Ways to Rehearse Your Speech for an

Effective Presentation
 
 

Rehearsing Your Speech for an Effective Presentation

You have done your research, written your speech, and now it is
time to rehearse it. One of the most important benefits of
rehearsing a speech is the building of self-confidence. While the
ultimate goal of rehearsing is to find errors and to make
adjustments, the goal of building confidence in yourself and in your
material is extremely important. The more comfortable you are with
your material, the better your delivery will be.

We will take a step-by-step approach to describing the best way to

rehearse.

1. Practice in front of a mirror. In addition to hearing you speak,

it is also important to see how others will see you. If you are going
to use gestures during your speech, this is the time when you will
notice how they will look at an audience. You may find that you
need to make adjustments. Are you facial expressions appropriate
to the words you are using? Practice making a mistake as well,
perhaps using the wrong fact or misstating it. Practice apologizing
to the audience and see how that will look in the mirror as well. A
good rule of thumb is to have the first 20 seconds of a speech
completely memorized so that you can make constant eye contact
with an audience. This makes for a very impressive opening.
2. Record your speech. Recording your speech will serve many
purposes. In addition to allowing you to hear your own voice exactly
as it will be portrayed to an audience, it will also allow you to time
the entire speech and distinct sections of the speech. If you need to
make adjustments to the total length of the speech, analyze how
long each section took and how many necessary adjustments. As
you play back your speech, analyze where you need to make a
pause for emphasis. Make notes on your written speech, your
outline, your key cards, or whatever you will be using during your
speech.

3. Videotaping your speech. It is also a good idea to videotape

your speech. Just as some people are uncomfortable hearing their
own voice, many people do not like to see themselves on video.
However, watching the video will be a great way to boost your
confidence and to practice your delivery.

4. Ask one person to be your audience. Ask someone you know

who will give you honest feedback to listen, and watch, your
rehearsal. Even if you watch your videotape or listen to your
recording a hundred times, you will still miss something that a
different pair of eyes and ears will discern. It is always desirable to
get the benefit of someone else's opinion.

5. Rehearse in front of a small group. If possible, also rehearse

in front of a small group of people, even if it is family members. Ask
them to be constructively critical and to make suggestions on how
your speech could be made better. Rehearsing in front of a small
group is a particularly good way to combat anxiety and that will
help you to alleviate your fears.

6. Monitor your mannerisms. While you are watching your

speech on videotape, you should pay particular attention to your
mannerisms. We typically do not notice, or even know we have,
certain mannerisms. However, watching ourselves on videotape will
provide you with an excellent opportunity to see yourself in action
and notice some mannerisms that perhaps should be avoided.
7. If possible, practice at the site of your speech. This is not
always possible, of course, but it is an extremely valuable
opportunity if you can do so. Practicing at the site will ensure that
you will have few surprises on the day of delivery. You will know the
look and feel of the place and when you arrive to give your speech,
it will be familiar ground.

8. Be sure to practice with your visual aids. This is a common

mistake beginning public speakers make. They assume that the
important part is to practice their verbal delivery and that it is easy
to refer to visual aids. Not so. You want to ensure that you know
exactly how, and when , you are going to incorporate your visual
aids into your speech. Make notes in your speech on when you will
use which aid.

9. Practice with some background noise. To better prepare

using a more realistic setting, play some light background music
while you are rehearsing your speech. This will mimic some of the
noise you will hear while you are giving a speech. It is surprising for
some people to know just how much noise an audience can make
while listening to a speech, and this can be disconcerting for some
speakers.

10. Finally, rehearse in the same clothes you intend on

wearing on speech day. This might sound silly at first, but the
goal of rehearsing is to mimic as closely as possible everything that
you will experience on the day of your delivery. If you clothes are ill
fitting, you will notice this during the videotaped playback.