There are so many things that can go wrong when you’re giving a talk. Let’s look at just three: 1.) Your tech. The number one thing that throws speakers off their game is when the microphone or PowerPoint doesn’t work. 2.) The room isn’t what you expected. 3.) Your time is cut short. … Read more
practice
Practice brings you face to face with how much work you still have to do. It’s easy to fool ourselves when we’re just thinking about the task ahead—“oh, it won’t be that bad, I’ll just run through this speech/clean out this closet/revise this report.” But once we dive in, we experience failure. The … Read more
A few days ago I got to see a really terrific speaker. He was leading a workshop on implicit bias, and every aspect of his work was precisely chosen, honed, and practiced to support and amplify his message. Here is stuff I loved: He jumped right into his talk; no long wind-up or introduction … Read more
What? Isn’t that an oxymoron? How can you plan your spontaneity? Good communicators are prepared. They know how they want to affect their audience, and they create something especially for them. As audience members, we know immediately when someone hasn’t prepared for us, right? Unprepared speakers ramble, they go off on tangents, and … Read more
I know. I do, too. But you know what I hate more? Feeling unprepared. Forgetting what I wanted to say. The clammy feel of my palms sweating as I realize I’m not sure I checked my slides after the last time I used them to make sure they’re updated with this client’s info. I practice … Read more
One of the questions I like to ask coaching clients is “What do you do when you practice?” More often than not, I get a confused look in response. So I clarify: “Do you start at the beginning and go all the way through your presentation? Do you stand up? Do you use your PowerPoint … Read more
No, you’re not. Sure, you may have occasional “knock-it-out-of-the-ballpark” occasions when all the stars align and you feel incredible about your performance. But if you want to be consistently effective and powerful, you have to, (I hate to say it), practice. “But when I practice, I sound rehearsed!” Yes, that can definitely be a danger. … Read more
