Creating a Dynamite Speech – Part Two

Creating a Dynamite Speech – Part Two

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April 1, 2007

Creating a Dynamite Speech – Part Two


Rehearsing Your Dynamite Speech

 

What separates great speakers from the merely good?  Preparation.  And what key element of preparation is often overlooked?  Rehearsal.  Be professional and show respect for your audience by taking the time to rehearse your presentation. 

 

Common excuses for why speakers don’t rehearse:

 



  1. I’ve gone over it a million times in my head and I’m sure I know it.

Since presenting is partly a physical skill, it requires more than mental preparation. Imagine an athlete preparing for a competition with nothing more than ‘just thinking about it’. You must stand up on your feet and do it.

 



  1. It feels weird to rehearse by myself in my living room.  I just want to be natural.

There is nothing natural about standing up in front of 100 people and presenting.  Your body is charged through with stress hormones and the weight of your audiences expectations.  By rehearsing you learn how to work with these forces and in time, presenting can begin to become easy – to become natural.


 



  1. I want my presentation to feel spontaneous.

Touring with Second City doing improve comedy taught me one thing.  Great spontaneity comes from having a very solid structure from which to ‘let loose and be spontaneous’. Flailing around in front of an audience is not spontaneity – it’s disrespectful.  Knowing exactly where you are going and how you intend to get there gives you the freedom to step off your chosen path when the ‘spirit moves you’, and to get back on track easily.


 


 


Presenting is a physical skill that requires physical preparation.

 

Rehearse your presentation so well that, you could deliver it in your sleep.  DO NOT do it by rote.  Rehearsal IS NOT going over your presentation from start to finish 30 times.  Doing that will make it lifeless. Break it down into manageable chunks. 

E.g. To rehearse your introduction…do it once to make sure the thoughts flow clearly….do it again to make sure you are breathing and thinking your way through it…do it again to invest energy where energy is needed…do it again to work on staging etc.

 

Lastly, remember you’re there to give your audience something of value.  Make sure you are focusing on that value, and not how you might look.  Choosing this focus allows the strength of your convictions to flow into your presentation.

 

YOUR JOB IS TO GIVE 100% OF THE BEST OF WHO YOU ARE TO YOUR TOPIC AND TO YOUR AUDIENCE.  The ONLY way to do that is to learn and practice proper rehearsal techniques so you can deliver that dynamite speech every time.

 


For more info on how to rehearse, call….for your free 30 minute consultation.

 


Next issue: STAGING your dynamite speech

 

 

 Submitted by Elizabeth Paddon