If you ever have a presentation or speech of more than 30 seconds, and you want to “get it right” you will have to practice. However, its not always clear what this really means. To some “practice” is akin to what one does to prepare for a classical music recital. In these events, the notes on the page are “gospel”; Not to be trifled with and; never to be altered. Some think of this as the gold standard on what “preparation” means. Consequently, in the minds of many, this level of memorization is the gold standard for a speech or presentation.
Others argue that such rote recall is counter-productive. Miles Davis was famous for telling his band members, “No one is paying to hear what you practiced. They want to hear you create.” On the other hand, “You ain’t Miles Davis” and neither is anyone else, so maybe it’s better if we stick with what’s on the page.
I have written several short speeches that don’t work unless they are recalled exactly as written. The upside, is that when this works, its more intricate and memorable than almost anything else one is likely to hear. When this doesn’t work – its a mess. As soon as I lose track of one word, it becomes obvious that I am thrown off, and it can take quite a while to get it back together.
The flip side is a form of regret. If the speech is not completely memorized, something will be left out, and the timing will be off. There are settings in which I want to speak for exactly 7 minutes, and “freestyling” is not going to work.
Where I finally come out on this debate is rather simple. Practice everything, memorize nothing. When I create a speech for a competition, I end up practicing it easily 100 times. Many of these are recorded for me to review later. When I do this, I find that every version is different, and the version that ends up in the contest is not always the “best” rendition. The tradeoff is that whatever ends up in front of the audience is the one that feels most natural in that moment.
It is simply impossible to consciously contemplate every word, every gesture, every motion, every pause, every change of tone, every facial expression, ever reaction to the audience, every adjustment to the setting, every change of pace, every change of inflection, every instant of emphasis, etc, etc, etc. This is far too much to process in real time. I find that the hours of practice create a sort of “muscle memory” that takes care of 99% of those issues. This frees my pea-sized brain to handle the remaining 1%. That’s a load, that I can carry while speaking at the same time.
The muscle memory allows you to relax. The adrenaline in place creates just enough improvisation to prevent my own boredom. With that as the backdrop here are my 5 rules regarding speech practice.
- Use every trick available. This will include recording of sound as well as video. Review all versions and make adjustments each time.
- Listen to all of your versions as you focus on what “notes you can leave out”. Almost every speech ever given would have been 1% better if it was 10% shorter.
- Practice the message – not the script. Your memory is not as good as you think it is, but if your message is important to you, your subconscious mind will find 1000 ways to express it – and each one will be unique.
- Practice all of it. Full volume, with complete range of motion, from start to finish. If it feels too long – it is! If it feels boring – it is! If it feels disorganized – it is! Practice until all of the elements feel right to you.
- Have a little faith. Say what you were born to say. Whatever made you is a lot wiser than you are.
