Practice makes perfect. How many times have we heard that adage? If it's true, and I think it has truth to it, why do we find so many reasons to avoid practicing presentations? I've researched "practice," and very little is written about it even though it can be the critical factor in projecting competence.
Would you expect to play golf well after your first golf lesson? What about learning a language? Could you speak French after one lesson? If the answer is no, why do you think that when you are preparing a presentation (for two or 20 people) you can simply review it silently and believe you'll deliver a polished message?
Practice is inevitable. You can't avoid it if you want to be perceived as credible. Here are some suggestions that may save you from feeling that you're falling into a black hole as you deliver your next message.
Practice out loud. Practicing aloud educates your ear. It tells you how conversational you sound. Each time you repeat the message out loud, you may say it in a somewhat different way and decide you've found the best phrasing for that point. You can then incorporate that phrasing the next time you say it out loud. That's how to learn a presentation and avoid memorizing it. (Memorizing is the fast track to failing.)
Listen for your tone of voice and volume. Are they conversational? Use a timer, knowing that you'll deliver the message faster than you practice it. And use a tape recorder to continue educating yourself in how you come across.
If you're ever tempted to say to yourself, "I know this information inside and out. I work with it every day. I don't need to practice," remember the last time you used that method only to lose your train of thought or forget the most important point?
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