My Grounding Practice for Public Speaking: A Tiny Sun

My friends keep asking what on earth this little ceramic sun is.
It’s tiny, has no real function – and yet, I reach for it several times a day. It has become an integral part of my personal grounding practice for public speaking.

It came from my mum as part of a birthday present. Somehow, it’s almost become my most powerful tool for building confidence when I speak.
When I:

• start spiraling with anxious thoughts,
• lose focus during practice sessions,
• or overthink my main points before an important meeting – I reach for it.

That small action has become my personal grounding technique. My reminder to return to the present moment before I let fear of public speaking take over.

Public speaking anxiety is a natural response. When we stand in front of an audience, our body can trigger the fight-or-flight response. Our body will try to keep us safe from a perceived threat (in this case, the Big Scary Audience) by:

• raising our heart rate,
• tightening our muscles,
• and speeding up shallow breathing.

Different people experience it in different ways: shaky hands, physical tension, dry mouth, or their mind blanks. These physical symptoms are all signs that your nervous system is trying to protect you.

The good news? You can retrain it. You can acknowledge that it is trying to keep you safe, reassure it that you already are, and then bring it back into a state of rest-and-digest.

Simple practices like deep breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, or progressive muscle relaxation activate the parasympathetic nervous system. This is the body’s calming pathway – helping reduce performance anxiety and speech anxiety before your next presentation.

This little ceramic sun doesn’t hold pens or whisper advice. It simply sits on my desk waiting for me to notice it (much like the soup in my fridge that has gone a funny colour).

Each time I take a moment to look at it, I pause, take deep breaths, and reconnect with my body awareness. I might stand up and do the following:

1. Take a few moments in Mountain Pose (a strong stance with feet shoulder-width apart and shoulders relaxed)
2. Try a few box breathing cycles.

That grounding exercise reminds me that my nervous energy doesn’t mean I’m unprepared – it means I care.

When I touch this little sun, I can almost hear my mum, 6,000 miles away, cheering me on. That reminder of connection helps me bring my authentic self to every speaking moment, whether it’s a big presentation, a small meeting, or a full-on keynote speech.

If you’ve ever felt stage fright or frozen in front of larger groups, you know how powerful small rituals can be.
Grounding techniques don’t need to involve crystals or incense – just simple practices that help you come back to yourself.

Here are a few to try before your next presentation or public speaking engagement:

1. Deep Breathing or Box Breathing: Calm your nervous system by inhaling for four counts, holding for four, exhaling for four, and holding again.

2. Power Pose Practice: Stand tall with feet shoulder-width apart and open posture. This boosts confidence and improves your physical presence and body language.

3. Visualization Exercises: Imagine yourself delivering an impactful presentation, connecting with friendly faces and receiving positive feedback.

4. Positive Self-Talk: Replace negative self-talk and negative thoughts with positive affirmations like “I’m safe to speak” or “I can handle this.”

5. Body Awareness Scans: Notice areas of physical tension and gently release them as you exhale.

6. Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Tense and relax muscle groups from head to toe to release built-up stress.

Each grounding technique helps convert nervous energy into focused presence. It is a powerful approach that improves both confidence and communication.

Public speaking is one of the earliest forms of Western theater, dating back to Ancient Greece. This is where speakers learned to use body language, facial expressions, and eye contact to influence their audience members.

Today, modern theater and public speaking engagements still rely on those same principles. Those principles include calm breathing, a strong stance, strategic yet natural gestures, and authentic connection.

These are mindfulness techniques as much as they are performance tools – blending physiological awareness with mindset shifts that create a positive impact on both you and your audience.

Confidence doesn’t come from perfection – it comes from repetition. But what exactly are you supposed to repeat? This is where I use my AIR framework (a convenient acronym for a Breath-led Speaking coach). The AIR framework stands for Awareness, Integration, and Refinement.

 For example, do you struggle to breathe normally when you speak? Do you notice your voice comes out high-pitched or shaky? Does your mind go blank and fill with white noise even though last night you remembered every word perfectly?

 Many of the conventional tips and tricks out there do serve a purpose when it comes to reducing public speaking anxiety. You may hear things like “do a few stretches”, “take a few deep breaths”, “do some lip trills and sing up and down scales.” While all that will work, without any framework to apply it in a way that suits you, it won’t stick. Which is why you will feel like you’re right back at square one with each new presentation or speech. My job is to identify exactly what practices you need. Then, together, we build a bespoke grounding practice for public speaking that will finally have you feeling steady, in control, maybe even POWERFUL when you stand up.

Every time you speak, focus on what’s coming up, then integrate these techniques, then present. After all that – reflect on what went WELL and what could do with some refinement. This is what we do in almost every offer I have, whether that’s one breathing technique or a full three months of private coaching.

Aditionally, when you’re ready tack on a few more of the conventional tips you see on Instagram. These could include any of the following (choose what is relevant for you).

• Record yourself speaking in front of a group or a trusted friend.

• Focus on your main points instead of filler words.

• Observe your facial expressions and eye contact.

• Adjust your body language and voice pacing.

Each time, notice your physical sensations and physiological responses. That awareness is how you boost confidence and train your body to stay calm even when public speaking anxiety creeps in.

Grounding isn’t just for the stage floor – it’s for everyday stress too. When you practice your grounding ritual for public speaking in your private space, you’re training your body to find calm faster in front of an audience.

The next time you feel nervous energy building, remember your grounding exercise: root into a breathing practice, feel your way into a couple of simple yoga poses to help reconnect you to your body,  check your posture, then spend a few moments anchoring. And for me? That’s reaching for this little ceramic sunshine. Finally, remind yourself that your voice deserves to be heard.

When you integrate grounding into daily life, it becomes second nature at your next public speaking event. It’s how you transform fear into focus and show up as your most authentic self.

If you’d like to explore different ways to steady your nerves and build your public speaking confidence, my Steady Speaker Spotlight Session is designed to help.

It’s a one-off 1:1 that combines yoga-led breathing practices and personalized grounding tools to calm your flight response and reset your mindset shifts before you speak. We will get you from shaky to steady in one session so that you can use your voice to make a positive impact in every speaking moment.

You’ll leave with a deeper understanding of the physiological response to why your voice shakes, as well as a couple of grounding rituals for public speaking tailored to you that you can use both on a daily basis and right before you take the stage.

Grounding isn’t about removing fear it’s about reminding your body that you’re safe to speak. Whether it’s through deep breathing, a grounding exercise, or a tiny ceramic sun that makes you smile, you can train your body to move from anxiety to presence.

Because confidence doesn’t start when you’re in front of a large audience – it starts when you choose to come back to the present moment.