Believe it or not, preparation is a better determinant of presentation success than knowledge, experience, or even talent. The best presenter is almost always the presenter who is the most prepared. Even so, there are a lot of conflicting ideas about what constitutes thorough presentation preparation.
So what exactly is thorough preparation?
Here are seven straight forward tips to increase the effectiveness of the time you invest in your practice.
1. Practice Delivery Out Loud. Practice is NOT mentally rehearsing your presentation on the drive over to the presentation or even thinking about your presentation while tossing and turning at night. Both of these are something, but not practice. A lot can happen between thinking about what you want to say and actually getting the words to come out of your mouth coherently. If you don't actually practice speaking out loud, when the time comes, you may struggle to articulate your mentally well rehearsed thoughts. To the audience, this struggle will appear to be lack of preparation.
2. Try to Conduct Your Practice in a Situation Similar to the Real Speaking Venue. Whenever possible, conduct your practice in a situation that closely mirrors the real presentation. For example, if you will be speaking in front of a large group in an auditorium or large conference room, try to practice in a large room filled with as many audience recruits as possible. Why? Research indicates that if your practice closely mirrors your real presentation, once you are in the actual presentation your brain will think you have done this before. Besides practice, the next most important ingredient in your success is experience.
3. Practice in Front of Real People. If you can't find any audience recruits at work, ask your spouse, best friend, or if all else fails, your pet to listen to your presentation. Interacting with a live audience is an important part of your practice. It helps you not only rehearse your delivery, but gain experience reading and reacting to the silent messages your audience is sending you about their understanding, their likes, and their dislikes.
4. The Mirror is Your Friend. Even after you've practiced in front of an audience, continue to rehearse in front of the greatest critic of all, yourself in the mirror. The mirror is a WONDERFUL if underused presentation practice tool. It will allow you to see and hear your delivery live and make decisions about how to enhance your style. Remember, when it comes to practicing your presentation, the mirror really is your friend.
5. Practice From Beginning to End Without Stopping. Practice all the way through the presentation without stopping-even if you make a mistake. Most presenters have a tendency to stop their practice each time they make a mistake. Besides reinforcing this negative practice, when you continually stop and start over you get very good at the beginning of the presentation, but can't deliver an effective conclusion because you've rarely made it to the end of the presentation. As the second most remembered part of your presentation, it is important to have a strong, well-rehearsed close.
6. Practice With Your Props. If you are using visual aids such as a PowerPoint slide show, make sure you practice with your slides. Visual aids of any kind add another layer of complexity to presentation and require practice to use effectively. Practicing with your slides will help prepare you for the things that inevitably go wrong and help you avoid unprofessional behaviors such as not knowing how to advance your slide show or how to put the slide show in the proper view for display.
7. Do it One More Time. After you feel you've done it well in practice and are happy with your performance, practice one more time to make sure your success wasn't just a happy accident. All in all, depending upon you and your content, you may need to practice your presentation delivery out loud 5 to 10 times. Yes, that's right, you might have to practice out loud up to 10 times, but don't worry, your audience's thundering applause will make the effort worthwhile!
Debbie Bailey is a well-known Presentation Skills Consultant and author of the book "15 Presentation Secrets - How to WOW Even the Toughest Audience," available at trainer2go.com/ebooks.html. For more information about Debbie, go to http://www.trainer2go.com.
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
No matter what your business is, you will enhance your... Read More
Never rehearse at the last minute. This creates undue tension... Read More
It is both good planning and considerate to provide auditors... Read More
The CEO of a worldwide business asked me to help... Read More
I just got back from my whirlwind speaking engagements and... Read More
Communication is a complex and often difficult process for both... Read More
How do you come across in your emails?As I receive... Read More
Are poor presentations costing you business?The ability to deliver a... Read More
Summer is here! It's time to bring out your summer... Read More
You're in a conference room. You're giving a PowerPoint presentation... Read More
Many experienced trainers feel that there is something lacking in... Read More
MAKING INFORMATIVE LESSON PLANS: --The performance objectives should answer this... Read More
How many people will need to see the screen? A... Read More
Most people love to hide behind the lectern.. It makes... Read More
Regardless of the nature of our job or social standing,... Read More
Some speakers say, "I could never use humor in my... Read More
DEVELOPING LESSON PLANS: In developing lesson plan formats, two things... Read More
In March 2002, the comic strip Beetle Bailey contained a... Read More
Long long ago, it was the time when time itself... Read More
People take it for granted that leaders have achieved some... Read More
Preperation is vital when conducting a successful videoconference session. Thus... Read More
For communication to take place, a message must be transmitted... Read More
LESSON PLAN DEVELOPMENT: Lesson plans, believe it or not, are... Read More
Super Preparation ?Keys to Getting a Great Start to Every... Read More
Whenever and whatever you're pitching, dozens of factors will figure... Read More
"I'm not an expert on this topic, but . .... Read More
SUCCESSFUL DEMONSTRATIONS: All of us have seen demonstrations in one... Read More
KEEPING MEETINGS PRODUCTIVE: Whether participants approve or disapprove of an... Read More
Tomorrow's the day and you're dreading it. You're scheduled to... Read More
How many times have you attended a meeting where the... Read More
WHEN ONLY A LECTURE WILL DO: Under certain circumstances, of... Read More
Since the events of September 11th and the economy slipping... Read More
If you deliver electronic presentations using PowerPoint or other programs,... Read More
No matter what your business is, you will enhance your... Read More
I am of the belief that the majority of people... Read More
In recent years, companies have recognized the need to expand... Read More
Exhibiting in a trade show can involve a major investment... Read More
(Excerpted From the Jim Rohn Millennium Weekend Event)Persistence in your... Read More
As a former owner of a National Speakers Bureau, I... Read More
Audiences around the world are all different. Cultural, social and... Read More
A top complaint from audience members is that many presenters... Read More
You're in a conference room. You're giving a PowerPoint presentation... Read More
8 Ways to Improve Your Presentation Skills 1. Join Toastmasters.... Read More
Some speakers say, "I could never use humor in my... Read More
The CEO of a worldwide business asked me to help... Read More
"The human brain starts working the moment you are born... Read More
Where can you choose a company shirt vendor? There are... Read More
If you are taking your newest products to a trade... Read More
DEVELOPING LESSON PLANS: In developing lesson plan formats, two things... Read More
There are five key elements that can make... Read More
The query letter is simply a business letter that serves... Read More
Regardless of the nature of our job or social standing,... Read More
The quality of your sales presentation will often determine whether... Read More
There is an old saying: "The first thing to do... Read More
MANAGING MEETINGS--BEING PREPARED MAKES A DIFFERENCE: You can schedule all... Read More
Long long ago, it was the time when time itself... Read More
Presenters often tell me that they fear losing their train... Read More
A client recently called to say she was going to... Read More
Tip #1 The purpose of your speech is to get... Read More
First and foremost, you must deal effectively with your own... Read More
Appealing to emotions is the most powerful way to transfer... Read More
The most important tip...EVER!Make sure that you always think of... Read More
Super Preparation ?Keys to Getting a Great Start to Every... Read More
Webster's Dictionary defines communication as "a giving or exchanging of... Read More
So you're going to have a booth at a trade... Read More
The social skills of a small businessperson, franchisee, independent contractor... Read More
Presentation |