Presentation Advice from Soprano Kiri Te Kanawa

June 24, 2009 by Jerry

kiri_te_kanawa

In 1982, soprano Kiri Te Kanawa was awarded the title Dame Commander of the British Empire for her lifetime achievements as one of the leading operatic singers in the world. These days Dame Kiri spends most of her time in a backstage role with her own foundation dedicated to helping New Zealand singers and musicians develop their careers.

As an extension of her supportive role, she came to United States this week and delivered a Master Class at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Seven fortunate students had the opportunity to be coached directly by Dame Kiri. One by one, she listened to each of them sing an aria. She then made suggestions about their musical interpretations, and finally, she demonstrated the same passage with her own magnificent voice, providing as an enormous treat for both the students and the audience.

The master gave her disciples invaluable techniques about phrasing, enunciation, posture, and breathing, especially breathing, so vital to any opera virtuoso. In fact, on several occasions, she went right up to some of the students, placed her hand on their stomach and asked them to sing a passage again. When they got to an important note, Dame Kiri pushed hard, forcing their breath and enhancing the note significantly.

While this teaching device is useful for singers, presenters, for whom breathing is equally important, have it easier. All they need to do is pause between phrases and allow the breath to occur naturally. However, this is easier said that done, for most presenters are so stressed by the pressure of business presentations, they ramble on and on without pausing—or breathing.

In a recent Power Presentations program, one young woman who, as is so common, had such a dread of speaking in front of an audience, she raced through each of the program’s morning exercises, anxious to get back to the safety of her seat. Listening to her was, as the saying goes, like trying to take a sip of water from a gushing fire hose. Later in the day, when she finally learned our technique of controlling cadence by pausing between phrases, she was finally able to relax—and even smile.

If you are a presenter who experiences the same dread, you needn’t go to New Zealand to have Dame Kiri push your stomach. All you have to do is pause.

Try it; the breath you take will contribute to your own lifetime.

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