My friend Liz was buying new glasses. She knew from experience that looking at yourself in the mirror in the glasses store doesn’t replicate the experience of having the glasses be an integrated part of your life, and she wanted her glasses to be awesome, so she made a plan.
First, she took a friend with her to give her feedback on the frames she tried. The friend took photos at several angles and in different light so Liz could see what the friend saw.
Second, Liz visited the glasses on a couple of occasions, not rushing the process of deciding between the frames.
Then, and I think this is genius, Liz took video of herself wearing the glasses, since it’s rarely going to happen that she is going to be totally still while wearing them. Seeing the videos gave Liz a different view of herself (literally), and she was able to choose frames that she feels confident wearing.
When we practice public speaking, we want to be sure we’re as thorough in our decision-making as Liz was. If you think there’s a phrase or gesture that is going to really help land your point, try it out in context. How does it sounds relative to what you’ve just been saying? Does it fit? Does it stick out? Is it well-integrated into the rest of the flow of your speech, or does it seem grafted on?
Give yourself time to test-drive your speech; revisit it several times before it’s time to finalize your content. And, like Liz, use video to capture your work. It’s instructive to see yourself in action!
If you’d like an Ignite coach to help you with an upcoming speech, let us know!
