three types of rehearsals for oral presentation

Aesthetics and Delivery

Learning Objectives

• Identify and distinguish methods of delivery
• Discuss the rehearsal process
• Strategize best practices for rehearsal

Having a clear understanding and appreciation for aesthetic choices—including verbal, nonverbal delivery, and the use of presentation aids— will enhance your understanding of public speaking. In reading the previous chapters, you likely thought of speakers who have either exemplified certain qualities or “broken the rules” by, for example, using many vocalized fillers. While understanding these ideas is important, the best path to integrating them in your own presentations is through rehearsal. You will create an exceptional aesthetic experience for your audience, but that starts before you step in front of the audience.

“I already know how to rehearse a speech,” you may be thinking. But like any ability, sport, or game, people proficient in those areas have insight to add. Yes, you could learn to masterfully cook on your own, but having an experienced chef at your side will lead to unexpected insights and increase your proficiency. So, trust us. We are experts.

When you begin the rehearsal process, the first step is figuring out which type of delivery you’ll be executing. There are four main types of delivery that we’ll outline below.

Types of Delivery

The content, purpose, and situation for your presentation will partially dictate how you rehearse because they will inform what type of delivery style you select. There are 4 general types of delivery: impromptu, extemporaneous, the use of a manuscript, and memorized.

Impromptu Speaking

Impromptu speaking is the presentation of a short message without advance preparation. You have probably done impromptu speaking many times in informal, conversational settings. Self-introductions in group settings are examples of impromptu speaking: “Hi, my name is Steve, and I’m a volunteer with the Homes for the Brave program.” Another example of impromptu speaking occurs when you answer a question such as, “What did you think of the movie?” Your response has not been preplanned, and you are constructing your arguments and points as you speak. Even worse, you might find yourself going into a meeting and your boss says, “I want

you to talk about the last stage of the project. . .” and you have no warning.

The advantage of this kind of speaking is that it’s spontaneous and responsive in an animated group context. The disadvantage is that the speaker is given little or no time to contemplate the central theme of their message. As a result, the message may be disorganized and difficult for listeners to follow.

Here is a step-by-step guide that may be useful if you are called upon to give an impromptu speech in public:

• Take a moment to collect your thoughts and plan the main point that you want to make (like a mini thesis statement).
• Thank the person for inviting you to speak. Do not make comments about being unprepared, called upon at the last moment, on the spot, or uneasy. In other words, try to avoid being self-deprecating!
• Deliver your message, making your main point as briefly as you can while still covering it adequately and at a pace your listeners can follow.
• If you can use a structure, use numbers if possible: “Two main reasons. . .” or “Three parts of our plan. . .” or “Two side effects of this drug. . .” Past, present, and future or East Coast, Midwest, and West Coast are pre-fab structures.
• Thank the person again for the opportunity to speak.
• Stop talking (it is easy to “ramble on” when you don’t have something prepared). If in front of an audience, don’t keep talking as you move back to your seat.

Impromptu speeches are generally most successful when they are brief and focus on a single point.

We recommend practicing your impromptu speaking regularly and every day. Do you want to work on reducing your vocalized pauses in a formal setting? Cool! You can begin that process by being conscious of your vocalized fillers during informal conversations and settings.

Extemporaneous

Extemporaneous speaking is the presentation of a carefully planned and rehearsed speech, spoken in a conversational manner using brief notes.

Speaking extemporaneously has some advantages. It promotes the likelihood that you, the speaker, will be perceived as knowledgeable and credible since you know the speech well enough that you don’t need to read it. In addition, your audience is likely to pay better attention to the message because it is engaging both verbally and nonverbally. By using notes rather than a full manuscript (or everything that you’re going to say), the extemporaneous speaker can establish and maintain eye contact with the audience and assess how well they are understanding the speech as it progresses. It also allows flexibility; you are working from the strong foundation of an outline, but if you need to delete, add, or rephrase something at the last minute or to adapt to your audience, you can do so. The outline also helps you be aware of main ideas vs. subordinate ones.

Because extemporaneous speaking is the style used in the great majority of public speaking situations, most of the information in the subsequent sections of this chapter is targeted toward this kind of speaking.

Manuscript speaking is the word-for-word iteration of a written message. In a manuscript speech, the speaker maintains their attention on the printed page except when using presentation aids.

The advantage to reading from a manuscript is the exact repetition of original words. This can be extremely important in some circumstances. For example, reading a statement about your organization’s legal responsibilities to customers may require that the original words be exact. In reading one word at a time, in order, the only errors would typically be mispronunciation of a word or stumbling over complex sentence structure. A manuscript speech may also be appropriate at a more formal affair (like a funeral), when your speech must be said exactly as written in order to convey the proper emotion or decorum the situation deserves.

However, there are costs involved in manuscript speaking. First, it’s typically an uninteresting way to present. Unless the speaker has rehearsed the reading as a complete performance animated with vocal expression and gestures (well-known authors often do this for book readings), the presentation tends to be dull. Keeping one’s eyes glued to the script prevents eye contact with the audience. For this kind of “straight” manuscript speech to hold audience attention, the audience must be already interested in the message and speaker before the delivery begins. Finally, because the full notes are required, speakers often require a lectern to place their notes, restricting movement and the ability to engage with the audience. Without something to place the notes on, speakers have to manage full-page speaking notes, and that can be distracting.

It is worth noting that professional speakers, actors, news reporters, and politicians often read from an autocue device, such as a teleprompter, especially when appearing on television, where eye contact with the camera is crucial. With practice, a speaker can achieve a conversational tone and give the impression of speaking extemporaneously and maintaining eye contact while using an autocue device. However, success in this medium depends on two factors: (1) the speaker is already an accomplished public speaker who has learned to use a conversational tone while delivering a prepared script, and (2) the speech is written in a style that sounds conversational.

Memorized speaking is reciting a written message that the speaker has committed to memory. Actors, of course, recite from memory whenever they perform from a script in a stage play, television program, or movie. When it comes to speeches, memorization can be useful when the message needs to be exact and the speaker doesn’t want to be confined by notes.

The advantage to memorization is that it enables the speaker to maintain eye contact with the audience throughout the speech. Being free of notes means that you can move freely around the stage and use your hands to make gestures. If your speech uses presentation aids, this freedom is even more of an advantage.

Memorization, however, can be tricky. First, if you lose your place and start trying to ad lib, the contrast in your style of delivery will alert your audience that something is wrong. If you go completely blank during the presentation, it will be extremely difficult to find your place and keep going. Obviously, memorizing a typical seven-minute classroom speech takes a great deal of time and effort, and if you aren’t used to memorizing, it is very difficult to pull off.

We recommend playing with all 4 types of delivery (though extemporaneous is most common in public speaking). Once you identify what type of delivery style you’ll use in a speech, it’s time to rehearse.

Rehearsal sounds like homework, we know. Rehearsing your speech, however, doesn’t just assist in increasing one’s speech grade. Rehearsing is your commitment to bettering your foundational communication skills for the long haul.

When you rehearse, you are asking: what kind of aesthetic choices do I want to implement? Aesthetic choices can be enhanced or limited based on the situation and context in which you’re speaking, both physically and culturally. For example, if you are speaking outside without a microphone, your embodiment of the speech and aesthetic scene would differ from a speech with a lectern in a small classroom.

This might be a good place to dispel a few myths about public speaking that can influence perceptions of rehearsal:

Myth #1: You are either born a good public speaker or not. While someone may have certain characteristics that are attractive in our cultural understanding of public speaking, good rehearsal will create conditions for everyone to become better speakers.

Myth #2: Practice makes perfect. It is possible to practice incorrectly, so in that case, practice will make permanent, not perfect. There is a right way and a wrong way to practice a speech, musical instrument, or sport.

Myth #3 : Public speaking is just reading what you wrote or reading and talking at the same time . For example: I (one of your authors) often hear envy over my public speaking abilities, but I certainly was not blessed with a universal speaking gene. Instead, I spent years doing debate, speech, and performance to practice writing arguments, responding to ideas, and crafting a public speaking persona. When I do presentations, I spend lots of time workshopping the speech “on my feet” to determine the best type of delivery, where to emphasize, when to move, while considering the entire scene that’s being created. Because I have practiced a lot, though, I am more confident about these decisions during the rehearsal process so I perform more consistently.

Have you found yourself using one of these myths? Sadly, we often rely on these myths to talk ourselves into believing that public speaking isn’t for us – never was and never will be.

You might also, for example, have attempted rehearsal in the past and thought, “How am I supposed to remember all these words and all these bodily movements at the same time?! It’s impossible!” It’s true: there’s a lot going on when you give a public speech, and focusing on your aesthetic delivery requires a conscious effort. Think about the classic party trick of rubbing your belly and patting your head at the same time. In the first attempt, you may have struggled (like some of us!). With practice, though, you can find strategies that allow you to accomplish this task that, at first glance, was too much.

One major misconception about rehearsal is that it begins when your speech is completely written. Start rehearsing as soon as you can. Too often, speakers wait until the entire speech is complete – it’s been created, written, and is on paper. We recommend, however, embedding rehearsal workshops throughout your speech preparation. Why?

Rehearsal and workshopping will assist you in translating the written argument into verbal form. “How does this sound?” or “I think I know another example that would work well here.” Using rehearsal to workshop content allows you to listen to the sound of your argument out loud rather than reading on paper only.

Rehearsal, thus, is an ongoing process and part of your entire public speaking preparation. So, now what? What does a good rehearsal consist of?

Check the Space

We’ve been a broken record, we know, but we’ll say it again: think about the context – including the space that you’re speaking in. The space—and resources available within it—will influence your rehearsal because you’ll know the spatial opportunities and constraints. Let’s talk through some key questions that you should ask of the space.

Is there a lectern or podium? If so, should I use it? Many speaking spaces include a lectern or a podium (see Image 11.1) . A lectern is a small raised surface, usually with a slanted top, where a speaker can place notes during a speech. A podium is a raised platform or stage. Both the lectern and podium allow speakers stability while they present, and there’s the added bonus of having some place to rest your speaking notes.

However, even for experienced speakers, it is all too tempting to grip the edges of the lectern with both

hands for security (like we discussed in Chapter 9). You might even wish you could hide behind it. Remember, too, that opting to keep your hands at your sides will not be visible to your audience. Be aware of these temptations so you can manage them effectively and present yourself to your audience in a manner they will perceive as confident.

If you opt to use a lectern, your rehearsal should integrate a similar structure. As you rehearse, try stepping to the side or front of the lectern when speaking with free hands, only occasionally standing at the lectern to consult your notes. This will enhance your eye contact as well as free up your hands for gesturing.

What size is the space? If you are accustomed to being in a classroom of a certain size, you will need to make adjustments when speaking in a smaller or larger space.

A large auditorium can be intimidating. Most of us are used to sitting in the seats, not standing on the stage! Because it may be difficult to find a space that large while you rehearse, keep a few things in mind:

• Be aware that your voice is likely to echo, especially if far fewer people are in the space than it can hold, so you will want to speak more slowly than usual and make use of pauses to mark the ends of phrases and sentences. When you rehearse, slow down to account for the echo – listen to find ways to speak slowly while avoiding a robotic tone.
• Your facial expressions and gestures should be larger so that they are visible from farther away. If you are using presentation aids, they need to be large enough to be visible from the back of the auditorium. Of course, if you can get the audience to move to the front, that is the best situation, but it tends not to happen.

Limited space is not as disconcerting for most speakers as enormous space, and it has the advantage of minimizing the tendency to pace back and forth while you speak. A small space does call for more careful management of note cards and presentation aids, as your audience will be able to see up close what you are doing with your hands.

What about acoustics? The acoustics of your speaking space can often dictate an audience’s ability to hear and comprehend what you’re saying. If you are speaking outside, your voice is likely to carry and be less insulated than a theatre or small classroom. Remember, if your audience can’t hear you, they can’t experience your speech.

Check for a microphone: using a microphone will amplify your voice, so it is a good choice to increase your

volume in an open or large acoustic space. Remember that a microphone may require that you slow down for the sound to carry. Check to see if it is handheld or can be clipped on. This may seem like a small difference, but it will affect your ability to move and gesture, so this small detail can make a larger impact on your aesthetic choices.

If you have never spoken with a microphone, ask to do a sound check and use that time to perform the first few lines of your speech to get an understanding of how your language will sound through a microphone in that space.

Workshop Strategies

Rehearsal means workshopping the embodiment of your speech. This is key because, as we’ve discussed, a speech is experienced differently by the audience than if they were reading it on a page. The sooner you begin and the sooner you become comfortable with rehearsal, the better your content will translate to the audience. To assist, let’s talk through some rehearsal strategies and best practices. Rather than a linear process, view these processes and strategies as circular or recursive – continue returning to each throughout rehearsal.

Conduct a self-assessment : We often hear, “oh no; I hate to listen to myself talk.” And we get it. It can feel strange to self-assess. While difficult and sometimes frustrating, it’s important to know what kind of speaker you are and what you’d like to improve. For example, are you often quiet and asked to speak up? Or, conversely, are you a loud talker whose booming voice fills up the room with ease?

These general questions about your communication style can begin giving insight into your strengths as a speaker, and the answers will be your focus areas during rehearsal. If you know that you’re a quick-talker, you’ll want to pay attention to pace and consciously integrate additional pauses. If you struggle with eye contact, asking a friend to rehearse with you can increase your comfort with engaging through eye contact.

However, you can only gain so much about your speaking strengths by investigating your general communication style. The best way to get a baseline understanding of your speaking style is to—you guessed it – watch yourself give a speech. Yes, this may feel awkward. But it’s worth it. When watching, we recommend that you identify any aesthetic choices that emerge more than once. After all, you’re looking for key areas to improve, so you want to hone in on things that seem to trip you up over and over.

With that in mind, we recommend two ways to approach conducting a self-assessment: start with general questions and move toward specific examples. Figure 11.1 guides you through this process.

In conducting a self-assessment, your main goal is identifying opportunities for improvement and understanding your current strengths. The more comfortable you become with self-assessing, the less likely you’ll finish a speech and say, “I have no idea what I just did.”

Rehearse with all speaking materials : Rehearse with everything that you’ll speak with. Too often, speakers use their full outline (or even a full manuscript) when rehearsing and make a speaking outline right before standing up to speak. This makes effectiveness difficult, and understandably so. If you’re used to looking down at a full-length paper, using a notecard and a few keywords will feel radically strange and different in the moment.

Instead, rehearse with everything that you’ll speak with, including your speaking notes (check out Chapter 6 for assistance on creating a speaking outline). Speaking notes are your friend, and workshopping with your notes will create consistency and familiarity when you formally speak.

There are benefits beyond familiarity. You can, for example, create cues on your notes that communicate with your future speaking self. Do you have trouble with projection? Use a green highlighter on your speaking notes to remind yourself to “speak up!” The more you rehearse with that green mark, the more confidently and consciously you can work on projecting.

In addition to speaking notes, you should rehearse with any other materials that will be present – a presentational aid, a table, a chair, etc. If you’re using PowerPoint, you’ll want to rehearse with a clicker since you’ll likely have an additional device to hold. As you rehearse, ask: “do I need to hold this the entire time? Can I seamlessly place it on a table nearby? How long does the audience need to experience each slide?”

The more you integrate these materials into your rehearsal, the more seamless they’ll appear the day that you speak. Rather than be burdensome or awkward, they will be part of the speaking experience.

Start over and over and over: That’s right. Rehearsal is an over-and-over-and-over again process not a one-time-through ordeal. While a self-assessment is a key part of rehearsal, you may be unable to video yourself prior to a speech or presentation. In that case, starting over and workshopping repeatedly will be key.

As you begin workshopping, listen to the argumentative flow of your content: does this make sense? Can an idea be clarified? Does the transition connect the main points fully? How does the concluding thought leave the audience? Listening to the arguments will allow you to make aesthetic and delivery choices that will enhance that information.

Try it different ways. Listen. Try it another way. Listen. Do it again.

Successful rehearsal is a process of self-reflection and being comfortable critiquing your own presentational style. You can always (and we recommend) ask others for help – feedback will provide you with different perspectives. These techniques, however, should always happen before the day of your speech. We provide some day-of recommendations below.

The Day of Your Speech

Rehearsal continues until the moment you speak, including the day-of preparation. There are a few day-of rehearsal techniques that we recommend.

Warm up your voice . Have you ever begun talking and instead of a clear, articulate sentence, your voice sounded scratchy and awkward? Perhaps you had to clear your throat for your voice to return. That’s because your muscles weren’t warmed up. When you begin your speech, you want your voice and vocal cords to be warmed up to allow higher blood flow to reduce hoarseness. Consider the following warm-up exercises:

• Avoid holding tenseness by dropping the shoulders and taking a few deep breaths.
• Open your mouth as wide as possible, close it, and open it again.
• Warm up the tongue by rolling the tongue a few times (you know the sound!)
• Select a few words and work to over-enunciate them by placing extra emphasis as you speak out loud.

These are just a few suggestions to get your vocals warmed up. We know these sound a bit weird, and we don’t often see people standing in the hallway stretching out their mouth or vocal cords. But that’s OK! Find a private spot and try to be comfortable in warming up your vocals.

Warm up your body . Your speech is a full-body experience, so warming up your body is key. Because public speaking is embodied, you want to feel connected with all parts of your body so that you can comfortably and confidently engage. There is no “right way” to warm up, so use warm-up techniques that work best for you. We enjoy deep breathing, stretching, and shaking out the limbs.

Warming up your body can also help reduce the jittery feelings of communication anxiety. If you’re feeling anxious, try implementing strategies to reduce communication apprehension. We recommend looking back over the last section of Chapter 1 – the section provides suggestions on how to reduce and/or manage communication apprehension.

Finally, trust yourself. You have worked hard. You know your stuff. Help the audience experience that time and labor.

This chapter has concluded Part 3 on creating an aesthetic experience. We worked to identify key delivery techniques – impromptu, extemporaneous, manuscript, and memorized.

You now have helpful starting places when workshopping a speech. Rehearse. Rehearse. Rehearse.

Media Attributions

• ChrisElrod2017 © ChrisElrod is licensed under a CC BY-SA (Attribution ShareAlike) license
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Speak Out, Call In: Public Speaking as Advocacy Copyright © 2019 by Meggie Mapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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How to Rehearse for an Important Presentation

• Carmine Gallo

Great speeches are never an accident.

If you want to deliver a spellbinding presentation, rehearse far more than you’ve done in the past. But you don’t want to sound too rehearsed, so you’ll need to balance memorization with spontaneity. Nail down the first two and last two minutes of your speech, and leave room for improvisation in between. And practice under pressure. This mean rehearsing in front of one or two people to get your body used to being in front of a crowd. Then ask for feedback, and rehearse again.

Steve Jobs was the most astonishing business speaker of his time. Bill Gates once called him a “wizard” who “cast spells” on his audience. Fortune magazine proclaimed that his keynotes could set “ hardened hearts aflutter .” Jobs is one of the few CEOs whose presentations have a dedicated  Wikipedia page ; his keynotes alone could  spark a surge in Apple’s stock.

• Carmine Gallo is a Harvard University instructor, keynote speaker, and author of 10 books translated into 40 languages. Gallo is the author of The Bezos Blueprint: Communication Secrets of the World’s Greatest Salesman  (St. Martin’s Press).

Partner Center

Your Path to Perfect: Guide to Rehearsing a Presentation

by Janice Tomich

• Presentation Planning & Public Speaking Skills

Would you be surprised to hear that practicing a presentation is as important as the words you actually share? And that you should spend as much time rehearsing your speech as you did creating your presentation?

The presenters you admire—the ones that seem so at ease with their effortless delivery—appear polished because of the amount of time they invest in practicing their presentation skills.

Their natural delivery might lull you into thinking they’ve spent little time practicing.

But nothing could be further from the truth.

I’m a professional presentation coach , and I’ve guided over 1000 clients in the process of writing, practicing, and delivering presentations and keynote addresses .

Here are the tips and advice I give my clients on how to effectively rehearse for an upcoming presentation.

Table of Contents

How Much Should you Practice your Presentation Delivery?

As you practice, you’ll find that your presentation will evolve. It will become a more effective presentation as you make tweaks and adjustments. This evolution is likely to take more time than you anticipate.

To ensure you’ve given yourself lots of time to be stage ready, work backwards from the day you will be delivering your presentation, and then schedule in presentation practice time, with practices starting at least two weeks before you plan to walk on stage.

Don’t practice your presentation in the theatre of your mind. It’s only by actually articulating the words out loud that you will understand the messaging that works and the messaging that doesn’t.

I tell my clients they should practice until they get sick of hearing their own voice—that once that happens they’ll know they have practiced enough. They look at me in disbelief, because they usually want the hard numbers.

But there isn’t a prescriptive or magic number of hours your need to practice. It’s a knowing…knowing that you intuitively can speak to all of your content fluidly and you can transition from concept to concept with ease.

I do understand that most people want to know how many hours to schedule into their calendar, so the number that many professional speaking coaches quote is that for a one hour presentation you’ll need 30 hours of practice.

Yes, 30 hours of practice!

However, as I mentioned above, it’s not about a prescriptive amount of time but rather that you must ensure you are practiced enough to deliver your presentation with confidence. The longer the speech the more time you’ll need to practice. New presentations (ones which are not an adaptation of a previous one) also require more practice time. New public speakers often need more practice than seasoned ones, because experienced speakers know what to expect and how to adjust if things don’t go according to plan. New speakers are still honing their presentation skills.

You should also know that professional public speakers tend to spend more time practicing than business professionals. After all, a professional public speaker has a whole career and income around speaking. They need to deliver top-tier presentations that will influence and engage their audiences, and they treat presentation practice like the professionals they are.

“I was preparing for four presentations and although already comfortable with speaking in front of an audience, I was looking to hone my skills. We worked through all of the presentations together and I felt confident and prepared as I delivered them. “

​​​​Deanna Sparling Director of Operations – Barberstock System

Tips for Effective Presentation Practice

1. don’t memorize your speech.

My first rule of thumb is not to be tempted to memorize your presentation word for word. Audiences can tell when a speaker has memorized their presentation. It’s obvious because there is a flavour of performance art—the delivery is a bit disassociated from the words.

Memorized presentations sound robotic because it’s hard to instil passion in them—they lose their fresh, conversational vibe.

Rote memorization also sets you up for a big problem. Forget one word and you’ll look like a deer in headlights and be grappling for what to speak to next.

2. Pull Out the Key Concepts of the Presentation

Instead of memorizing your speech, follow these guidelines instead:

• Practice your full script once or twice out loud.
• Gather a stack of note cards.
• Scan through your presentation and write down key concepts – one concept per card.
• Do a few practice run throughs (again, out loud) expanding from the key points on your cards.

You’ll be surprised at how much you know and remember using this technique.

Many speakers have a hard time letting go of their notes. Notes are like a pacifier. When my clients toss them, I know it’s one of the toughest leaps of faith they need to take.

What’s the benefit to tossing your notes? You’ll sound natural, at ease, and confident.

3. Use Visual Cueing to Help You Remember Your Key Points

One of my very first clients was scheduled to deliver at a conference with a few months to prepare. Sadly, the previous year she had been in a massive car wreck and suffered a brain stem injury that affected her memory. First we worked together on the content, and then I created a method to help her deliver her words.

We used the key concepts technique above, but for each key concept, we associated it with a visual aid—an image which aligned to each key concept. For each concept we used an image that would trigger its meaning. Some of the images made no sense to me but it was the right trigger for her.

She practiced from these visual vies and once she had made a solid connection she memorized the images in order. It wasn’t easy—it took a lot of work. And she pulled it off beautifully.

I tell this story to demonstrate the real value in aligning concepts with visual cues. When I practice presentations, I’m usually in my living room. In a clockwise motion I attach each key concept to a piece of furniture … chair, credenza, couch, etc. I practice with each piece of furniture triggering my memory and then riff off of the key concepts.

Some clients find this too discombobulating. For some, having to retrieve the images conjured up from their home while standing on a stage is too confusing. For those clients, I recommend they use their own body from the top of their head to the tip of their toes as visual markers, assigning one key message per body part.

If you’re lost and unsure about how to make your presentation compelling, I can help.

4. Only Practice the Parts of the Speech You Trip Over

As my requests to speak at events grew, I soon realized that practicing a presentation from start to finish each time was time consuming. Many new public speakers fall into this trap as well. A better approach, once you have your presentation in good shape, is to only practice the parts which challenge you. This technique does double duty. It saves lots of time, and it also prevents over learning/memorizing.

And while you’re practicing…

5. Record Yourself Rehearsing Your Presentation

Many people shy away from recording themselves and then critiquing the playbacks. Once I got out of my own way, I realized how valuable video and audio recordings are. My clients say the same thing. Watching a video or audio recording of your own speech is one of the richest possible forms of public speaking feedback .

The trick is to remove your ego. Put your critiquing hat though you’re watching or listening to someone you don’t know.

Review Your Presentation Recordings and Answer These Self-Critique Questions

• Does your opening hook your audience in within the first 30 seconds?
• Have you established a solid through line? Is it obvious during your entire presentation?
• Is your content persuasive? Have you established common ground and then inched your audience along to influence them?
• Does each concept flow well into the next? Are the transitions smooth?
• Is your audience inspired by your close? What will they do because of your presentation?
• Are you using the full power of your voice and mannerisms that communicate engaging body language?
• Are you relying on too many filler words?
• Did you pace your content well—will your audience be able to easily follow your arguments?
• Do you appear relaxed? Are you presenting confidently ?

Once you answer these questions, take note of the problems you’ve identified and apply them to your next practice round. It’s doing the hard work and learning these nuances that support masterful delivery during your actual presentation.

Body Language: Practicing Gestures

When you practice and deliver your presentation with passion, confidence, and conviction as you would do as a speaker for TED Talk, your gestures and body language will naturally be in tune with your words.

There may be a few gestures you want to use for emphasis but to memorize each gesture will have you looking stilted and awkward.

Knowing When You Are Ready to Present

Your first practices should be on your own until you are confident in your content and how you’ll deliver it.

Once you’re in a solid place, I recommend practicing in front of colleagues that have lots of public speaking experience. Better yet, work with me —I’m a communication specialist and public speaking coach who has worked with over 1000 clients to get them prepared to stand behind a podium or on stage.

But don’t work until the last minute. It’s important to block concentrated scheduled presentation practice time … and also have rest time to integrate the learning.

“To join the stars, do less. But do the work with absolute, intense, and hard focus. And when you’re done, be done, and go enjoy the rest of the day.” Amir Afianian

An overburdened mind is not capable of efficiently learning a presentation (cramming for exams in uni didn’t work either.)

If you are up against a time crunch, I recommend you at least practice and learn the start of your presentation and conclusion of your presentation . Embed to memory the logical flow of your key points and from there, as time permits, practice ‘riffing’ off your points.

I’ve never delivered a presentation or had a client report back after a presentation saying they wished they’d practiced less.

The passion for your craft or industry shines through when you invest the time in practicing your presentation that shines a light on you as a professional public speaker.

Do You Need Help With Your Next Presentation?

Developing and creating a presentation on your own without professional feedback is challenging. If you’re stuck on how to clearly communicate your message, book a 1-hour presentation strategy session with me. I’ll help you get on track to deliver a presentation that is interesting, exciting, and engaging.

If you need support to create a presentation from a few scribbled notes on a napkin, I can help you with that too -> Prepare For Your Upcoming Presentation, Speech, or Talk .

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Rehearse for Success: The Secret to Effective Presentations

Hello, I’m Cliff Kennedy. Today, we’re exploring the art of rehearsal and its pivotal role in the success of your presentations. As an experienced coach working with organizations like AbbVie, Amazon, Gartner, Microsoft, and TEDxPaloAlto, I’ve seen the remarkable transformation that focused rehearsal brings to the success of speeches, presentations, and conversations.

Watch the full 45-minute walkthrough below that talks through my coaching approach to prepare all levels of speakers for their next high-stakes communication opportunity, or read the summary below.

Shift your perspective

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” These timeless words of U.S. Founding Father Benjamin Franklin are especially relevant to public speaking. Presenting isn’t just about putting together great content; it’s about practicing it well too. Half the work is in creating the content, and the other half is in the rehearsal.

I tell my clients my long-term plan is to shift their perspective on what presentations are about. It’s not a monologue; it’s an engaging conversation with your audience. When you rehearse, you aren’t doing it just for yourself, you’re doing it for your audience too.

Begin your rehearsals out of order

One unique technique that has worked wonders with my clients is rehearsing presentations in reverse. Start with your last slide and gradually work your way back to the beginning. This unconventional approach helps you better internalize the key messages and structure. Whether you present with slides or not, your presentation has natural breaks and transitions that can be rehearsed frontwards or backwards. Doing so ensures you feel confident and in control at every stage of your presentation, a feeling that your audience can sense and appreciate.

Interested in more? Download my worksheet with six more strategies and exercises to prepare you for your big moment.

Be natural and present

Your physical presence on the stage also contributes significantly to the effectiveness of your presentation. People are comfortable when you are comfortable and it’s important to display confidence even through mistakes or flubs. The right gestures and movements can also amplify and accentuate your message. To do so, maintain a balanced stance, minimize shifting weight or pacing, and be aware of your hand movements. My simple rules are: no pockets, no obscene gestures, and keep it natural. 

Embrace the mistakes – be human

Your physical presence on the stage also contributes significantly to the effectiveness of your presentation. People are comfortable when you are comfortable, and it’s important to display confidence even through mistakes or missteps. The right gestures and movements can amplify and accentuate your message. When presenting, maintain a balanced stance, minimize shifting your weight or pacing, and be aware of your hand movements. My simple rules are no pockets, above the waist, and keep it natural.

Use a process: Rehearse, refine, repeat

All successful presentations follow a cycle where you prepare, get the right mindset, rehearse, familiarize yourself with the content, understand the structure, refine it, and then repeat. Developing this or any process is integral to transforming a presentation from ordinary to extraordinary.

I invite you to embrace this approach, rehearse with purpose, and together, let’s create a culture of communication success.

Are you ready to take your communication skills to the next level? Let’s  schedule a call  to discuss your needs and begin improving the results you achieve from every speech, presentation, and conversation.

Whether you’re an individual who wants to make a bigger impact, a leader who wants to supercharge your team or an organization wanting to create a Culture of Communication Success , Kennedy Speech Communications’ coaching solutions are easy to implement and integrate seamlessly into existing cultures, schedules and workflows. Contact us today to learn how to achieve greater results from your next communication opportunity.

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Philipp Humm

How to rehearse for your presentations like a pro.

July 20, 2022

Imagine: You’ve an important presentation coming up. That presentation will decide whether you’ll get your promotion or not! 

I know, big stakes! You’re probably getting anxious just by the thought of that ;).

How can you rehearse for your presentation so that you deliver it with maximum impact?  

Let me share what you should avoid (don’ts) and what you should try (dos). The  rehearsal techniques are collection techniques that numerous professional speakers use.    

Rehearsal techniques you should AVOID

• Trying to ‘wing it : Plenty of people have told me that they prefer to not rehearse their presentation so that it appears more natural. While I like the idea behind it, I wouldn’t recommend it. By not rehearsing, there is a high chance that you’ll get lost in the weeds or forget about crucial information.    
• Rehearse in your head only : Often we go through stories and presentations thinking what we want to say. By only thinking about it, you won’t get a representative picture of how your presentation sounds in real life. You won’t know how long it will be, where to pause, or how to use your body effectively.   
• Rehearse in front of a mirror : The worst tip in public speaking is to rehearse in front of the mirror. What’s wrong with it? Tell me when will you ever be in a situation where you give a presentation while seeing yourself? Never! Exactly! It’s completely unnatural to see yourself while speaking. The only thing that you’ll accomplish by rehearsing in front of a mirror is to become more self conscious about how you look. Suddenly, you’ll notice all the small imperfections you weren’t even aware of before.   
• Practice without focus : Most people rehearse while moving their gazes randomly in the space, making it look as if they were daydreaming. This is a missed opportunity to train yourself to have more intentional eye contact (something extremely important for when you deliver your presentation).

Rehearsal Techniques you Should TRY

• Rehearse presentation 3-5 times : While the number of times you rehearse depends on your learning style, I’ve noticed that most of my clients need to rehearse their presentations minimum three times to remember the exact flow and the most of the details. Sure, it won’t be perfect, but it will be a satisfactory delivery. If you give the keynote in front of hundreds of people, you may want to put in a few extra repetitions to be 200% certain about your script. For my TEDx ( The Secret to Building Lasting Confidence ), for example, I rehearsed the full speech 14 times.
• Rehearse speaking out loud : The most effective way to rehearse your presentation is speaking out loud — in the same way you would speak during the presentation. If you can get a friend to listen to your presentation and give you feedback that would be even better. Bonus: When you mess up, don’t stop your presentation, but go on. That way you train your mind on how to deal with any ad-hoc problems that arise.   
• Practice in the street : The most common way to rehearse is in a private room. And that’s totally fine. I do that for most of my presentation. But in case, you want to take it up a notch, you can try to rehearse while walking in the street. Yes, in street, speaking to yourself in front of other people :D.  Why would do you that? If you can manage to deliver your presentation in this awkward situation,  you’ll be more comfortable in any high-stake environment.  As you’ll feel judged by strangers (e.g. stranger:  “why the heck is he talking to himself?”), you’ll learn how to deal with uncomfortable emotions. It’s a little tough at the beginning, but super powerful.
• Practice deliberate eye contact : Imagine specific objects in your space as if they were people in your audience. For instance, your desk light is one imaginary listener, the cactus another one, a photo another one. When you speak, move your gaze deliberately from one object to the other, having eye contact with each object for a full thought.   

That’s it. These are our tips to rehearse for your upcoming presentation or speech.

Give it a try and try out a few of these techniques the next time you’re preparing for your presentation.

If you still get quite nervous on stage, despite your impeccable rehearsal, you may want to check out this next article. There, I’ll share How I’d Learn Public Speaking (If I Could Start Over) . 

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13 Tips For Rehearsing A Presentation

Hrideep barot.

• Presentation , Public Speaking , Speech Writing

What is Presentation Rehearsal?

“Picasso didn’t wait until he was Picasso to perform like Picasso”. Robin Sharma

Have you ever been on stage to give a presentation? If yes, have you ever just thought ‘I should have prepared more thoroughly’ or ‘Maybe I should have just written everything down or read directly’. Do you wonder why such thoughts appear in your head? 

This is because you are not well-rehearsed or may even be unsure about your material. There are too many emotions at the same time such as nervousness, fear of messing up or even just going completely blank on stage.

Presentation rehearsal is when the speaker that is also the presenter in this case prepares himself by practising his presentation to get the knack of his skill. 

Why is Rehearsing for the Presentation Important?

To master the art of giving a flawless presentation the key is to practice or rehearse before the grand finale that is your presentation.

Rehearsal is an imperative step to give a satisfactory presentation. Why is that you may ask even though a presentation can be given without rehearsal?  

To answer your question, yes you can give a presentation even without rehearsal or practice but that presentation won’t be as marvellous as the one with practice.

Also, there is a high possibility that you may end up messing with the presentation because of a few mistakes here and there. This can be avoided by rehearsing.

Advantages of Rehearsing for a Presentation

When you rehearse your presentation you will:

• build up your confidence
• be familiar with your material 
• administer your learning of public speaking to assess what works for you and what doesn’t 
• know where you are lacking and this will help correct your mistakes
• make your content even more comprehensive by cutting out the unnecessary things
• become skilled and polished
• master body language
• will be able to complete on time

How Long Should You Practice for a Presentation?

The presenter can practice for 1-hour keeping in mind all the other factors such as rough outline, slides and time. The presenter must time everything accordingly and then practice.

She/he can also calculate and rehearse. For instance, if your presentation is for 20 minutes you can rehearse for 80 minutes straight.

Rehearsing can also depend on how satisfied you are with your performance and so time may differ respectively. There is no certain limit as to how long you can rehearse.

How Many Times Should You Rehearse a Presentation?

The presenter can practice their presentation a minimum of 3 times and a maximum of 10 times. The more you rehearse the better the results. And like it’s rightly said, ‘Practice makes a man perfect”.

Rehearse your presentation from start to end including the slides of your presentation. Only speaking may not be that effective as compared to when you rehearse with your presentation included.

A tip would be that if it is possible and you have time at your hand then start practising 10 days before your presentation. Practice 1 time through your entire presentation every day at the least. The results will astound you.

Presentational Rehearsal Checklist

Follow this step by step list to know what you need to tick of when rehearsing for a presentation.

• Commence with taking presentation notes
• Accustom yourself with your material
• Rehearse with your presentation
• Time your presentation
• Rehearse out loud
• Rehearse in front of a mirror
• Voice record your practice
• Video record your practice
• Rehearse in front of a single person
• Rehearse in front of an audience
• Preparing for the ‘if’ situation
• Experiment with your presentation
• Pay a visit to the location where you will be presenting

1. Commence with taking presentation notes

PowerPoint has a feature in which the presenter can write his notes at the bottom of the slide. Given below is an example of where to add notes in your presentation.

These notes will not be visible on the slideshow but only to you when you are presenting in presenter mode.

Put your entire statements into bullet points which will make it easy to present your presentation. 

While rehearsing don’t just mug up the script but understand it. Even if you forget your script you can refer to these points while presenting and this won’t create a blunder.

2. Accustom yourself with your material

While rehearsing, presenters often face the problem of ‘Where should I start from?’ 

Start from going rough the outline of the presentation then move forward to what is the main body or content of the presentation and then finally combine both and rehearse your unified presentation as a whole.

Knowing your material is a great start to your presentation. Knowing your speech backwards and forward is a sign of a great presenter.

If you as a presenter are well acquainted with what is in your material you can then utilize that time focusing on other factors.

3. Rehearse with your presentation

Often presenters make a frequent mistake and that is they never rehearse with their presentation. They focus more on the delivery part of the speech rather than rehearsing with both, the speech and the actual slides.

If you don’t rehearse with your slides, how will you know which slide comes next or how to time each of your slides?

This will be a disadvantage when you present on the final day because then there will be too many things and you won’t know how to manage both.

4. Time your presentation

Timing your presentation when rehearsing will not let you exceed the limit on the main day of your presentation. Time is the most vital element in your presentation. 

Decide how much time you will spend on each slide. When you practice considering the allotted time you won’t exceed the actual time of the presentation. You will also cover everything that you wanted to say and may also get done with it early. 

Time can either make your presentation or break your presentation.

Exceeding the time limit will make the audience lose interest which is a bad sign for the presenter.

5. Rehearse out loud

Reading your material out loud will help you remember points easily.

When I was in school, my dad told me that if you read your answers loudly the words will remain fresh in your memory rather than repeating the answer 10 times and just mugging up. Feel your words and monitor your energy level.

If you are confused and don’t know what to do instead of memorizing then follow this article ‘To Memorize or to Not: A Public Speaker’s Dilemma’ for the best guidance. This article will inform you about the problem with memorizing and how you can overcome this problem.

Use this technique and read out your text at least 2-3 times a day. People who practice debates also use this technique. 

6. Rehearse in front of a mirror

When you rehearse in front of a mirror you will get an idea of how you look while presenting. You can make out what actions are going wrong and correct them. 

You can also look at your facial expressions up-close and know exactly how your face changes with what you say. 

Looking in the mirror and rehearsing your speech will also give you confidence. All the minor details that you may have missed may come out with this technique and you get the chance to correct those mistakes.

7. Voice Record your practice

Recording yourself rehearse is also one way to rehearse. When you record yourself while practising you will find that your voice may sound a bit different but that’s natural. 

It is witnessed that through recording you will find unwanted pauses in your speech presentation such as ‘Umm’, ‘Uh’ and ‘Ah’. These pauses just make your presentation look weak. So rehearsing with recording can help you erase such mistakes from your speech.

Keep listening to your recording when you are free or doing something that doesn’t need your attention. Listening to the recording continuously will accustom you to the material and presentation.

8. Video record your practice

Video recording your rehearsal is different from the voice recording. In a voice recording, you can just hear your voice but in a video recording, you can see yourself and notice all the hand gestures and movements you make while speaking.

Don’t just focus on just words, but also focus on body language. Tone, voice, pitch, are a part of vocals. Observe how you sound, ‘Are you too loud?’ or ‘Are you too slow?’

When I asked my friend what do you to rehearse your speech before a presentation she said I video record myself. In today’s time, this is the most used technique of them all.

Why is it you may ask? This is because video recording the entire practice is easy and covers everything together in just one video. Also, make sure you make eye contact and smile while presenting. All these little things can make a huge difference in your presentation. 

Body language has a wide scope in communication and public speaking. We have written an article on  Body Language and Its Contribution to the Process of Communication . Read this to know in detail about body language.

You will also get feedback about the different errors you make like not making eye contact or fidgeting with your hands.

9. Rehearse in front of a single person

Rehearsing in front of a person is different from rehearsing in front of a mirror or camera. In this case, you will get real spoken feedback from the person you are rehearsing in front of.

Preferably choose a person you are close to because that person will be honest and not be worried about hurting your feelings. She/he won’t be biased and point out the mistakes you have made.

10. Rehearse in front of an audience

Yet again rehearsing in front of an audience is different from rehearsing in front of a single person.

The larger the crowd the more you get nervous. Standing in front of a group and giving a presentation may seem easy but when the spotlight is on you there are hundreds of things going on in your head. 

Hence, when you practice beforehand there is a certain sense of calm because you have already gone through that experience and you know what to say, how to move. This also boosts your confidence and you may show better results.

11. Preparing for the ‘if’ situation

What is the ‘if’ situation? Here, the presenter must be prepared entirely for any unpredictable thing to happen.

We are assuming that even if something goes wrong the presenter is mentally prepared and does not panic. The presenter must improvise and not let it affect his presentation.

For instance- A sudden electricity cut down takes place at the location of your presentation. Be prepared to present without a PPT.

Someone from the audience may say something offensive. Don’t lose your calm and be patient. Handle the situation with ease.

These things should be kept in mind while rehearsing for the presentation.

12. Experiment with your presentation

While rehearsing you may have noticed somethings that may sound off. Instead of just going with that and repeating the same things change your words and ways. 

Experiment with your material and fit in the best quality of content. Do not compromise with your content. 

Make it interesting and innovative. Ask questions, play a quiz, tell a funny story etc. All these things will make your presentation so much more appealing.

13. Pay a visit to the location where you will be presenting

If it is possible and in your hand, visit the location of your presentation to get a better idea of what you will be dealing with.

Do a technical rehearsal of your entire presentation one time with the lights, the slides and the mic to ensure that everything is working properly. This technical rehearsal will give you a little confidence and keep your nervousness in check.

Get well acquainted with the gadget that you will be using to present your presentation. If it is possible for you, load the presentation on the selected technology at the location and test it.

Should You Memorize a Presentation or Not?

The answer to this question depends entirely on you. It’s not like it’s a restriction but it would be beneficial if the speaker does not just memorize for the sake of delivering.

Drawbacks of memorizing

Why is that so? Memorizing your entire speech is not a crime but the drawback is that if you forget a sentence or even a word for that matter you will end up forgetting the next part of your presentation as it is all connected and interdependent.

Memorizing may also lead you to recite the presentation in the same manner as it is written. Not adding your personal tinge to the presentation will make it sound bookish. You don’t want to sound too robotic with no emotions, pauses and interaction with the audience.

What to do instead of memorizing?

Instead of memorizing the entire presentation word to word one way is to rehearse by trying to understand the framework of the presentation. Create an outline and this will automatically help you understand the core of your material.

Another way is to visualize your speech. What this means is that usually, people tend to remember visual images or symbols as compared to chunks of texts.

For example, when I was in my 10 th grade my tutor told me to write the important headings in colour. Using different colours helps remember the headings clearly.

For instance, my heading is ‘Rehearsing in front of the mirror’ and I use the colour red to highlight that heading so while presenting I will instantly recall the colour and know what it is for. This may also help remember the order according to the colours.

 When you rehearse regularly you almost know what to say next and this is different from memorization.

Things to Watch Out for When Rehearsing a Presentation

There are certain things that the presenter must watch out for to give a meaningful presentation. Here are some points that will help you understand what you must watch out for. Consider these points while you rehearse for a presentation.

1. Apologizing to the audience

Apologizing may vary according to the situation and the degree of mistake the presenter makes. Apologizing unnecessarily may of course leave a bad remark for your skills.

An unsaid ‘never apologize for rule’ is noticed in public speaking because apologizing is seen as highlighting the mistake and giving it more importance. But for instance, if the mistake is prominent then apologizing would be a smart move.

So rehearse in such a way that even if you tend to make a mistake you can cover it up cleanly.

2. Asking questions when statements would be clearer

Sometimes the presenter may use questions which are not really applicable to the format of the speech. In place of a statement she/he has asked a question. The answer to which is not really required.

For instance, if you are speaking about the importance of rehearsing in a presentation and you have to say, “There is a high possibility that you may end up messing with the presentation because of a few mistakes here and there”.

But you end up saying, “Is it possible to mess up the presentation because of a few mistakes?”This question was not required in this context and it will break the flow of what you are saying.

In such a case, the audience will get disoriented and not know what to answer or even if they do have to answer.

3. Introducing too much vocabulary

Try not to use too many complex and heavy words. When you practice remember to use a simple and easy language. If the audience is unable to comprehend what the presenter is saying then the entire presentation seems baseless.

4. Redundancies and repetition

At times the presenter may keep repeating the same sentence or word again and again. Why? This is because the audience may have missed that point and the presenter repeats it to draw the audience’s attention to that specific piece of information.

But when the presenter starts repeating unnecessary and smaller statements then it leads to irritation in the form of disinterest.

Edit out the redundant adjectives from your speech such as ‘very’, ‘good’, ‘nice’ etc. Don’t add too many phrases and long statements. The longer you stretch your presentation the more the people will start getting distracted.

Avoid using slangs in a presentation. A presentation is believed to be a formal event and using slangs will make the presentation and even the setting seem casual.

5. Reading from slides

Avoid directly reading what is written word to word in the slides. This is a big NO! You don’t want the audience to think less of you. Reading from slides will do exactly that.

Make bullet points of your notes so that when you are delivering your speech you can emphasize the key points. Rehearse with these bullet points to get a hang of how you will deliver on your official day.

6. Whispering or yelling

Be aware of what tone you use while presenting. When you video record your rehearsal check if you are either whispering or yelling.

The people in the front row must not get repulsed by your presentation and your speech. Be neutral with your tone, not too loud and not too slow.

7. Nervous pacing or awkward stillness

While you rehearse keep in mind that you must master your body language with your presentation. Both must go hand in hand.

Don’t pace while speaking and ensure you don’t stand still either. You are not a prop or poll. So, move around a bit while asking questions.

We have written an article on “To walk or stand still: How should you present when on stage?” . This article will guide you about ‘Where to stand?’ , ‘Things to avoid while standing on stage’, ‘How to stop swaying during a speech’ etc.

8. Forcing emotions

Emotions are very essential while presenting.  If you seem dull and weary while presenting, the audience may get the wrong message.

While in comparison if you seem enthusiastic they may show interest as well. Though don’t ever force emotions that you don’t feel in your presentation. The audience is quick to catch.

Forcing emotions may leave a negative impact and spoil the presentation.

9. Unnecessary slides

When creating your presentation make a list of all the important pointers you will add and cut off the unnecessary information.

Don’t keep adding slides to extend your presentation. Long presentations tend to exhaust the audience as compared to short and crisp presentations.

10. Purely anecdotal evidence

Presenters should not always rely on unproven facts or information.

At times it so happens that when the speaker adds information that is not proven and someone in the audience may be familiar with it they may judge you according to this small error.

The audience may then question your credibility. So avoid adding anecdotal evidence in your presentation.

Practice Public Speaking in Your Day to Day Life

Apart from just practising public speaking when you have a presentation scheduled you can make it a point to rehearse public speaking in your daily life.

Practising public speaking in your everyday hectic life may sound perplexing but it’s a good start to improve your public speaking skills. Taking a little extra effort to rehearse every day will only help prepare you for future presentations.

It not only makes you an able speaker but also helps build your personality strongly. 3 ways you can add practising public speaking in your daily life.

1. The emoji technique

One way to practice your presentation every day is to practice at home. Rehearse when you don’t have any presentation lined up, but rehearse to enhance your art. Use the emoji technique of facial expressions.

What is the emoji technique? In this technique, you make faces similar to those of the emoji.

For instance, there is a happy face emoji so you enact that exact facial expression. The same goes for the angry face emoji, puzzled face emoji and so on.

 It may seem absurd at first but you will eventually see the result. Facial expressions are a part of delivering a speech so rehearsing your facial expressions may be a step up for a good presentation.

2. Give a speech to everybody and anybody

What this means is rehearse in front of anyone ready to listen to you and may even help point out the errors you make. Talk to them in such a way, like you would do when presenting.

Have a mental checklist of all the key points you have to cover, make eye contact, smile, use a soft tone but make sure its impactful, use hand gestures as a way of communication.

All these elements are a part and parcel of public speaking and making use of them in your daily conversations may help you strengthen your foundation.

3. Walk and rehearse

What will this technique do? In the first place, you will gain self-confidence and secondly, this will make you stronger with delivering your speech without errors.

When you walk and rehearse in front of strangers they will keep looking at you. It is human nature. When you rehearse daily, day by day you won’t get bothered by the stares. You will also get used to the staring of people in your surroundings.

The point is you won’t get nervous or distracted when you give your presentation in front of an audience who is looking at you while you present.

Israelmore Ayivor very rightly said, “People who become successful take every “today’s victory” as a rehearsal for tomorrows trophy.”

Take inspiration from this saying because rehearsal does make a difference in your presentation. The more you rehearse the better the outcome.

To become a skilful presenter/speaker is not a gift, you need to work for it. Follow the three Ds: Discipline, Dedication and Determination. This will not only bring you closer to success but also make you an accomplished speaker/presenter.

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Part I: Practice Like a Pro – Tips One through Five of 20 Ways to Rehearse Your Presentation

• Learning Opportunities
• Part I: Practice Like a…

“One minute of preparation will save you 10 minutes of rambling” – Ed Tate

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when presenting is not rehearsing.

If you’re not prepared at your organization, it could impact your career.

If you’re not prepared with a prospect, you won’t get the business.

Rehearsing gives you confidence.

People buy confidence.

Practice builds confidence and profits.

I’ve created a list of 20 presentation rehearsal techniques to build your confidence. Below you will find the first five tips to put into practice for the coming week.

• Rehearse in Reverse™ – Divide your presentation into multiple equal parts, five, for example. Assign a number to each section. Have a Rehearsal-Buddy call out a number randomly (“3,” for example). Go to that spot on the stage and deliver that part of your presentation. When done, the Rehearsal-Buddy calls out another random number. Go to that spot. Repeat.This process will help you rapidly retain and internalize your material– you will remember all the content correctly. Distraction-Proof: You will know the material so well; interruptions will not bother you.
• Practice in front of a camera, not a mirror. Record all your rehearsals and review every video to identify areas to improve. See the article: How to watch your video .
• Practice the words out loud . The majority of your presentation preparations are done aloud. You must hear what you are saying.
• Practice in front of a mirror to observe your gestures, facial expressions, and body language .
• Slide Deck. Rehearse using your slides. Blank the screen when you want the audience to focus on you (e.g., telling a story). To blank the screen, hit the “B” key on the keyboard or the blank button on your remote.

Stay tuned next week for tips 6-10 where I provide more #rehearsal techniques!

If you find yourself practicing the first five tips and have a story you’d like to share, send me a message with the details here and you may be featured in a future article.

See you on stage,

#pitchdeck #highstakespresentations #businesspresentations #storyselling

Author:  Ed Tate

Ed Tate is an award-winning international Keynote speaker, trainer, and author. Worldwide he is known as “The Speaker Who Energizes, Educates, and Entertains.” Using the principles, he teaches, Ed Tate won the “American Idol of Public Speaking” and became the 2000 World Champion of Public Speaking. This award is Toastmasters International’s most prestigious speaking award among its 332,000+ members. In 2008, Ed earned the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation from the National Speakers Association. It is the speaking profession's international measure of professional platform skill. It is an honor bestowed on less than 12% of its members.

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The Importance of Rehearsal in Public Speaking: 7 Effective Rehearsal Techniques

Rehearsal in public speaking is one of the keys to provide a great presentation performance. Rehearsing your material is key in order to give you familiarity with your material and fueling your confidence.

Efficient rehearsal is the bridge between preparation and confident delivery in public speaking. It will make you feel more secure and relaxed with your performance, helping you avoid getting blanks and tripping on the phrases.

Sometimes executives feel strange about rehearsing. We’re not actors, are we? But one thing’s for sure: rehearsing leads to more confidence.

Let me tell you a personal experience…

A personal experience about rehearsing

Let me tell you a little story about my personal experience: I used to feel silly rehearsing a presentation on a stage. Speaking to thin air and pretending there were people listening felt like a madman’s activity to me. Of course, I used to do my “mental rehearsals”, but I didn’t like to do it on stage. It seemed to be enough.

Before doing my first presentation to a big audience as Aftersales Manager for Honda in Argentina, the new president made us rehearse the presentation on stage. He didn’t know us, so he wanted to see how well we performed, and to make us feel sure about what we were going to say.

As I was doing it, I found pieces of content that, as good as they sounded in my mind, didn’t feel right to me as I was telling them aloud. My tongue was tripping on some words, some phrases didn’t link that well with each other.

I found maybe rephrasing them a bit felt more natural to me, so I felt more secure while I was telling them. I felt more familiar with my material. And when I finally gave my speech, it was fluid and vivid, and it was really convincing for my audience. I got more supporters that I ever expected to have.

So I never stopped rehearsing my material on stage after that. Even when the president didn’t care anymore about hearing it beforehand, because he was confident enough that I would do well on the stage.

Best Rehearsal Techniques for your presentation:

Let’s discover some rehearsal techniques to ensure your practice is not just quantity but quality:

1. Chunking and Memorization:

Chunking is a valuable rehearsal technique that can significantly enhance your public speaking skills. It is a cognitive process that involves breaking down complex information into smaller, more manageable segments or “chunks.” When applied to public speaking, this technique helps you organize and remember the key points of your speech.

Here’s how it works:

Dividing Content:

Begin by dividing your speech into distinct sections or chunks. Each chunk should represent a main point, idea, or topic. By breaking your speech into smaller units, you make it easier to digest and remember.

Focus on One Chunk at a Time:

When rehearsing, concentrate on one chunk at a time. This focused approach allows you to thoroughly understand and memorize the content within each segment before moving on to the next.

Repeat and Connect:

Practice each chunk repeatedly until you can deliver it confidently without relying heavily on notes or prompts. As you become comfortable with one chunk, gradually connect it to the previous one, forming a coherent flow for your entire speech.

Visual Aids:

You can also use visual aids, such as cue cards or slides, to reinforce the key points within each chunk. Visual cues can be especially helpful for triggering your memory during the actual presentation. This technique also helps you avoid reading your presentation, one of the most annoying practices for your audience.

By chunking your speech and memorizing it in this manner, you improve your overall recall and reduce the risk of forgetting important information during your presentation. This technique allows you to approach public speaking with greater confidence, knowing that you have a well-organized and memorized structure to rely on.

2. Verbal and Physical Repetition:

Verbal and physical repetition is about ingraining your speech in your memory and body, making you well-prepared and self-assured when facing your audience. It’s a technique that builds fluency, confidence, and effectiveness in public speaking.

Verbal Repetition:

In this aspect, you repeatedly practice your speech aloud. Begin by reading your speech verbatim to familiarize yourself with the content. Then, gradually reduce your reliance on the script until you can deliver the speech fluently from memory. Repeating the words and phrases helps you internalize the content and ensures you won’t get stuck during your presentation.

Physical Repetition:

This involves practicing your body language, gestures, and movements while delivering your speech. Repeatedly rehearsing how you’ll stand, move, and use gestures enhances your non-verbal communication skills. This, in turn, helps convey confidence and reinforces your message.

The next step is to combine both verbal and physical repetitions. The combination of verbal and physical repetition ensures that both your words and your body language align seamlessly during your presentation. This synchronicity not only enhances your message’s clarity but also boosts your confidence, as you’re well-practiced in both the content and delivery.

3. Visualization:

Before physically rehearsing, visualize yourself delivering the speech flawlessly. Envision the stage, the audience, and your confident demeanor. This mental rehearsal enhances your familiarity with the content.

First, you do a Mental Rehearsal . Find a quiet space to close your eyes and vividly visualize yourself giving your speech. Imagine the details—the stage, the audience, your body language, and your confident tone. Envision yourself smoothly transitioning between points and handling questions with ease.

As a second step, during your mental rehearsal, focus on positive outcomes. Picture the audience engaged and responsive, nodding in agreement with your points. See yourself finishing your speech to applause and receiving compliments afterward.

Last but not least, engage your emotions during visualization . Feel the excitement and satisfaction of delivering a successful speech. This emotional connection reinforces your confidence and reduces anxiety.

Visualization helps reduce anxiety, increase confidence, and improve overall performance. It’s a tool that mentally prepares you for success and empowers you to step onto the stage with confidence and composure.

4. Record and Review:

This is a difficult one… not everybody likes to see themselves on the screen, and watching at all the mistakes they’ve done while performing. But recording and reviewing your presentation is a fundamental technique to enhance your public speaking skills.

This method involves recording your practice sessions or actual presentations, then critically analyzing the footage to identify areas for improvement. Here’s how it can benefit your growth as a speaker:

Objective Self-Assessment:

Recording your presentations offers an objective view of your performance. It allows you to see and hear yourself from the audience’s perspective, highlighting strengths and areas that need work.

Identifying Weaknesses:

By reviewing the recordings, you can pinpoint specific issues like verbal tics, body language habits, or pacing problems that you might not have noticed during practice.

Refinement:

Armed with insights from the review, you can make targeted improvements in subsequent rehearsals. This iterative process helps you refine your content, delivery, and overall presentation.

Over time, the act of recording and reviewing your speeches builds confidence. As you see progress in your presentations, you gain assurance in your abilities.It also allows you to adapt to different speaking contexts and audiences, refining your approach for maximum impact.

It’s important not to be extremely critical with yourself. You have to accept your mistakes, not punishing yourself for them, but using them as tools to give a better performance.

5. Time Management:

Time management is a crucial aspect of effective public speaking. If you make your speech too short, you may not transmit your ideas. If you make it too long, you might lose your audience in the way.

Time Management of a presentation involves planning and allocating your available time wisely to ensure a well-paced and engaging speech:

The first thing you have to do is to Set Clear Time Limits . Begin by establishing the time limits for your presentation, taking into account any guidelines or expectations from your audience. This helps you structure your content appropriately.

You’ll also have to Outline Your Speech . Create a clear outline of your speech, breaking it into sections with estimated time allocations. Ensure that your introduction, main points, and conclusion fit within your allotted time.

Then you have to Practice Timing . During rehearsals, time yourself to see how your speech aligns with your intended duration. Adjust your pace and content as needed to stay within your time limit.

Always allow some time for Q&A. If your presentation includes a Q&A session, factor in time for this at the end. Be concise in your responses to stay on schedule.

Last, Prepare for Unexpected Delays . Plan for potential interruptions or technical issues that could affect your time management. Having contingency plans in place demonstrates professionalism.

Effective time management ensures that your audience remains engaged and that your message is delivered clearly. It also reduces anxiety, as you’ll have greater control over your presentation’s flow. By mastering this aspect of rehearsal, you enhance your overall public speaking skills.

6. Mock Audience in your rehearsal:

Utilizing a Mock Audience for Your Presentation Rehearsal is a highly effective technique for refining your public speaking skills. This strategy involves practicing your speech in front of a small group of individuals who simulate an actual audience.

Some of the benefits of this practice are:

It gives you a Realistic Feedback: A mock audience provides valuable feedback from diverse perspectives. They can offer insights on content, delivery, and overall impact, helping you identify areas for improvement.

Pressure Simulation: Practicing in front of others mimics the pressure of a live audience, helping you manage nerves and anxiety. It builds your confidence in handling real speaking situations.

Interaction Practice: It allows you to rehearse audience interaction, such as handling questions or engaging with different audience members. This makes you more adaptable during the actual presentation.

Timing and Pacing: Presenting to a mock audience helps you fine-tune your timing and pacing. You can gauge when to slow down, emphasize key points, or move on to the next topic.

Audience Engagement: Observing the reactions of your mock audience allows you to adjust your content and delivery to keep them engaged and attentive.

Incorporating a mock audience into your rehearsal process is a strategic step towards becoming a more effective and confident public speaker. Their feedback and the realistic environment they provide are invaluable in helping you refine your presentation before facing a live audience.

7. Impromptu Drill:

Occasionally, challenge yourself with impromptu practice. Choose a topic and speak on it spontaneously. This sharpens your ability to think on your feet—a vital skill in public speaking.

These drills involve spontaneously responding to unexpected topics or questions, helping you develop your improvisational skills. They improve your quick thinking and adaptability of your communication style and message. They also boost your confidence and enhace your verbal fluency, and help you make a better connection with your audience.

Some final words on Rehearsal in Public Speaking

As we have shown through this article, rehearsing is vital for your public speaking performance. It will help you to turn from an average speaker into a great one.

By incorporating these techniques into your rehearsal process, you not only enhance your memorization but also refine your delivery style. Practicing with intentionality transforms raw content into a polished, confident, and impactful presentation.

Don’t forget to check our article on “The 12 Commandments of Public Speaking” for more Public Speaking tips!

Hope to see you on stage soon!

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Module 15: Group Presentations

Delivering your presentation as one.

By completing the other three levels of coordination, the group will have decided on the key message, thoroughly researched the supporting material, developed logical conclusions, and created realistic recommendations. Therefore all that stands between you and success is the actual presentation—the vehicle that carries the facts and the ideas to your audience. Here it is important to recognize that if an assignment required both a written document and an oral presentation then be sure one effectively complements the other. Although you can reference the written document during the oral presentation, the oral presentation should be planned with the thought in mind that not everyone is given the written document. Therefore, the oral presentation may be the only content they receive. Since you will not always know who receives the written document, it is best to coordinate the presentation as if no one has the full written document, which can serve as reference tool for gaining content requiring further explanation or accessibility to detailed information. At the same time, if the entire audience is provided written material keep in mind different decision makers may be in the audience. For example, the creative director may be only interested in your creative concepts, whereas a vice president of finance may be only interested in figures.

The presentation preparation primarily focuses on your group’s ability to develop a clear plan and execution of delivery. A delivery plan includes essential elements such as (1) purpose, (2) oral content, (3) dress, (4) room, (5) visuals, (6) delivery, and (7) rehearsal to ensure that the group presentation is both captivating and useful to your audience, as well as worth their time.

The delivery plan will help you evaluate if the purpose of the presentation is clearly aimed at the primary audience. In addition, the group can determine when and how clearly they are articulating the explicit purpose of the presentation. The purpose is complemented by a clear preview, the audience members’ awareness of what decisions are at issue, and the audience’s desire to get important information first.

Oral Content

Up to this point the majority of the group’s engagement with the content has been in terms of reading and writing. It is time to orally interact with the selected content to ensure that it has been developed for this audience, properly structured, and clearly articulated. The delivery plan is a time to evaluate word choice, idioms, and antidotes. When working with this content, make sure that it is suited to the purpose, and that the key message is explicit so the audience remembers it well.

The introduction of group members, transitions, and internal summaries are all important elements of the delivery plan. A proper introduction of group members and content will not happen automatically. Therefore, it is important to practice it to determine if introductions fit better at the beginning of the presentation, if names need to be emphasized through the wearing of name tags, or if names are better used as a part of transition content. The use of name only may not be effective in some speaking situations. Therefore, it is important for the group to determine what a proper group member introduction includes beyond the name.

Plus, be consistent; that is, determine if everyone is using first name only or full name, do they need to know your positions, some background, or can you simply state it in a written format such as a team resume. Speech content is not useful if the audience does not accept your credibility.

I dress to kill, but tastefully. – Freddie Mercury

As in all presentations, an awareness of your physical appearance is an important element in complementing the content of your speech. Do not hesitate to talk about and practice appropriate dress as a group. It is important to look like a group. Really consider defining a group’s speaking uniform by deciding how formal or informal the dress code.

As a group, the overall question you want to be able to answer is: Did our dress provide an accurate first impression not distracting from the content? So what kinds of things can be distracting? The most common are colors, busy patterns, clothing that can be interpreted as seductive, and large or clinking jewelry. As a group determine what type of dress is effective in coordinating your group’s credibility. It is important to take into consideration cultural, occupational and regional norms. In addition, it is important to think about branding choices. Often groups want to brand themselves for the audience. It is not necessary to mimic your audience. For example, a sales presentation to cranberry association members may entice a group to wear red. However, the cranberry association may not be the only sale your group needs to make so you will be forced to ask the question: Will each sales presentation audience determine the color we accent in dress? In short, do not let the speaking occasion brand you. Simply know what is considered professional for this presentation. You have spent a lot of time on preparing the content for this audience so do not detract from it.

It is not always feasible to practice your delivery in the actual room where you will deliver your speech. However, it is extremely important that you actively plan your delivery for the room by recreating the speaking environment. If prior access to the room is not available, then you will need to do your planning by asking a series of questions of the presentation planner. Some common things to find out include the size of the room; if a projector is available and its location within the room; is there a platform and/or a stationary lectern; is there a sound system and how many microphones; where the group will be seated before being introduced; will the presentation be recorded; what is the availability of the room in advance of the presentation; and what is the number of seats and seating arrangement so the group can plan for the zone of interaction.

The key is for all group members to remain conversational in their delivery style. This may be best achieved by utilizing effective delivery strategies such as appropriate gestures, movement and posture; appropriate facial expressions including eye contact; and appropriate vocal delivery— articulation, dialect, pitch, pronunciation, rate, and volume. Group members should evaluate each other on audibility and fluency.

One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation. – Arthur Ashe

Rehearsals are for the final polishing of your presentations. It is a time to solidify logistics of how many group members are presenting, where they will stand, and the most appropriate transitions between each speaker. Group members should grow more comfortable with each other through rehearsals. A key aspect of polishing involves identifying gaps in content and gaining feedback on content (oral and visual), style, and delivery. The rehearsals are good time to refine speaker notes and to practice the time limit. The number of scheduled rehearsals is dependent on your group and the amount of preparation time provided. The most important element for the group is to adapt their rehearsal timetable based on an honest evaluation of the speaking skills represented within the group.

The only part of a group presentation that you may not be able to rehearse is responding to the actual audience members’ questions and objections. However, you can anticipate the types of questions and practice a simple strategy of how you will respond— repeating the question, stating who from the group will respond, and answering succinctly. Four of the most common types of questions are follow-up questions; action-oriented questions focused on what would you do if; hypothetical questions focused on different scenarios; and information-seeking questions. A primary way to practice is to think of at least three questions you would like to answer, prepare the answer, and practice it during rehearsal(s).

• Chapter 18 Group Presentations. Authored by : Jennifer F. Wood, Ph.D.. Located at : http://publicspeakingproject.org/psvirtualtext.html . Project : Public Speaking Project. License : CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
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How to Rehearse a Big Speech: 5 Best Practices

DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.

If you have a big speech coming up, it’s incumbent on you to rehearse and rehearse well .

Whether it’s a keynote at a major conference, a critical presentation to your board of directors, or a major speech to the public, the stakes are high and you need to get it right.

These are five best practices that I’ve used and that I’ve seen work for my clients and students.

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1. Get a Coach

Get support from a coach or trainer . Ideally someone who has worked with others in similar high-stakes situations many times.

Your coach could be a professional coach who specializes in communication and public speaking coaching.

But he or she could also be someone in your organization who is experienced and offers great insight.

Susan Cain , who gave one of the most popular TED talks of all time, did multiple sessions with an acting coach.

Above all you have to know that your coach or advisor will give you honest and unvarnished feedback.

This is important because if you underperform, the audience will not let you know. The host or organizer of the event will not tell you. (Unless you totally bomb it, which rarely happens.)

People will almost never give you negative feedback. They are uncomfortable doing so, they don’t want to offend, and frankly they just don’t care about your personal and professional growth.

But they will fail to be moved by your speech nonetheless.

If you have bosses that are invested in your professional growth and performance, then great.

But for the most part, if you are not utterly bombing, then people will say “you’re fine/ good enough” and will not push you to excel.

And if you are not pushing to be your absolute best, then you will not make the full impact you are capable of.

That’s why a coach, or someone who is really invested in your success, can be so crucial.

2. Rehearse the Speech in Front of Different Groups of People

Two things are critical here: (1) getting practice in front of real, live audiences of flesh-and-blood human beings, and (2) getting feedback from a variety of voices.

The rule of thumb with rehearsal is: make your rehearsal as close as possible to your ultimate speech in every way possible.

That means, as you rehearse, try to approximate everything you will actually encounter at your major speech, including:

• The type of clothes you will wear : casual, formal, or semi-formal?
• The format : panel discussion vs slide presentation vs short-form monologue vs long-form monologue, etc
• The size of the venue : will it be a conference room with 20 seats or an auditorium with 300?
• The audience demographics : will they be mostly men or women? mostly 20-somethings or 50+? race and ethnic background? native citizens or foreign-born?
• The professional background of the audience : from your industry or from a variety of different fields?

In surveys, pollsters constantly seek to get a “representative sample” of their target population.

The same thing should apply to your rehearsals.

The “perfect” rehearsal scenario would be where you give the exact speech you are planning to give, to a group that is exactly like your target audience, under the exact same conditions.

But getting all of those perfect conditions is usually impossible.

So the next best thing is to simulate or approximate those conditions as closely as you can.

You will thank yourself on the day of your event.

3. Give Minor Speeches in the Time Period Leading up to Your Major Speech

And use portions of your final speech during these events.

Not only do these smaller, lower-stakes events help you to practice and get exposure to crowds, they also help you test our your content.

Standup comedians have done this for generations. They will typically test out new material in small comedy clubs, see what hits and what doesn’t, and then refine their act.

By the time they do a major multi-city tour or a gig on a national TV show, they have refined and perfected their material. It’s not a big mystery what the audience will respond to.

And it shouldn’t be a secret for your major speech either.

Seek out small meetup groups, professional associations, internal networking groups inside your firm, or even organizations that are not directly related to your industry.

Any small opportunity to stand up in front of a group of people is an opportunity for you to practice and get better.

4. Rehearse in Front of a Camera and Watch Yourself

Watching yourself, as an audience member, is a totally different experience than giving the speech.

Whenever you rehearse in front of a group, record yourself.

When you rehearse alone, record yourself.

Look at the difference in how you present in front of people, versus on your own.

Are you persuaded by your own delivery?

Do you have any annoying or distracting habits?

What moments of the speech are most impactful and effective? Why are they powerful? How can you get more of that?

If you’re uncomfortable watching yourself on video, just remember two things.

First, every single person is uncomfortable watching themselves (and there are actual psychological reasons for that).

And second, you’re the only one who has not seen yourself from the outside. So you’re not seeing anything that everyone else you’ve ever met hasn’t been seeing for years.

5. Watch Other Great Speeches

Choose speeches and presentations from people that you think are really good.

And then analyze those speeches closely.

What exactly is it that makes them so good? How do they move their bodies? Where do they increase or decrease their vocal pitch? What effect does that have?

How do they begin a story? How do they end it? What details do they include in their stories and what do they leave out?

How do they present data and statistics?

Almost all great speakers have had professional training, tons of experience in the public eye, or both.

So don’t just passively watch them. Closely study them and you will discover a wealth of insights and actionable tactics.

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How to Rehearse a Presentation: 5 Simple Steps

by Rob Biesenbach | Presentation/Speech Tips

In my workshops I share the technique that works for me. Participants have found it to be one of their most valued takeaways, so here is my totally not-patented five-step process for how to rehearse a presentation.

First, though, let me cover a couple of key questions.

Why is Rehearsal Important?

I wish it could go without saying that rehearsal is important, but time and again I’ve seen executives sabotage themselves by not taking the process seriously . They procrastinate, change their minds, and futz with their content all the way up to the last minute, leaving themselves no time to actually practice their delivery.

And it usually shows. People who think they’re better when they “wing it” are kidding themselves . Even professional improvisers — who perform shows where they make up the content on the spot — rehearse!

So in case there’s any question about it, here are three reasons why rehearsal is absolutely vital :

• The better you know your material, the more poised and confident you will appear (and be).
• Practicing helps you refine your ideas and improve your content  so you make the biggest impact possible.
• Rehearsing is the only way to know if you have too much content  — and one of the most common and aggravating mistakes I see presenters make is when they go over their allotted time or blow through the last part of their presentation at warp speed.

How Long Should You Rehearse?

When people ask how much time they should spend rehearsing their presentations, they usually don’t like my answer : “ As much as humanly possible .”

(Which at least sounds more manageable than one expert’s answer: 30 hours !)

The question I suspect they’re really asking is, “What’s the minimum amount of prep time I can get away with ?” They seem to be looking for some secret shortcut or hack.

The truth is, there is no magic bullet . Rehearsing a speech involves time and effort. And though my process is simple, it’s not necessarily easy. It takes work.

How Should You Rehearse?

First, let me tell you how NOT to rehearse a presentation. Rehearsing  does not mean sitting in front of your computer , tabbing through your slides and running through the presentation in your head.

Instead you need to get  on your feet and deliver it in full voice , just as you would in an actual presentation situation. You might find this embarrassing, so shut your office door and put out a “Do Not Disturb” sign.

Set up your computer so the screen is visible as you move about the room (which you would do in an actual presentation) and follow these five steps. Think of the steps as “sets” at the gym — you can perform as many “reps” per set as you have time for.

1. Current Slide + Timer + Next Slide + Notes

Set up your presentation deck in “rehearsal” mode . In PowerPoint, go to Slideshow>Presenter View. In Keynote (for Mac) go to Play>Rehearse Slideshow.

You can customize the display to show a variety of elements on the screen. Start with Current Slide, Next Slide, Notes and Timer. Like so:

As you start practicing you will likely have to stop and start and consult your notes . That’s fine. Run through it that way until you’re fairly comfortable.

2. Current Slide + Timer + Next Slide

Next, put your presentation notes on “hide” and start running through it again. Stop as needed to check your notes, but try to get to a point where you no longer need them.

3. Current Slide + Timer

Now this is where it gets tricky. Up to now you’ve had the luxury of seeing your next slide so you know what’s coming next . The reason that’s important is that it helps you transition from one slide to another in a way that’s smooth and fluid, eliminating unnecessary pauses as you advance through the presentation.

So in this step you’re going to hide the “Next Slide” display and start running it again. You will definitely end up pausing and stumbling and even backtracking when you’ve guessed wrong about what comes next. But keep working the material until you’re comfortable.

In each of these three steps you should use the timer to keep you on track . Your early stumble-throughs will probably run longer than your allotted time, but as you go along you’ll want to make sure you come in at or under that mark. And if you can’t, you’ll need to make some cuts.

4. No Slides at All

Here it gets really hard. Close your laptop or exit the presentation and run through it without the benefit of your visuals .

This step is the equivalent of actors rehearsing a play “off book” for the first time. They put down their scripts and perform their role from memory.

But they are aided by being in the familiar environment of the theater — they’re on stage, in costume, interacting with their fellow players. So there’s an abundance of sensory cues to guide them .

In the same way, you’re in your own imaginary but focused environment , shut away in your office, free of outside distraction, conjuring a stage and audience in your mind.

If you can successfully get through your presentation in this mode, congratulations. You’re doing very well. But if you want to take it up a notch, advance to the next step.

5. Leave the Office

Actors know they’ve got their part down when they can leave the rehearsal space and recite their lines (out loud or in their head) while they’re doing other things — commuting on the train, showering, grocery shopping, working out, etc.

It’s harder than it sounds — it’s like patting your head and rubbing your belly at the same time. So get out into the world, do other things, and keep running your presentation .

If you can manage that, you’re in great shape. BUT, there is one big and important difference between actors and presenters …

Don’t Memorize; Internalize

Actors learn their lines verbatim. But if you try to memorize your presentation word-for-word, you’ll have a hard time delivering it in a way that sounds natural and real. So instead, you want to internalize the material.

What that means is, you know it well enough that you’re conversant and fluent . You will phrase things differently in every iteration, but the core ideas you express are consistent over time . You have room to improvise around the margins.

Overwhelmed? Don’t Be

By now you’re probably thinking, “This is a helluva lot of work!” That’s true, it is.

But the answer to the question of how much effort you should put into practicing your presentation is simply this:  “How important is the presentation?”

Is it a talk that can make or break your year or career? Like an opportunity to impress your organization’s leaders or to establish your reputation among industry peers or to allay people’s concerns about big changes coming their way?

Then I would recommend  going all out . Maybe even hitting that 30-hour benchmark.

For lesser occasions, you can do fewer “reps” in each of the sets above.

At minimum, though, you should practice your open and close as much as you possibly can . The first and last impressions you make on your audience are the most important, so you want to come on and and go out strong .

The Effort You Devote to Rehearsal is Up to You

The amount of effort you put into rehearsing your presentation is obviously your choice. What do your ideas deserve? What does your audience deserve? What do your career and reputation deserve?

Those, ultimately, are the questions you need to answer.

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Presentation Skills 2: Rehearsal

We see no end of people who spend hours pouring over their bullet points but fail to rehearse properly for the presentation.

The old adage is as true now as it has always been.

“If you fail to prepare, you are prepared to fail”

Rehearse your presentation and it will get better.

Sorry to sound like a bit of an old nag. It’s obvious – rehearsing – isn’t it? But it’s also a bit of a drag and one that is easy to forget. It is probably the most common mistake of all presentations that I have seen.

You wouldn’t dream of going to see a Shakespeare play at the RSC only to find that they hadn’t properly learnt the script. You wouldn’t dream of going to the opera to hear the band play out of time because they hadn’t got round to rehearsing properly. Yet in presentations and in speeches we see this happening all the time.

The impact of inadequate rehearsal on the audience

Rehearsing could make the difference between a good and an average presentation.

1. Plan to rehearse your presentation out loud at least 4 times.

We suggest that you should rehearse at least four times, and if you can get word perfect so much the better. I know that you haven’t got the time, but we have seen so many presentations that have been let down due to a lack of rehearsal.

Make sure that one of your rehearsals is in front of a really scary audience – f amily, friends, partners, colleagues; children . They will tell you quite plainly where you are going wrong – as well as providing you with the support that you need.

2. Rehearse against the clock

If you have to give a presentation in a short period of time then try to practice your presentation against the clock. This is particularly true with something like the five minute job presentation. You can add in parts from the script or take them out to fit the time. Allow extra time in your presentation for questions and watch out for nerves – this could mean that you talk faster on the day.

In the actual presentation you could take in a clock or take off your wrist watch and put it on the podium. This way you can see how the timings can develop.

3. Take a leaf out of Winston Churchill’s book – memorize your script.

He is widely attributed as being one of the great speakers. It took him six weeks to prepare his Maiden Speech in the House of Commons and he learnt it word perfect.

4. Video or tape record yourself

A very simple trick that could help you with your performance is to video or tape record yourself. This will give you some immediate feedback and will enable you to fine tune your performance.

Videoing a rehearsal is the staple of many presentation training companies – so why not save time and money and do it yourself?

Does it work? – Just read this bit of feedback from someone who got a new job using these techniques

“Then I practised, I think this is the key. I practised in front of my husband, my brother in law, my 12 year old daughter. Then my 4 year old son on the day, he wasn’t impressed, he just wanted me to put the telly on.

I blew their socks off!! he he

Definitely could not have done it without your help”

Rehearse and you will get better.

Click on this link below to take you to the third of the essentials.

>> Lesson 3. The rule of three >>

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Very well said. I have my own experience. Whenever I rehearse I speak perfectly but whenever I don’t have the time, I measerbly failed.

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3.5: Rehearsing Your Presentation

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• Page ID 129873

• Meggie Mapes
• University of Kansas

Learning Objectives

• Identify and distinguish methods of delivery
• Discuss the rehearsal process
• Strategize best practices for rehearsal

Having a clear understanding and appreciation for aesthetic choices—including verbal, nonverbal delivery, and the use of presentation aids— will enhance your understanding of public speaking. In reading the previous chapters, you likely thought of speakers who have either exemplified certain qualities or “broken the rules” by, for example, using many vocalized fillers. While understanding these ideas is important, the best path to integrating them in your own presentations is through rehearsal. You will create an exceptional aesthetic experience for your audience, but that starts before you step in front of the audience.

“I already know how to rehearse a speech,” you may be thinking. But like any ability, sport, or game, people proficient in those areas have insight to add. Yes, you could learn to masterfully cook on your own, but having an experienced chef at your side will lead to unexpected insights and increase your proficiency. So, trust us. We are experts.

When you begin the rehearsal process, the first step is figuring out which type of delivery you’ll be executing. There are four main types of delivery that we’ll outline below.

Types of Delivery

The content, purpose, and situation for your presentation will partially dictate how you rehearse because they will inform what type of delivery style you select. There are 4 general types of delivery: impromptu, extemporaneous, the use of a manuscript, and memorized.

Impromptu Speaking

Impromptu speaking is the presentation of a short message without advance preparation. You have probably done impromptu speaking many times in informal, conversational settings. Self-introductions in group settings are examples of impromptu speaking: “Hi, my name is Steve, and I’m a volunteer with the Homes for the Brave program.” Another example of impromptu speaking occurs when you answer a question such as, “What did you think of the movie?” Your response has not been preplanned, and you are constructing your arguments and points as you speak. Even worse, you might find yourself going into a meeting and your boss says, “I want

you to talk about the last stage of the project. . .” and you have no warning.

The advantage of this kind of speaking is that it’s spontaneous and responsive in an animated group context. The disadvantage is that the speaker is given little or no time to contemplate the central theme of their message. As a result, the message may be disorganized and difficult for listeners to follow.

Here is a step-by-step guide that may be useful if you are called upon to give an impromptu speech in public:

• Take a moment to collect your thoughts and plan the main point that you want to make (like a mini thesis statement).
• Thank the person for inviting you to speak. Do not make comments about being unprepared, called upon at the last moment, on the spot, or uneasy. In other words, try to avoid being self-deprecating!
• Deliver your message, making your main point as briefly as you can while still covering it adequately and at a pace your listeners can follow.
• If you can use a structure, use numbers if possible: “Two main reasons. . .” or “Three parts of our plan. . .” or “Two side effects of this drug. . .” Past, present, and future or East Coast, Midwest, and West Coast are pre-fab structures.
• Thank the person again for the opportunity to speak.
• Stop talking (it is easy to “ramble on” when you don’t have something prepared). If in front of an audience, don’t keep talking as you move back to your seat.

Impromptu speeches are generally most successful when they are brief and focus on a single point.

We recommend practicing your impromptu speaking regularly and every day. Do you want to work on reducing your vocalized pauses in a formal setting? Cool! You can begin that process by being conscious of your vocalized fillers during informal conversations and settings.

Extemporaneous

Extemporaneous speaking is the presentation of a carefully planned and rehearsed speech, spoken in a conversational manner using brief notes.

Speaking extemporaneously has some advantages. It promotes the likelihood that you, the speaker, will be perceived as knowledgeable and credible since you know the speech well enough that you don’t need to read it. In addition, your audience is likely to pay better attention to the message because it is engaging both verbally and nonverbally. By using notes rather than a full manuscript (or everything that you’re going to say), the extemporaneous speaker can establish and maintain eye contact with the audience and assess how well they are understanding the speech as it progresses. It also allows flexibility; you are working from the strong foundation of an outline, but if you need to delete, add, or rephrase something at the last minute or to adapt to your audience, you can do so. The outline also helps you be aware of main ideas vs. subordinate ones.

Because extemporaneous speaking is the style used in the great majority of public speaking situations, most of the information in the subsequent sections of this chapter is targeted toward this kind of speaking.

Manuscript speaking is the word-for-word iteration of a written message. In a manuscript speech, the speaker maintains their attention on the printed page except when using presentation aids.

The advantage to reading from a manuscript is the exact repetition of original words. This can be extremely important in some circumstances. For example, reading a statement about your organization’s legal responsibilities to customers may require that the original words be exact. In reading one word at a time, in order, the only errors would typically be mispronunciation of a word or stumbling over complex sentence structure. A manuscript speech may also be appropriate at a more formal affair (like a funeral), when your speech must be said exactly as written in order to convey the proper emotion or decorum the situation deserves.

However, there are costs involved in manuscript speaking. First, it’s typically an uninteresting way to present. Unless the speaker has rehearsed the reading as a complete performance animated with vocal expression and gestures (well-known authors often do this for book readings), the presentation tends to be dull. Keeping one’s eyes glued to the script prevents eye contact with the audience. For this kind of “straight” manuscript speech to hold audience attention, the audience must be already interested in the message and speaker before the delivery begins. Finally, because the full notes are required, speakers often require a lectern to place their notes, restricting movement and the ability to engage with the audience. Without something to place the notes on, speakers have to manage full-page speaking notes, and that can be distracting.

It is worth noting that professional speakers, actors, news reporters, and politicians often read from an autocue device, such as a teleprompter, especially when appearing on television, where eye contact with the camera is crucial. With practice, a speaker can achieve a conversational tone and give the impression of speaking extemporaneously and maintaining eye contact while using an autocue device. However, success in this medium depends on two factors: (1) the speaker is already an accomplished public speaker who has learned to use a conversational tone while delivering a prepared script, and (2) the speech is written in a style that sounds conversational.

Memorized speaking is reciting a written message that the speaker has committed to memory. Actors, of course, recite from memory whenever they perform from a script in a stage play, television program, or movie. When it comes to speeches, memorization can be useful when the message needs to be exact and the speaker doesn’t want to be confined by notes.

The advantage to memorization is that it enables the speaker to maintain eye contact with the audience throughout the speech. Being free of notes means that you can move freely around the stage and use your hands to make gestures. If your speech uses presentation aids, this freedom is even more of an advantage.

Memorization, however, can be tricky. First, if you lose your place and start trying to ad lib, the contrast in your style of delivery will alert your audience that something is wrong. If you go completely blank during the presentation, it will be extremely difficult to find your place and keep going. Obviously, memorizing a typical seven-minute classroom speech takes a great deal of time and effort, and if you aren’t used to memorizing, it is very difficult to pull off.

We recommend playing with all 4 types of delivery (though extemporaneous is most common in public speaking). Once you identify what type of delivery style you’ll use in a speech, it’s time to rehearse.

Rehearsal sounds like homework, we know. Rehearsing your speech, however, doesn’t just assist in increasing one’s speech grade. Rehearsing is your commitment to bettering your foundational communication skills for the long haul.

When you rehearse, you are asking: what kind of aesthetic choices do I want to implement? Aesthetic choices can be enhanced or limited based on the situation and context in which you’re speaking, both physically and culturally. For example, if you are speaking outside without a microphone, your embodiment of the speech and aesthetic scene would differ from a speech with a lectern in a small classroom.

This might be a good place to dispel a few myths about public speaking that can influence perceptions of rehearsal:

Myth #1: You are either born a good public speaker or not. While someone may have certain characteristics that are attractive in our cultural understanding of public speaking, good rehearsal will create conditions for everyone to become better speakers.

Myth #2: Practice makes perfect. It is possible to practice incorrectly, so in that case, practice will make permanent, not perfect. There is a right way and a wrong way to practice a speech, musical instrument, or sport.

Myth #3 : Public speaking is just reading what you wrote or reading and talking at the same time . For example: I (one of your authors) often hear envy over my public speaking abilities, but I certainly was not blessed with a universal speaking gene. Instead, I spent years doing debate, speech, and performance to practice writing arguments, responding to ideas, and crafting a public speaking persona. When I do presentations, I spend lots of time workshopping the speech “on my feet” to determine the best type of delivery, where to emphasize, when to move, while considering the entire scene that’s being created. Because I have practiced a lot, though, I am more confident about these decisions during the rehearsal process so I perform more consistently.

Have you found yourself using one of these myths? Sadly, we often rely on these myths to talk ourselves into believing that public speaking isn’t for us – never was and never will be.

You might also, for example, have attempted rehearsal in the past and thought, “How am I supposed to remember all these words and all these bodily movements at the same time?! It’s impossible!” It’s true: there’s a lot going on when you give a public speech, and focusing on your aesthetic delivery requires a conscious effort. Think about the classic party trick of rubbing your belly and patting your head at the same time. In the first attempt, you may have struggled (like some of us!). With practice, though, you can find strategies that allow you to accomplish this task that, at first glance, was too much.

One major misconception about rehearsal is that it begins when your speech is completely written. Start rehearsing as soon as you can. Too often, speakers wait until the entire speech is complete – it’s been created, written, and is on paper. We recommend, however, embedding rehearsal workshops throughout your speech preparation. Why?

Rehearsal and workshopping will assist you in translating the written argument into verbal form. “How does this sound?” or “I think I know another example that would work well here.” Using rehearsal to workshop content allows you to listen to the sound of your argument out loud rather than reading on paper only.

Rehearsal, thus, is an ongoing process and part of your entire public speaking preparation. So, now what? What does a good rehearsal consist of?

Check the Space

We’ve been a broken record, we know, but we’ll say it again: think about the context – including the space that you’re speaking in. The space—and resources available within it—will influence your rehearsal because you’ll know the spatial opportunities and constraints. Let’s talk through some key questions that you should ask of the space.

Is there a lectern or podium? If so, should I use it? Many speaking spaces include a lectern or a podium (see Image 11.1) . A lectern is a small raised surface, usually with a slanted top, where a speaker can place notes during a speech. A podium is a raised platform or stage. Both the lectern and podium allow speakers stability while they present, and there’s the added bonus of having some place to rest your speaking notes.

However, even for experienced speakers, it is all too tempting to grip the edges of the lectern with both

hands for security (like we discussed in Chapter 9). You might even wish you could hide behind it. Remember, too, that opting to keep your hands at your sides will not be visible to your audience. Be aware of these temptations so you can manage them effectively and present yourself to your audience in a manner they will perceive as confident.

If you opt to use a lectern, your rehearsal should integrate a similar structure. As you rehearse, try stepping to the side or front of the lectern when speaking with free hands, only occasionally standing at the lectern to consult your notes. This will enhance your eye contact as well as free up your hands for gesturing.

What size is the space? If you are accustomed to being in a classroom of a certain size, you will need to make adjustments when speaking in a smaller or larger space.

A large auditorium can be intimidating. Most of us are used to sitting in the seats, not standing on the stage! Because it may be difficult to find a space that large while you rehearse, keep a few things in mind:

• Be aware that your voice is likely to echo, especially if far fewer people are in the space than it can hold, so you will want to speak more slowly than usual and make use of pauses to mark the ends of phrases and sentences. When you rehearse, slow down to account for the echo – listen to find ways to speak slowly while avoiding a robotic tone.
• Your facial expressions and gestures should be larger so that they are visible from farther away. If you are using presentation aids, they need to be large enough to be visible from the back of the auditorium. Of course, if you can get the audience to move to the front, that is the best situation, but it tends not to happen.

Limited space is not as disconcerting for most speakers as enormous space, and it has the advantage of minimizing the tendency to pace back and forth while you speak. A small space does call for more careful management of note cards and presentation aids, as your audience will be able to see up close what you are doing with your hands.

What about acoustics? The acoustics of your speaking space can often dictate an audience’s ability to hear and comprehend what you’re saying. If you are speaking outside, your voice is likely to carry and be less insulated than a theatre or small classroom. Remember, if your audience can’t hear you, they can’t experience your speech.

Check for a microphone: using a microphone will amplify your voice, so it is a good choice to increase your

volume in an open or large acoustic space. Remember that a microphone may require that you slow down for the sound to carry. Check to see if it is handheld or can be clipped on. This may seem like a small difference, but it will affect your ability to move and gesture, so this small detail can make a larger impact on your aesthetic choices.

If you have never spoken with a microphone, ask to do a sound check and use that time to perform the first few lines of your speech to get an understanding of how your language will sound through a microphone in that space.

Workshop Strategies

Rehearsal means workshopping the embodiment of your speech. This is key because, as we’ve discussed, a speech is experienced differently by the audience than if they were reading it on a page. The sooner you begin and the sooner you become comfortable with rehearsal, the better your content will translate to the audience. To assist, let’s talk through some rehearsal strategies and best practices. Rather than a linear process, view these processes and strategies as circular or recursive – continue returning to each throughout rehearsal.

Conduct a self-assessment : We often hear, “oh no; I hate to listen to myself talk.” And we get it. It can feel strange to self-assess. While difficult and sometimes frustrating, it’s important to know what kind of speaker you are and what you’d like to improve. For example, are you often quiet and asked to speak up? Or, conversely, are you a loud talker whose booming voice fills up the room with ease?

These general questions about your communication style can begin giving insight into your strengths as a speaker, and the answers will be your focus areas during rehearsal. If you know that you’re a quick-talker, you’ll want to pay attention to pace and consciously integrate additional pauses. If you struggle with eye contact, asking a friend to rehearse with you can increase your comfort with engaging through eye contact.

However, you can only gain so much about your speaking strengths by investigating your general communication style. The best way to get a baseline understanding of your speaking style is to—you guessed it – watch yourself give a speech. Yes, this may feel awkward. But it’s worth it. When watching, we recommend that you identify any aesthetic choices that emerge more than once. After all, you’re looking for key areas to improve, so you want to hone in on things that seem to trip you up over and over.

With that in mind, we recommend two ways to approach conducting a self-assessment: start with general questions and move toward specific examples. Figure 11.1 guides you through this process.

In conducting a self-assessment, your main goal is identifying opportunities for improvement and understanding your current strengths. The more comfortable you become with self-assessing, the less likely you’ll finish a speech and say, “I have no idea what I just did.”

Rehearse with all speaking materials : Rehearse with everything that you’ll speak with. Too often, speakers use their full outline (or even a full manuscript) when rehearsing and make a speaking outline right before standing up to speak. This makes effectiveness difficult, and understandably so. If you’re used to looking down at a full-length paper, using a notecard and a few keywords will feel radically strange and different in the moment.

Instead, rehearse with everything that you’ll speak with, including your speaking notes (check out Chapter 6 for assistance on creating a speaking outline). Speaking notes are your friend, and workshopping with your notes will create consistency and familiarity when you formally speak.

There are benefits beyond familiarity. You can, for example, create cues on your notes that communicate with your future speaking self. Do you have trouble with projection? Use a green highlighter on your speaking notes to remind yourself to “speak up!” The more you rehearse with that green mark, the more confidently and consciously you can work on projecting.

In addition to speaking notes, you should rehearse with any other materials that will be present – a presentational aid, a table, a chair, etc. If you’re using PowerPoint, you’ll want to rehearse with a clicker since you’ll likely have an additional device to hold. As you rehearse, ask: “do I need to hold this the entire time? Can I seamlessly place it on a table nearby? How long does the audience need to experience each slide?”

The more you integrate these materials into your rehearsal, the more seamless they’ll appear the day that you speak. Rather than be burdensome or awkward, they will be part of the speaking experience.

Start over and over and over: That’s right. Rehearsal is an over-and-over-and-over again process not a one-time-through ordeal. While a self-assessment is a key part of rehearsal, you may be unable to video yourself prior to a speech or presentation. In that case, starting over and workshopping repeatedly will be key.

As you begin workshopping, listen to the argumentative flow of your content: does this make sense? Can an idea be clarified? Does the transition connect the main points fully? How does the concluding thought leave the audience? Listening to the arguments will allow you to make aesthetic and delivery choices that will enhance that information.

Try it different ways. Listen. Try it another way. Listen. Do it again.

Successful rehearsal is a process of self-reflection and being comfortable critiquing your own presentational style. You can always (and we recommend) ask others for help – feedback will provide you with different perspectives. These techniques, however, should always happen before the day of your speech. We provide some day-of recommendations below.

The Day of Your Speech

Rehearsal continues until the moment you speak, including the day-of preparation. There are a few day-of rehearsal techniques that we recommend.

Warm up your voice . Have you ever begun talking and instead of a clear, articulate sentence, your voice sounded scratchy and awkward? Perhaps you had to clear your throat for your voice to return. That’s because your muscles weren’t warmed up. When you begin your speech, you want your voice and vocal cords to be warmed up to allow higher blood flow to reduce hoarseness. Consider the following warm-up exercises:

• Avoid holding tenseness by dropping the shoulders and taking a few deep breaths.
• Open your mouth as wide as possible, close it, and open it again.
• Warm up the tongue by rolling the tongue a few times (you know the sound!)
• Select a few words and work to over-enunciate them by placing extra emphasis as you speak out loud.

These are just a few suggestions to get your vocals warmed up. We know these sound a bit weird, and we don’t often see people standing in the hallway stretching out their mouth or vocal cords. But that’s OK! Find a private spot and try to be comfortable in warming up your vocals.

Warm up your body . Your speech is a full-body experience, so warming up your body is key. Because public speaking is embodied, you want to feel connected with all parts of your body so that you can comfortably and confidently engage. There is no “right way” to warm up, so use warm-up techniques that work best for you. We enjoy deep breathing, stretching, and shaking out the limbs.

Warming up your body can also help reduce the jittery feelings of communication anxiety. If you’re feeling anxious, try implementing strategies to reduce communication apprehension. We recommend looking back over the last section of Chapter 1 – the section provides suggestions on how to reduce and/or manage communication apprehension.

Finally, trust yourself. You have worked hard. You know your stuff. Help the audience experience that time and labor.

This chapter has concluded Part 3 on creating an aesthetic experience. We worked to identify key delivery techniques – impromptu, extemporaneous, manuscript, and memorized.

You now have helpful starting places when workshopping a speech. Rehearse. Rehearse. Rehearse.

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How to deliver an oral presentation

Georgina wellstead.

a Lister Hospital, East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust

Katharine Whitehurst

b Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital

Buket Gundogan

c University College London

d Guy's St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK

Delivering an oral presentation in conferences and meetings can seem daunting. However, if delivered effectively, it can be an invaluable opportunity to showcase your work in front of peers as well as receive feedback on your project. In this “How to” article, we demonstrate how one can plan and successfully deliver an engaging oral presentation.

Giving an oral presentation at a scientific conference is an almost inevitable task at some point during your medical career. The prospect of presenting your original work to colleagues and peers, however, may be intimidating, and it can be difficult to know how to approach it. Nonetheless, it is important to remember that although daunting, an oral presentation is one of the best ways to get your work out there, and so should be looked upon as an exciting and invaluable opportunity.

Slide content

Although things may vary slightly depending on the type of research you are presenting, the typical structure is as follows:

• Opening slide (title of study, authors, institutions, and date)
• Methodology
• Discussion (including strengths and weaknesses of the study)

Conclusions

Picking out only the most important findings to include in your presentation is key and will keep it concise and easy to follow. This in turn will keep your viewers engaged, and more likely to understand and remember your presentation.

Psychological analysis of PowerPoint presentations, finds that 8 psychological principles are often violated 1 . One of these was the limited capacity of working memory, which can hold 4 units of information at any 1 time in most circumstances. Hence, too many points or concepts on a slide could be detrimental to the presenter’s desire to give information.

You can also help keep your audience engaged with images, which you can talk around, rather than lots of text. Video can also be useful, for example, a surgical procedure. However, be warned that IT can let you down when you need it most and you need to have a backup plan if the video fails. It’s worth coming to the venue early and testing it and resolving issues beforehand with the AV support staff if speaking at a conference.

Slide design and layout

It is important not to clutter your slides with too much text or too many pictures. An easy way to do this is by using the 5×5 rule. This means using no more than 5 bullet points per slide, with no more than 5 words per bullet point. It is also good to break up the text-heavy slides with ones including diagrams or graphs. This can also help to convey your results in a more visual and easy-to-understand way.

It is best to keep the slide design simple, as busy backgrounds and loud color schemes are distracting. Ensure that you use a uniform font and stick to the same color scheme throughout. As a general rule, a light-colored background with dark-colored text is easier to read than light-colored text on a dark-colored background. If you can use an image instead of text, this is even better.

A systematic review study of expert opinion papers demonstrates several key recommendations on how to effectively deliver medical research presentations 2 . These include:

• Keeping your slides simple
• Knowing your audience (pitching to the right level)
• Making eye contact
• Rehearsing the presentation
• Do not read from the slides
• Limiting the number of lines per slide
• Sticking to the allotted time

You should practice your presentation before the conference, making sure that you stick to the allocated time given to you. Oral presentations are usually short (around 8–10 min maximum), and it is, therefore, easy to go under or over time if you have not rehearsed. Aiming to spend around 1 minute per slide is usually a good guide. It is useful to present to your colleagues and seniors, allowing them to ask you questions afterwards so that you can be prepared for the sort of questions you may get asked at the conference. Knowing your research inside out and reading around the subject is advisable, as there may be experts watching you at the conference with more challenging questions! Make sure you re-read your paper the day before, or on the day of the conference to refresh your memory.

It is useful to bring along handouts of your presentation for those who may be interested. Rather than printing out miniature versions of your power point slides, it is better to condense your findings into a brief word document. Not only will this be easier to read, but you will also save a lot of paper by doing this!

Delivering the presentation

Having rehearsed your presentation beforehand, the most important thing to do when you get to the conference is to keep calm and be confident. Remember that you know your own research better than anyone else in the room! Be sure to take some deep breaths and speak at an appropriate pace and volume, making good eye contact with your viewers. If there is a microphone, don’t keep turning away from it as the audience will get frustrated if your voice keeps cutting in and out. Gesturing and using pointers when appropriate can be a really useful tool, and will enable you to emphasize your important findings.

Presenting tips

• Do not hide behind the computer. Come out to the center or side and present there.
• Maintain eye contact with the audience, especially the judges.
• Remember to pause every so often.
• Don’t clutter your presentation with verbal noise such as “umm,” “like,” or “so.” You will look more slick if you avoid this.
• Rhetorical questions once in a while can be useful in maintaining the audience’s attention.

When reaching the end of your presentation, you should slow down in order to clearly convey your key points. Using phases such as “in summary” and “to conclude” often prompts those who have drifted off slightly during your presentation start paying attention again, so it is a critical time to make sure that your work is understood and remembered. Leaving up your conclusions/summary slide for a short while after stopping speaking will give the audience time to digest the information. Conclude by acknowledging any fellow authors or assistants before thanking the audience for their attention and inviting any questions (as long as you have left sufficient time).

If asked a question, firstly thank the audience member, then repeat what they have asked to the rest of the listeners in case they didn’t hear the first time. Keep your answers short and succinct, and if unsure say that the questioner has raised a good point and that you will have to look into it further. Having someone else in the audience write down the question is useful for this.

The key points to remember when preparing for an oral presentation are:

• Keep your slides simple and concise using the 5×5 rule and images.
• When appropriate; rehearse timings; prepare answers to questions; speak slowly and use gestures/ pointers where appropriate; make eye contact with the audience; emphasize your key points at the end; make acknowledgments and thank the audience; invite questions and be confident but not arrogant.

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare that they have no financial conflict of interest with regard to the content of this report.

Sponsorships or competing interests that may be relevant to content are disclosed at the end of this article.

Published online 8 June 2017

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Rehearsal Great Performers Show Up for Practice

Every time someone asks me for public speaking tips, my first instinct is to say, “Prepare, prepare, prepare, prepare.” So many of the problems encountered in presentation can be traced back to a lack of preparation. One of the easiest—and most neglected—elements of preparation is rehearsal.

Most people assume a speech is ready when it’s written, but real preparation addresses so much more than content. If you stop to think about it, it’s obvious that  writing  a speech and  delivering  a speech are two different skill sets. You’re not fully prepared until you’ve spent time doing what you actually will be doing during the speech: standing on your feet and talking through the material, out loud.

Much of the nervousness felt at the beginning of a speech stems from unfamiliarity with the process and the realization that you’re not as prepared as you thought you were. Your voice sounds strange in the room. Words that looked good on paper seem stilted coming out of your mouth. Transitions from one point to the next seem abrupt and too obvious. If the actual performance is your first experience of the speech, no wonder it’s nerve-wracking.

There are many barriers that keep you from rehearsing. For one thing, the idea seems boring. You’d rather be watching television. Or you may feel embarrassed to stand in front of a mirror and rehearse out loud. It seems artificial. Elementary. Another obstacle to rehearsal may be your high level of expertise. You might know the topic like the back of your hand. So how hard could it be to talk about it? Just think about the number of boring experts you’ve heard in your life, and the holes in that theory become obvious.

Here’s another excuse: You think you’ll do better if you don’t practice too much, that you’ll be more spontaneous and conversational. Listen, in all my years as a speech coach I’ve never seen it happen. Every speaker that walks into my office for coaching, walks out with the realization they weren’t as prepared as they thought they were. People who claim to be better speakers by preparing  less  are kidding themselves or trying to excuse their laziness.

I recommend rehearsing your speech at  least  three times. Even more would be better. When you rehearse, you become your own coach, especially when using a mirror or a video camera. It’s so easy to spot what’s working and what’s not working. You also improve the content and structure. You get rid of the clutter and make it more clear and concise. More powerful. The improvements just keep coming. The speech gets better and better. Why rob yourself of that advantage?

Bobby Knight, one of basketball’s most successful (and controversial) coaches, is famous for saying, “Everyone wants to be on a winning team, but no one wants to come to practice.” If you aspire to be a winning speaker, then do what it takes to create a great performance. Finish your content early. Allow plenty of time to rehearse the presentation. You’ll be amazed at how good you can be. Your listeners will be fully engaged and you will discover the thrill of delivering with clarity, power and impact.