6 microphone tips for public speaking don’t Hide Your Face with the Microphone

6 MICROPHONE TIPS FOR PUBLIC SPEAKING

1. Don’t Hide Your Face with the Microphone
For stationary mics attached to a podium or table, move it down so that it’s not blocking your face.
This is especially important for short people standing behind a podium.
Facial expressions are a major part of communication, so you need your face to be clearly visible to the crowd.
For hand-held microphones, position the mic so that your whole face is clearly visible. Hold it vertically so that it only blocks your chin.
Singers and rappers hold their microphone pointing straight out, which blocks the lower half of their face:

But for public speaking and presentations, you want to hold the microphone lower, so that your mouth is visible:

2. Hold it Very Close to Your Mouth – Closer than You Think
This is one of the critical microphone tips. It affects how loud your voice will sound.
Each microphone has different settings (which can be adjusted by the sound crew).
3. Keep Your Microphone Arm Completely Stationary
People inexperienced with microphones will often move their arms around as they talk, as if they were not holding it at all.
Obviously this is a mistake because your voice will keep fading in and out. The audience will have an extremely hard time understanding you.
This is another one of those habits that is easy to overlook, but which has a huge impact on your speech.
4. Test the Mic Before Your Speech Begins
You should never have to ask “can everyone hear me ok?”
You should already know that the mic is working long before you take the stage and begin speaking.
Arrive early and test it out so you can just hit the ground running when you open your speech.
If you will be turning your mic on and off throughout your presentation (for example, in a workshop), make sure you can do that without making it screech and hurting everyone’s ears.
5. Podium Microphones: Position the Mic So You Don’t Have to Slouch
This gives you bad posture and obscures your face to the audience.
Unlike with handheld mics, a podium mic should be sensitive enough to pick up your voice even when you are standing up straight.
6. Don’t Wear Jewelry That Will Bang Against the Mic
This is extremely annoying and distracting for the audience.
And it’s the kind of thing that is so minor, and so easy to overlook, but really interferes with the audience’s retention of your message.
The microphone, and the spotlight is on you. Everyone can hear what you've got to say, or can they? If you've ever wondered how to hold a microphone properly, this article has the answer for you!
So how do we hold a microphone when public speaking and presenting? The best way to hold a microphone when speaking is at a distance of 2-10 inches from the mouth and at a 45-degree angle downward. Aim the capsule (front) of the microphone at the mouth and hold the microphone in the middle. For comfort, keep a medium grip, flexible wrist, and elbow down.