Practice For Presentations, But Also Remember To Rehearse.

It's time to prepare for your presentation. Maybe it's live, maybe it's online. You've developed content and know what you want to say. Now you have to work on how to say it—the physical delivery of your thoughts, ideas and opinions.

You need practice, of course, because lack of practice or the "I'll just wing it" mindset typically results in unfocused, rambling and apathetic presentations. For a confident, focused and powerful delivery, you also need to elevate from practice to rehearsal.

Here's the difference. When practicing for a presentation, you probably just do a "run-through" of slides and content. Nothing wrong with that—it's a great way to get familiar with material and worthy of repeating again and again.

But at some point, it's good to begin rehearsing for the presentation. With rehearsals, you go through your presentation as if you were actually in front of an audience, just as stage actors do when preparing for a production. You speak as you you intend to speak. You position yourself in an appealing, inviting way. You gesture and pause. You use your supporting visuals. 

Expect the unexpected. In addition, let rehearsals prepare you for surprises. What will you do if the slide projector dies or the audio system shuts down? How will you handle an abrupt interruption or an unexpected question or objection from an audience member? 

"A rehearsal considers your environment and audience. It elevates your preparation from the mechanical to the thoughtful."

"A rehearsal involves careful consideration of your environment and audience," says author and consultant Tim Sanders. "It elevates your preparation from the mechanical to the thoughtful."

So practice, practice, practice—but make time to rehearse. Practice until you get it right and then rehearse until you can't get it wrong.

Sam Harrison is a speaker and author on creativity and on presentation skills. His fourth and latest book— "Creative Zing!" —show readers ways to generate more and better ideas—and how to present and sell those ideas to decision makers.