The Importance of Practice: Use it or Lose it!
by Dana Bristol-Smith

When I was a kid I took piano lessons. Even though my piano lessons were just once a week, my piano teacher gave me the assignment of practicing every day. That way when she came back a week later I could show some improvement from the week before.
 
Think about how you approach delivering a presentation. Do you think about it as a one time event, or as an opportunity to practice your preparation and delivery skills?

See if this sounds familiar:
 
It’s Monday, you’ve just gotten the assignment to give a report for your manager’s meeting on Friday. You try to find some time to put together the PowerPoint Monday afternoon. Then, Tuesday goes by, then Wednesday, and suddenly it’s Thursday night and you are just now putting together your slides. You stay at work late, finish it up and now you think you’re ready for the meeting on Friday.
 
But, where was the practice? Oops, you just didn’t have time.
 
You show up Friday morning, you hurriedly make copies of your report, zip into the conference room right as the meeting starts, then you are called to deliver your presentation. Your stomach is tied up in knots, you start to speak and your mouth goes dry. You stumble and stammer some – then you read your PowerPoint slides to the group. You sit down and thank God you got through it.
 
After the meeting your manager calls you into her office. She asks why you seemed so rushed and anxious during the presentation. You explain that you just didn’t have enough time to prepare properly. She reminds you that several months ago you went through the Presentation Skills training. Didn’t you have some tools from the class to help you prepare and practice in advance? You hit your head with your hand and say “Doh!” ala Homer Simpson. You remember now, you did have that template to put together a presentation and you should have practiced out loud with a colleague who had also taken the class.
 
Unfortunately, because you hadn’t given a presentation since you took the class, you just went into panic mode and forgot to use the tools you had. You vow that this won’t happen to you again, you realize you need to practice these skills to keep them alive.
 
You refer back to your materials from the course and review the section on practice so you’ll remember next time.

You read the following:
 
One thing that all good presenters have in common is practice. Practice is essential. Knowing your material well will reduce your nervousness and anxiety.

 
Utilize the following to practice:
 
1. The mirror
You are your own best audience. Practice eye contact and gestures in the mirror. Make your gestures larger than normal to help you loosen up.
 
2. Audio recorder
Tape your presentation then listen to it. Listen to your rate of speech, use of filler words, and volume. Learn your content by listening to yourself. Be your own teacher.
 
3. Videotape
Not for the feint of heart. See if you can maintain eye contact with the camera. Notice your gestures, the expressions on your face. Tape yourself a couple of times and see how you can improve.
 
4. People
Colleagues, spouses, and kids can all assist by being your audience.
 
In conclusion:
 
Practice might not necessarily make you perfect, but it will certainly help you improve and be much better prepared and perceived by your audience. You’ll notice that nervousness and anxiety will disappear as you feel more in control and familiar with your content.

About the Author
Dana Bristol-Smith is the founder of Speak for Success, an organization that works with companies that want their people to communicate with confidence and credibility. You can email Dana at:dana@speakforsuccess.net

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