The Latest from David Meerman Scott

How I Prepare Backstage in the Moments Before a Major Speech

Written by David Meerman Scott | Sep 13, 2026, 7:17:05 PM

Just before I take the stage to deliver a talk about fandom marketing, I get my heart rate up. My goal is to match my heart rate to the beats per minute of my walk on music. This helps to ground me, calm my nerves, and sets me up to deliver a powerful performance from the instant I begin.

Hitting the stage ready to rock!

Tony Robbins often talks about the importance of “getting in state” prior to doing something important. Getting in state is a process intentionally shifting your physical and emotional condition to a peak level of performance, energy, and resourcefulness.

I follow his advice in the several minutes before I go on. This short video shows how I do it.

How do you prepare?

What rituals do you perform to get in state for the big moments in your life?

Video is from my talk at Tony Robbins Business Mastery on August 13, 2026.  Thank you Tony for sharing your stage with me, Embody Movement and Milla Kuhto for the footage and Blake Hallas for the edit!