Weekly Insight #29: When Pressure Hijacks Your Voice—How to Stay Present and In Control

We often prepare for what to say, but do we prepare for how to finish?

Recently, I helped a friend refine a three-minute speech for a leadership event. He had the passion, the experience, and the message. But when we listened back, something was missing—he never got to finish.

When he delivered the speech under pressure, he hadn’t practiced enough to develop a natural sense of when he was nearing the end. In a short presentation like this, time moves faster than expected, and without clear pacing, it’s easy to run out of time before reaching a strong conclusion.

Even though he received a warning that time was running out, it wasn’t enough to wrap things up and reinforce his final points. Instead, he had to stop abruptly—leaving both himself and his audience feeling unresolved.

This happens more often than we think. When pressure kicks in, we:
✅ Speak faster than we realize.
✅ Lose track of how long ideas take to land.
✅ Forget to leave time for a strong finish.

Why Recording Is Better Than a Mirror

Many people practice in front of a mirror, and while that can be useful, I’ve found that it’s not always the best way to develop objectivity.

💡 When looking in a mirror, you’re seeing yourself in real time, but you’re also reacting to your own image.

• It’s hard not to get distracted by how you look.
• Some people over-adjust while speaking, making it feel unnatural.
• Watching yourself in real time requires a separate skill—learning to see yourself without losing focus on your delivery.

Instead, I recommend:

🎥 Recording yourself on a device (like a tablet or phone) and watching it in reverse mode (mirroring your real-life image).

• When you watch it after the fact, you’re not simultaneously performing and judging.
• It allows for true objectivity, even though it can still be uncomfortable at first.
• You can see and hear patterns you may not have noticed before.

That said, I know how difficult it is to record yourself and then actually listen or watch. It has taken me years of practice to avoid getting distracted by my own image or focusing only on imperfections. The challenge is finding balance—being able to analyze without self-judgment, to adjust without self-doubt.

This is something worth exploring more deeply—how self-awareness can be a tool, but over-analysis can hold us back. That’s a discussion for another day.

Practicing the Ending—Even If You Think You Don’t Need To

Many speakers practice the beginning and middle, but they resist practicing their ending. Why? Because if someone is naturally gifted at speaking and can extemporaneously generate material for three minutes, it feels artificial to practice.

This was something I discussed with the person I was working with. Because it was easy for him to riff, rehearsing felt unnecessary—until he realized that not practicing the timing cost him his closing moments.

I think of this the same way I approach classical music or even teaching. If I have a lesson plan, I still go over it—not because I don’t know the material, but because I want to ensure that I cover what’s crucial within the time I have.

• Practicing isn’t about over-preparing—it’s about making space for what truly matters.
• When we practice within a set time constraint, we learn to hit key points efficiently.
• It’s not about filling every second—it’s about making room for pauses, reflection, and even audience feedback.

I’m generally comfortable in my subject matter, but practicing the pacing ensures I don’t get caught off guard. I’ve learned that practicing isn’t limiting—it’s freeing. It allows us to focus on the message, not the clock.

How to Stay in Control Under Pressure

1️⃣ Record & Review: Seeing What You Miss

• Watching yourself after the fact makes it easier to spot rushed words, shallow breathing, or unfinished thoughts.
• A mirrored recording helps you see what others see—not the flipped version we’re used to in selfies or mirrors.

2️⃣ Time the Close—Before the Clock Does (A Tool for Future Practice)

• Many speakers practice the beginning and middle, but forget to time their final 30 seconds.
• A great exercise is to set a timer for three minutes and see how naturally the conclusion fits within that limit.

3️⃣ Breathe Between Ideas, Not Just Sentences

• Pressure makes us cram thoughts together, stealing time from the ending.
• Instead of rushing the last few lines, practicing intentional pauses helps maintain clarity while keeping within time limits.

4️⃣ The Exit Strategy: How to Leave with Confidence

• Unfinished endings feel unresolved.
• Instead of hoping to “fit in” the ending, it helps to design a strong final sentence that can be delivered naturally, even if time runs short.

Final Thought: Learning to Land the Plane

A speech without a clear ending feels like a plane that never lands. Even when we know what we want to say, the clock forces us to adjust in real time.

💡 Have you ever been cut off before finishing a speech? How did you handle it? Let’s discuss below.

In the moment, shaping the conversation—because great communication isn't just about what we say, but how we time, pace, and land our message. A reminder from this week's insight: Practice isn't about restriction, it's about freedom.

#DevelopingYourAuthenticVoice #SpeakingUnderPressure #VocalAwareness #TimingMatters #PublicSpeaking #ResonateWithPurpose #DYAVWithElias

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