Great speakers don’t become great by accident. The best speakers are the ones who are comfortable onstage and connect with their audience through their words, eye contact, and body language. Anyone can become a great speaker, but it requires a lot of practice to deliver a confident and engaging speech - and not just any practice. As the saying goes: “perfect practice makes perfect”.
The way you rehearse before a speech or presentation has a huge impact on your confidence and onstage presence as a speaker. To help you get the most out of your rehearsal, we’ve put together our best tips to help you practice like a pro.
Start with notes - Write your speech or presentation notes in full sentences and read as you rehearse. Once you’re comfortable, cut down the sentences into short bullets and rehearse again. Then, cut the bullets into just a few words that will remind you of your main points. The less you need to rely on reading your notes during your speech, the better connection you can make with the audience.
Record yourself - Set up your phone or camera and record yourself delivering your speech. When watching it back, keep an eye out for your body language, filler words (‘uh’ or ‘ums’), and eye contact - do you look and sound confident? It can be awkward to watch yourself, but it’s a great tool to catch your speaking ticks.
Practice with an audience - Ask your friends, family members, or even colleagues to act as an audience and rehearse as if you’re actually onstage. Mirroring real-life conditions before your speech or presentation can help ease anxieties on the day of. Be sure to ask for honest and specific feedback as well - what is one thing you can improve on?
Practice until it’s effortless - Everyone is different; some may need more practice than others to feel confident in delivering a speech or presentation, and that’s okay. The important part is rehearsing until you can deliver your speech effortlessly, without worrying about the next words you’re going to say. And don’t forget to breathe, sharing our best tips for upleveling your speaking with breath work here. The more comfortable you are with your material and delivery, the more confident you will look and sound!
If you would like to speak at more events and conferences in the future, get in touch! And if you want to stay up to date on other industry tips like this, subscribe to our newsletter.
