4 Ways to Build Presence

December is meant to be a joyful season, filled with familiar music, exciting seasonal colors, hopes and dreams, but it's also a very busy time of year. Instead of getting swept into the holiday madness - thinking about the past or future, take time to do a few things that will help you feel PRESENT, the most important ingredient to being an empowered singer, actor or speaker.

This means:

1. Connect

Walk in Clarity and stability.

Every morning and before bedtime, spend at least 5-15 minutes Connecting in Quiet Confidence, doing Dot's 4x4x8 breathing (Grounding and Centering), to build mental clarity and create a powerful presence as a singer. Think about it - a song lasts from 3-4 minutes. Do you have the clarity to sit still for this long? Do you realize if you do this past 10 minutes every day, your brain chemistry will change for the better?

2. Objective

See things clearly and know what you want.

a) Be Objective. Have clarity about your voice and know it's true potential. If you're not sure, record it and listen back, and get honest feedback from a Vocal Coach. For most people their singing voice is much better than they think.

b) Have an Objective - know what you want as you express the message of your song. If you're just singing a song to try and show off your voice or impress people, you have missed the meaning of singing. Be invested in being open, and sharing Yourself.

3. Resonate

Do things that align with how you feel.

Resonating (beginning with humming) will help you to warm up your voice! In addition, it helps to build tone, relieve stress, lowers blood pressure and clears your mind. It will also help you sing your song better because you will know how your voice FEELS from the inside, which validates you and builds authentic vocal confidence. Resonating gets you in touch with your heart and soul, a key factor to powerfully impacting an audience. The reason it works is because you powerfully impact yourself first. Spend at least 5 minutes per day resonating.
Click here to watch a short video about how to resonate.

4. Exercise

Create a powerful experience.

Most people just want to focus on singing a song and/or do their vocal drills as if they are a tedious chore. When you go to practice, if your mind is not the right place and you are used to feeling uneasy every time you hit a certain note, not matter how many times you sing the "right" exercise, it will not be correct. You need to make sure your MIND and SOUL are working to your advantage, which is why the "C" "O" and "R" in C.O.R.E. exist. They prep you to be in the right space to practice and sing. Practice your vocal drills as if they were a song. Practice feeling safe within your voice and enjoy yourself. Remember, it's not only WHAT we do, but HOW. Spend at least 15 minutes per day doing vocal exercises to strengthen your voice.

Remember, your being YOU is a GIFT. Celebrate every time you are just being yourself and sharing of yourself. This is great practice for singing! Don't lose yourself in the past or future, this holiday season, but gain more presence through following these four simple steps to empowerment.

Reflection Question Ask: On a scale of 1-10, HOW COMFORTABLE DO I FEEL, JUST BEING MYSELF, AND SHARING MY FEELINGS IN A STORY WHEN I SING?

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ABOUT DOT

Award winning Singer/Songwriter Empowerment Coach Dot Todman appeared as a Celebrity guest on TV Guide’s Idol Chat and gave advice for American Idol (www.americanidol.com) contestants.

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