How much should you practice?

Last month’s ‘Communicate Confidently’ eLetter article on practicing presentations generated several reader questions. Here’s a summary of some of the comments I offered in my email responses:

  • How comfortable are you with presenting in general and with the specific content in particular? The more comfortable, the less practice time is necessary to achieve your intended outcomes.
  • How important is the presentation to you and the organization you represent? Said another way, what’s the cost of failing or missing the mark? The more important the presentation, the easier it should be to justify adequate practice time.
  • Learn it, don’t memorize it – there’s a big difference. Memorizing your presentation will take way too long and if you forget something, you can choke and lose credibility and confidence.

Practicing your presentation effectively involves a lot more time and effort than merely looking at your outline or slides a few times before you take the platform. Remember that Practice doesn’t makes Perfect, it only makes Permanent. Only Perfect Practice makes Perfect. That is how you get to the ‘Presenters Hall of Fame’.

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