It’s true

I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying: Practice makes perfect. Well, it’s true. The more you do something, the better you get at it and the more confident you become.

Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse!

When it comes to delivering a speech or presentation, practice really does make perfect because you’ll be able to get all the bugs worked out, get your pronunciation right, really get to know the material, and have the sort of confidence that comes from REALLY knowing what you’re talking about.

To get your delivery right, practice your delivery in front of a mirror. I know it feels a bit strange talking to your reflection, but it’s a great way of discovering what you’ll look like in front of an audience.

Better still, video yourself on your phone and watch the recording back. Note any “fluffs” or places where you “umm” and “err” or use filler language like “you know”. Get somebody you know and trust to watch the recording and critique it for you. Act on their feedback, and improve. Then rinse and repeat.

Such are the times we live in now, that many speeches and presentations are delivered “virtually” over Zoom or similar conferencing software. This presents its own set of challenges because you can’t get a “feel” for an audience like you can when you’re speaking live. For that reason it’s even more important that you rehearse and get your delivery as close to perfection as it’s possible to get.

Practice Zoom calls by recording your webcam and then watching it back. Once again, get somebody you know and trust to watch the recording and critique it for you. Act on their feedback, and improve. Then rinse and repeat.

When you do your presentation or speech for real, gauge the audience’s reaction (or ask for feedback) and make any necessary changes for your next speech or presentation.