049: This Surprising Element Will Make You a Better Speaker with Janice Rous

There’s something you can do as a speaker to connect with your audience and have an impact on them that goes beyond your content or the activities you have them do.

It’s one of the four essential elements (fire, water, air, and earth), which is why I used the word “element” in the title. It’s your breath.

The most powerful speakers in the world know how to use their breath, resonance, tone, and pauses to create a moving experience for their listeners. You can do the same.

More than simply helping to calm your nerves or speak more clearly (which it definitely does as well!), using your breath properly and intentionally can connect you on a deeper level with your audience and make your words more powerful and impactful.

My guest Janice Rous is an expert on the breath and the body. In this episode, she shares specific techniques you can use on the stage and in preparation to tune your breath and your body.

We also talk about why we’re often reluctant to have silence in our conversations and presentations, but why it’s crucial for our listeners.

About My Guest: Janice Stieber Rous has been dancing since she was five and attended the Martha Graham School until the age of 21. She graduated from the American Center of the Alexander Technique in 1981 and has been teaching classes in Stough Breathing Coordination, Yoga and the Alexander Technique in New York City, Orlando, Florida, Ireland and Israel ever since. She is a Sarah Lawrence College graduate and has a master’s degree from Bank St. College in museum leadership, education and administration. Janice created Body Dialogue because she was in search of a practice to integrate all of her different studies, thereby effectively combining Alexander Technique, breathing and yoga.

Highlights:

• The importance of breath, tone, resonance, vibration, and grounding the body
• How to let your breath guide the voice so your words are powerful and impactful
• How pauses and silences are necessary so your audience see you as the authority on your topic
• Techniques to invite your audience into your speech
• The importance of physical and vocal warmups before a speaking engagement
• The importance of oxygen for our thinking

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/49

Check out Janice’s website, workshops, and retreats at http://bodydialogues.com/

Join the free Speaking Your Brand community at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/join/ or text the word SPEAKING to 444-999.

Interested in a VIP Day to create your signature talk? Email me at carol@speakingyourbrand.com.

Say hi to me on Twitter @CarolMorganCox

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Become Bookable Live Online Workshop - April 15, 2026
If you want to speak more but you’re not sure where to start or your efforts haven’t produced the results you want, I’m hosting a live online workshop called “Become Bookable: How to Get Speaking Invitations” on Wednesday, April 15th.

A lot of brilliant women assume they just need to pitch themselves more. But the real reason speakers get invited isn’t because they pitch harder — it’s because they’re positioned as bookable.

In this 3-hour interactive workshop live on Zoom, I’ll show you how speakers actually get invited — and help you clarify the positioning that makes event organizers say yes.

As a podcast listener, use the coupon code “Podcast100” to save $100 on your registration.

Learn more and register at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/bookable