When I played Junior Varsity basketball in high school, I struggled to consistently hit my free-throws and shots from the corner of the key. And so, I committed to staying half an hour every day after each basketball practice, practicing my weakest shots over and over again until I could nail them nearly every time.
Just like athletes (or musicians, or dancers), speakers need to practice and hone their skills, content, techniques, and material so they can perform at their peak under pressure. The more you practice—whether it be a piano concerto, a baseball pitch, a triple pirouette, or the opening of a speech– the more whatever you practice drops into your subconscious mind and becomes muscle memory. The more it becomes muscle memory, the more you can rely on it to be there for you under pressure and under scrutiny.
“But Eleni, I barely have time to practice!”
That said, many of the speakers I coach and train are hard-pressed to find much time in their busy schedules to practice and finesse the presentations they give. To them (and to you, if a you’re a super-busy type) I say “At least practice the parts that matter!” By that I mean practice, I mean speak out loud a bunch of times the following parts of your presentations:
1. Your opening (because that’s when you’re most nervous and when you’re making an indelible first impression).
2. Your closing (because people remember the last thing/s you say);
3. Your stories (so that they flow easily and become fun to share).
Practice the tricky, tongue-twisty parts!
4. Focus especially on practicing the parts of your presentation that are hardest for you (just like I practiced those free-throws). Practice and smooth out awkward transitions, tongue-twisty phrases, and sections that involve tour-guiding your audience though tricky numbers or graphs. The more you practice the parts that matter, the easier it will be for you to be present and relaxed with your audience.
As for my brief high school basketball career, I’m happy to report that, over time, I morphed into being a consistent high-scorer for my team–and all because I practiced the parts that matter, again and again. As I learned then, and believe now, amateurs practice until they get it right; but professionals practice until they can’t get it wrong!
Want help moving to a higher level of consistency with your presentations? Connect with me here!
