February 2023

Communication is a physical activity. It often feels like a mental activity—sharing ideas, persuading people, winning arguments. But the act of speaking itself involves over 100 muscles working in coordination to turn the breath in your lungs into language.

Just like any other activity that is primarily physical, your communication improves when you are properly warmed up. A communication warm-up doesn’t need to be exhaustive, but it does need to involve three things: the breath, the body, and the voice. And you should do one before any professional interaction that matters.

Not sure where to start? You’re in luck! We’re including a lightning-fast 30-second physcial warm-up here (see below). Once you’ve done that, pick a tongue twister from the downloadable PDF linked below the video and say it out loud twice: nice and easy to start, a little faster and a little louder the second time around.

Now you’re warmed up!

If you want to go further, you can find longer warm-ups on our Resources page, a collection of five-minute guided warm-ups on our Weekday Warm-ups page, or focus on specific needs with our Targeted Warm-ups playlist.

Give this a try each and every workday and notice what improves…