The Two Types of Dress Rehearsals Every Presenter Needs to Do

The Two Types of Dress Rehearsals Every Presenter Needs to Do  

“How many hours did you spend making these slides?” I asked my client Anika, a pharmaceuticals marketing director, two days before her big presentation. Her eyes glazed over as she took a sip of her (third) cup of coffee: “Too many to count,” she replied.

“And how many times have you run through the delivery?” I asked.

She took another sip of her coffee. And another. And then smiled weakly.

“No comment,” she said.

When it comes to making a crisp, confident presentation, there’s no substitute for a dress rehearsal – or a few. Nevertheless, most of the clients I work with admit that they spend the bulk of their time writing a presentation, and very little (if any) time practicing their presentation aloud. Anika was no exception. She was hoping that a well-built deck was the same as a well-delivered deck, and that maybe, she’d get lucky at show time.

But in the words of Seneca: "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."

Having the literal language of the presentation come out of your mouth, practicing your movements, expressions, and vocal variety, being in the room where the presentation will happen, and testing the AV equipment are all key to getting right at show time. And what about the “dress” part? Whether you’re breaking in a new pair of shoes to make sure they don't pinch or slip, or testing the opacity of a white shirt under the hot lights, you’ll want to try those out in your dress rehearsal too.

That’s the first dress rehearsal. What’s the second? The mental dress rehearsal. You need to think through your presentation from beginning to end. In fact, you want to think it through from before the beginning until after the end.

Picture yourself sitting in your seat or waiting in the wings right before you get up to speak.

What will you want to tell yourself that will feel comforting and motivating?

What negative thoughts or limiting beliefs will you need to actively push from your mind?

What techniques will you use to calm your physical symptoms?

How will you carry yourself as you walk to the front of the room or to the stage to demonstrate command and confidence?

Then picture yourself giving a powerful introduction that energizes and engages the room.

Picture yourself previewing your topic, and selling the benefits to the audience. Picture them nodding in agreement and anticipation.

Picture yourself delivering your content clearly, concisely and confidently.

Picture yourself managing Q&A seamlessly.

Picture yourself wrapping up the presentation powerfully, and with a final compelling statement and/or a successful call to action.

Picture how, when and where you’re going to move.

Picture where you need to pause, reinforce key points, capture information on a flip chart, or call for audience interaction.

Picture yourself feeling good about what you’ve done, and reflecting:

What do I feel most proud of?

What opportunities did I take advantage of?

How did I know my audience was engaged?

How did I know that I was getting my message across?

How did I raise the bar since my last presentation?

What am I most proud of?

What do I want to replicate?

For your next presentation, you need to do two at least dress rehearsals – and make sure one of those is mental. As William Shakespeare wrote, "All things are ready, if our minds be so."