The Truth About Confident Presenting

Chapter 3. Rehearsal Is Essential

We’re all asked to speak on occasion without benefit of any rehearsal (give an impromptu talk), but on those occasions, the audience knows that you’ve just been asked to “say a few words”. Their expectations are low and the demands of the occasion won’t ask much of you.

If your presentation involves anything more than a brief introduction of someone else, you had better prepare yourself by rehearsing the talk—more than once. If you care about the outcome, don’t even consider showing up for the speech without rehearsing your remarks.

Rehearsal provides at least three benefits for your speech. First, it points out potential timing problems. You will know after a run-through or two of your talk whether you have too ...