Rehearsal and Live Event Tips

Start with a powerful sentence.

Not “thanks...” or “so good to be here...” or “can everybody hear me…” etc.
Just start. Nail your opening and you’re much more likely to nail your talk.

Plant your feet firmly.

One of the most common things people do is sway/rock. This makes it look like you’re not
confident in what you’re saying. Scrunch your toes if you need to so that you stay firmly
grounded. You can certainly make movements on stage, but they should be deliberate.

Be comfortable with pausing.

A long pause at the right time feels awkward to you but it actually gives the audience
time to process and understand and can be quite powerful.

Don’t scan.
Scanning the audience is a popular way to make it look like you’re making eye contact, but
actually making eye contact for extended periods really brings your audience much closer.

Don’t self-promote.
Don’t try to sell something like a program or book specifically. If you do it right,
the audience will want to know more about whatever it is you’re doing anyway.

Be you.
If you’re a nervous fast-talker, be a nervous fast-talker. If you’re quiet and humble, be
quiet and humble. If you’re funny, be funny. Trying to be something you’re not will just
come across as fake. When you’re genuinely sharing what you’re passionate about, you
will naturally vary your pitch and tone and pace. Being genuine will also help the audience
relate to you and make them care about what you care about.

Over-prepare. But don’t over-rehearse.

Over-preparing means editing, editing, and editing so that you have gotten so many
perspectives on your content that it is perfectly refined and you are prepared to nail the
message. You should do a ton of this. It also means seeing the space in advance, knowing
the technology set-up, and getting all your questions answered. Definitely do this, too.

Over-rehearsing is if you try to plan your gestures, plan your tears, or memorize your talk
word-for-word. The audience will see through that and it will not come across well.

There is a magic point when you’ve rehearsed enough that the content comes across as
conversational in tone. That’s where you want to be. Pay attention to spots where you
often get tripped up and make sure you sail through those moments.