Your State ‘Switch’ – The Secret To Giving A Great Speech Or Presentation

You know those occasions when it really counts — the important speech, the big presentation, the high-stakes sales meeting, the leadership announcement.

You want to be at your best in such moments, but how can you switch yourself ‘on’ and access your ‘A’ game on demand?  What ensures you will perform at the upper range of your talent and skill?

It’s your state.

State can be defined as your internal climate, your internal environment. We’ve all experienced highly resourceful days where we feel on a roll, when everything goes right, and we really impress ourselves.

On those days we often find our talent shooting through the roof.

But most of us have also experienced unresourceful days where nothing seems to go right – everything jams, we feel frustrated. We are the same person – so what’s the difference? It’s our state.

The Inner Game

Timothy Galway, who wrote the ‘inner game’ books said, our performance depends on our state of mind. ‘Therefore, the real game is to get into the right state of mind and stay in it’.

That poses the question – what is the key component of this ‘ideal performance state’?

The evidence suggests it’s JOY. Whenever we do well, the principle feeling we have is of joy, fun and optimism. When we can enjoy, we can perform.

Joy is the best word to describe our internal environment when we are operating at our best. It’s the one ingredient we tend to overlook whenever we prepare ourselves to perform.

Dr James Loehr was a mindset training coach for top athletes for 25 years before moving into leadership development. He is one of the most respected people in his field. He analysed several hundred athletes, asking them to relive their finest hour and write down how they felt. The one word that came up over and over again was JOY. Dr Loehr calls this positive energy. The energy of joy, fun, enthusiasm, team spirit, pride, determination – just loving it.

So to get into your ideal performance state before an important speech, presentation or client meeting you need to switch on that feeling of joy.

Your State Switch

How do you do that? Here are two techniques you can use anytime, anywhere:

1. Recall joyful experiences

Think of a time when you felt joy. Maybe a great evening out or celebration with family and loved ones, maybe watching a favourite comedian. What is that certain thought or image which triggers the feeling of joy?

2. Laugh

This next technique is one of the most powerful ways to trigger joy. It’s simple but don’t be put off by its simplicity: laugh.

Laughter has a magical power. A few moments of laughter can change your inner state instantly. And there is an added bonus – laughter boosts the immune system, increases blood flow and generally creates good health.

That’s how you use your state switch – before any important event, get yourself somewhere by yourself and laugh. Really laugh!

You’ll be amazed by how much better you feel.

As an aside – if you find yourself in circumstances where you don’t feel like triggering the feeling of joy, then recall the words of management guru Peter Drucker. He said, ‘Joy is a form of courage’. It takes courage to feel joy when things are tough. But sometimes, we all need courage to succeed.

The Science Behind The ‘State Switch’

Joy and laughter aren’t soft or superficial. When you laugh or feel genuine lightness, endorphins and serotonin rise. Cortisol drops. Breathing deepens. Muscles relax. The brain gets more oxygen. This moves you into a more ‘optimal’ state – essential for sales and leadership effectiveness.

Your voice becomes warmer and more resonant. Your body language opens naturally. Your mind becomes more flexible and creative.

The 2-Minute ‘State Switch’ Ritual

Here is a pre-performance ritual you can use to get yourself into the right inner state before a key speech or presentation, or any event that really matters to you:

1. Breathe & Loosen Up (10 seconds)

Inhale deeply through your nose, and slow exhale through your mouth. Shake out your shoulders and hands. Repeat.

This ritual, this act of slow and deliberate breathing, signals a shift to your body: I’m ready.

2. Laugh on Purpose (30-60 seconds)

Fake it if you need to — even if it feels absurd. That’s where you need courage. The physical and emotional exercise of laughter will spark the chemical shift you need to be at your best.

But what if you find yourself in a place where laughing out loud isn’t possible? Laugh in your imagination. Visualising laughter generates a remarkably similar emotional shift.

3. Recall a Joyful Moment (10-20 seconds)

Replay a memory that brings you genuine delight. Recall the feeling. Smile.

The timings here are not crucial – just remember to laugh well, to laugh heartily.

A few seconds of laughter or a joyful memory will flip your internal switch from pressure to presence — and that changes everything.

Final Thought

You can’t always control the situation — but you can always change your inner state, to make sure you are at your best when it counts.

Joy ‘on’ = Performance up.

Make it a key part of your presentation, sales or leadership routine.

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