When I was in high school, I played
clarinet in the school band. Every afternoon, I climbed up the
hill from the bus stop carrying my clarinet case and every
morning, I trudged back down the hill carrying my clarinet case,
still unopened and untouched.
My performance on the clarinet failed to improve because
merely carrying the clarinet was not enough to help improve my
skill at playing it.
The same is true for presentations. When you're preparing to
speak to a group, no matter how small or large, it's not enough
to think about what you're going to say or flip through your
slides while you're sitting at your desk. That doesn't count as
practice.
Practice means that you actually open your mouth and say the
words out loud in as close to the real environment as possible.
So, for example, if you're going to stand while presenting,
stand while practicing. If you're going to present while sitting
around a conference table, then practice while sitting around a
conference table. The purpose of practice is to become
comfortable enough with your material and the mechanics of
presenting it in the environment that you will be able to
deliver your presentation naturally and effectively.
You should practice going through your presentation at least
a few times. Memorizing it may make you more anxious since
you'll be worried about forgetting the exact words you
memorized. Instead, become familiar enough with your key ideas
and message that you can use different words and phrases to
express them each time you practice. If you choose to use notes,
practice how to use them effectively without clinging to them or
reading from them.
There are three major areas of content that you should focus
on during your practice:
Introduction
This is your opportunity to engage the audience and also to
build your confidence. You should be so comfortable with your
introduction that you can deliver it effortlessly, with full eye
contact, a strong voice and few pause words (like "um" or "ah").
Transitions
Presenters often get lost between points or slides. You want
to practice how you will move smoothly and logically from one
idea to the next. Having a well-organized presentation makes
transitions easier because you can say something like, "the
second reason we need a new process for handling customer
complaints is..." or "the next phase of the project involves
testing the software against the requirements..."
Conclusion
This is your last chance to remind the audience of your
message. Don't just let your voice trail off with "well ..
that's it, I guess ." You should end with a powerful conclusion
such as a call to action or a strong reiteration of your message
and its importance to the audience.
I learned the hard way - it's not enough to carry the
clarinet around and think about practicing. To improve, you
actually have to open the case and play it. So the next time you
have to give a presentation, make the time to practice the right
way by saying the words out loud in as close the real
environment as possible. As a result, your actual delivery of it
will be smooth and effective.
