How to Practice Part 1: Use your Words

I finish every workshop and coaching session with a reminder that nothing improves a presentation more than practice. For a musician practice session usually includes repeating exercises that improve technique, carefully learning new repertoire and refining material you’re already performing. But what exactly does it mean for a speaker? Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting examples of how to use your prep time best.

When most people sit down to work on a presentation, they start by writing out what they want to say. Try this instead: as soon as you’ve got an idea of the main points you want to make, put down your pencil, step away from the keyboard and start talking.

Discover how you verbalize your concept. Get comfortable using and hearing your own voice. What words and phrases do you use? Are your sentences too long? Is your language too formal? You may find that your speaking voice is quite different from your written voice. That’s fine! They’re different forms of communication.

The sooner you incorporate speaking into your preparation process, the more organically your language will develop and the more comfortable you’ll be when it’s time to deliver.

Contact me about scheduling a group workshop or one-on-one coaching session today.