied experience.

So fancy for all you're worth! What've you got to lose?

Carole McMichaels

If this is to be a true Bio, it must be in first person singular, so here I am, giving you all my "Singular I's". My life has been long, unconventional, exciting and filled with music, my first love and my first career.

Were it not for an absence of current rules and regulations, I would not be here at all. You see, my father was my mother's cello teacher--a horrible no-no in today's school world. They were married in the Interlachen Music Camp where my father taught trumpet and conducting.

As a child I gave many recitals, usually the first half on piano, the last half on violin. I loved it, but would have preferred (though I didn't know it at the time) music written by live people rather than by dead white men. Still my preference.

A favorite past-time of my four-year's-younger brother and me was to sing rounds a half-step apart. Great ear training for the contemporary music in which I later specialized! Playing hours of orchestral and chamber music--and kick-the-can, swimming, reading and traveling rounded out my childhood activities. A happy childhood!

As an adult I migrated to New York City where my professional life took different turns. I stopped the violin in favor of accompanying instrumental and vocal recitals. Then, because of injuries, I did a stint as a Broadway dancer--and finally ended up as a classical singer. Working with Leonard Bernstein for his time as conductor of the New York Philharmonic was an exhilarating experience.

At the time, 12-tone music was the be-all and end-all of the New York music scene; singers who could sing these beasts were few and far between. However, because I had perfect pitch and a strong instrumental background, I had a fertile field for my interests and abilities.

For variety I sang on cruise ships, did musical comedy, an occasional substitute job as organist in some of the large churches (a total thrill!) Did a bit of folk dancing on Puerto Rican TV, some pretty humorous modeling jobs, and set up the first audio language program in Tehran, Iran.

I have a lovely daughter, compassionate and creative.

For the last thirty years I've been a hypnotherapist, working with individuals and presenting workshops on a variety of topics. My passion is teaching!

Now I specialize in helping performers and public speakers prepare their presentations; using Energy Psychology, we permanently jettison their stage fright. Very interesting and gratifying work!

And I write.