Speaking Recovery: Navigating the Highs and Lows of the Post-Event Comedown
Are you emotionally or physically drained after you present at work, do a networking event, or speak in front of people? Or are you the opposite: totally amped up after public events?
Last month, my 7-year-old daughter had her first piano recital. She played Jingle Bells. She’d been practicing for weeks, and given who her mother is (ahem), she had also been practicing the speaking introduction part. She did great!
But then this thing happened. This thing I’ve experienced myself and seen so many times. She crashed… hard. Her highly sensitive nervous system let go of the nerves and adrenaline that she’d been holding before the event, and she deflated. For the rest of the recital, she was lying down on my lap in our audience seats, not moving.
You know how kids are the perfect reflection of what’s really going on because they simply DNGAF about what’s “appropriate”? In that moment, I learned a lot about what many of us go through after we do a public speaking event or work presentation.
VERSION A: Adrenaline up >> crash down. Spoiler alert: I don’t have a tool for you today that helps you not crash. Instead, I offer you a moment to consider your own nervous system and make a plan. If you’re someone who crashes like my kid did, then guess what? You need to plan some time and space after your event to rest. Like “I’m going home and please don’t talk to me for the next 24 hours” kind of rest.
VERSION B: Adrenaline up >> adrenaline more up. If you’re someone like me who gets amped up after board meetings or events (and then crashes a few hours later), then you may want to schedule a date with a friend or colleague to burn off some of that excess energy and debrief the experience.
VERSION C: All good >> next day is hard. Some people have an emotional let down the next day. They’ve worked so hard and - no matter how the event went - now it’s over. Those folks can think about what might feel nourishing and supportive over the next day or two and plan accordingly.
VERSION D: You're fine. Awesome! This means you have a longer runway than most to continue along your day in whatever way suits your fancy.
You know you best. So do what feels right. But don’t make the mistake of thinking that the show ends when the curtain goes down. There’s a “next” and it deserves some tending to.
Break a leg (but then recover after!),
Adriana
PS. Comment here and I'll share some nervous-system recovery ideas with you. After a speaking event (even if that’s a small presentation at work), are you:
A - drained and depleted
B - amped up
C - ok but the next day is hard
D - totally fine and feel the same before as after
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