ERASMUS+ CLICHE (2018-2021) 

CAPITALIZING ON LOCAL ICH AROUND EUROPE

2018-1-EL01-KA201-047861 

Talk like
 WHY AND HOW
TO PRACTICE THE TALK
 Deliver your Ted talk to volunteer listeners

You can rehearse in front of :

a small group;
a large group;
those who know you very well;
those who don’t know you at all;
those who are experts in the field;
those who do not agree with you;
those who hardly know anything on the talk subject.
Accept criticism and derive lessons from it !
 Get some feedback
In order to improve the structure and clarity of your talk, you need to get
some feedback.
Ask someone you can rely on to listen to your talk.
Present your talk and then ask them the following questions:
 Was able to explain my idea clearly?
 Was there anything in my talk that you found confusing or misleading?
 Was there anything you didn’t understand?
 Did anything seem inadequate?
 Did I lose your interest anywhere?
Remember ! The purpose of this exercise is not to alter  your talk.
The purpose is to enhance it’s effectiveness.
Don’t memorise it word by word
Don’t simply learn the contents of your presentation by heart,
you will look and sound unnatural. You can be deterred from speaking
fluently while recollecting the precise phrase you scripted.
Instead, try to ’incorporate it within yourself’. Divide your presentation into
several parts, one idea at a time. Go over it in your head again and again. Don’t
worry about the specific words; think of synonyms.

Then start to put all the parts together, one section of the speech at a time.
Practice it whenever you have some time—in the car, in the bathroom, at the
gym. It will help you produce the feeling of an authentic, on-the-spot
performance.
Your talk will be easier to remember and reproduce if it is designed in
accordance with your own style. As they say ‘’If you are not comfortable with
rhetorical flights of fancy, it is better to stay grounded.’’
 Practise Timing
Until you gain experience as a presenter, it is difficult to
specify how much content fits within a given time. For
example, how many pages would you write if delivering a 15-
minute speech. The best way to define how long it will take is
to time yourself while you rehearse. It is advisable to rehearse
standing up and speaking in a loud voice.
If necessary, ask you friend to act as an assistant with a
watch to help you monitor. If you are running behind, you can
adjust your pace. For example, if you are starting the live
demonstration at 10:30, then you know you are 5 minutes
behind, and you’ll have to cut planned material to ‘catch up
with it’.
 Practise as an actor
Speak to an audience, ‘practicing within yourself’ . Even one audience
member can encourage you to make eye contact and look for some valuable
feedback. It also simulates a bit of the pressure one normally feels with a
real audience.
Make it as close to the real thing as possible. If you are going to move
around during the real talk, then do so as you rehearse. It would be of
benefit if you can rehearse in the room where you’ll be delivering a talk.
Also, put on the same outfit you intend to wear
during the speech. Rehearsing in this way lets you
accurately give your presentation under close-to-real
circumstances.
 Spend One Week Rehearsing

One week is a reasonable period to practise your talk.

Basically, thirty minutes per day is enough to hone your

presentation skills. Don’t do all your practice the night
before your presentation , it is much better to spread it
over a week in order to allow yourself the time to become

more comfortable with the content.

One week is also a good interval during which you should
devote some time and effort to perfecting your speaking skills.
 More Practice …
Record yourself and watch a recording of your speech. Then review the video for any weak
spots and then try to eliminate them. For example, if you are talking too quickly, take time to
talk in slow-motion. Take notes as you watch and give yourself a diver’s score when it’s over.
The camera does not lie. In fact, it can be downright brutal. Once you have assessed it
thoroughly, you are ready to start the actual practice. Use video mainly as a tool for spotting
technical issues with your performance.

 In another effort to recreate the presentation setting,

you may consider playing music in the background
to help enhance your focus.
Get Rid of Your word fillers  – they have to be reduced
or avoided entirely with the right kind of work. A lot of ‘really’s ‘um’s’ and ‘kind of’s’
deteriorate the quality of your presentation.
 Finalising your Period of Practice
Repeat the following steps as needed !
1. Based on your audience’s feedback and friends’ relevant comments, make
changes that can enhance your talk.
2. Practice delivering your new version.
3. Try out your new variant on another volunteer listener, get
their feedback, and repeat these steps as often as needed until your talk has
taken a satisfying shape.
4. Set the stage for yourself; you want to simulate the conditions of your
presentation as closely as possible. Practice with the equipment you will
use, as well as the presentation you have created. Once you’ve set the stage
as best as you can, consider trying:
5.Never sit down when you practice, let yourself become familiar with
standing (not cowering) as you speak.