Don't Talk with Your Mouth Full!!

It was getting close to my turn to speak, and I let out a slight ^*blurp/hic-cup*^. I was burping from the lunch I had just eaten! How embarrassing was that!! It was just moments before I was about to get up and give my speech to my local Toastmaster's Club. I took deep breaths, calmed down, took a sip of water, and waited. I didn't know what would happen next. At that moment my named was called and i was being introduced. It was time to talk....^*blurp *^ again!

As a Toastmaster and a professional speaker, i give speeches and keynote address quite often. I'm very comfortable talking to large audiences. I love the stage and holding an audience captive with my words. I love seeing the change on people's faces when they absorb and catch hold onto my words. I love speaking! But, with all of my training and exposure, there's one thing that no matter how extensive your experience is, you're never quite prepared for. And, that's burping while you're speaking.

Once, I was a participant in a speech contest with another very experienced Toastmaster. He was very calm and confident as we waited for the contest to start. Before the contest, there is usually a light lunch for guests and participants to enjoy before the contest festivities begin. In sizing up my competition, I noticed that he was eating and enjoying the guests as he effortlessly networked the room. He did this with ease. There he was, eating, smiling and socializing. Although he was an experienced Toastmaster as well, I felt his his speech content was mediocre, so I felt pretty confident that I had a very high chance of winning. After all, I DID have a great speech prepared. Well, I was wrong. The judge thought he had a better speech with better delivery so that day he took home first place and, well, I placed a close second.

I later learned while congratulating my competitor that he was very laid back and confident in his ability to wow the judges, and that worked for him. I asked him how is it that he could be so laid back, relaxed and even eat BEFORE our contest? He simply said, he wasn't nervous at all. I thought that was odd because all speakers are nervous at some point. But he did win first place, so I figured he had a valid point. Just remain calm.

Well, that was some time ago and now I speak quite often and regular to varied audiences. But one thing I had not mastered or conquered was not being "gassy" while I spoke. I finally just had to quit eating before I spoke. This is something that each speaker has to be mindful of and watch when they're up before audiences. It's very embarrassing to *burp* while you're speaking. You just don't do it! To avoid this, don't eat. Simple and plain.

Although every person is different, our bodies primarily all work the same. When there is food in the stomach to be digested, our stomach acids are working to break it down and move it through the digestive tract. When this is happening and we pull air in as we're taking breaths to speak, this air is becoming mixed in with our foods/digestion process. What happen next is the embarrassing part: we burp because the enclosed air in our stomaches is being released when the muscles in our stomaches deflate to push our lungs out and help expel our words. The result? *^blurp*^!!

The safest way to avoid this is to simply not eat before we speak. If we just sip on room-temperature water, we are likely not not cause gastric disturbances and avoid any burping episodes. Here are 3 things you ca do to avoid that potentially embarrassing moment:

1. Don't put anything in the stomach at least 1-2 hours before you speak . Room temperature water is acceptable. Don't even chew gum. The chewing process causes air to be taken into the stomach.

2. Take a couple of deep breaths before you take the lectern to speak. Fill your lungs up deeply with air and exhale slowly. This will calm you down and help you get a solid bearing.

3. Smile. When you do this, you take away about 30% of your nervousness, AND, you create a calmness in you audience from your perceived coolness.

But whatever you do, don't eat. Even if you're not a burper, it's best to not take chances. You don't want to be embarrassed or for your audience to remember you as the burp-speaker. Just wait until your speech is over to take a bite. And, don't talk with your mouth full!