Lung capacity and speaking

knottied2a666e3e38a2a87

I'm a nervous enough public speaker as it is, and now that I'm 7 months pregnant, it seems like I can't catch my breath even in the most calm conversations.  Does anyone have any tips for how I might deal with breathlessness in upcoming public speaking situations?  Thanks!

aglenn

Ugh, I had this issue with both pregnancies.  It was so hard to breathe!  I am short-waisted and my babies were on the larger side.  Mostly I just had to be really careful to slow down when I was speaking.  I tend to talk faster when I get nervous and that just makes it worse.  Better pacing was good for my presentation skills anyway, but it did take a lot of effort to slow myself down.

SunAndRain

I too would suggest slowing down your speech. 

And prepare bullet points that are concise so that you are speaking the minimal number of words possible.

And don't be afraid to laugh publically if baby is making it hard to finish your sentance!  Laughing puts everyone at ease.  Just don't overdo it

thedash

For some reason cough drops help me. I was told not to use too much menthol while pregnant but the strong cherry flavored ones seem to open up my nasal passages and help me breathe better.

JWSchwarz

Just speak slowly. You could think you are talking really slow, but to the audience it will seem normal and even help them listen to you more.