No really. Go ahead. Talk. Out loud. To yourself. Get up. Walk around. It’s really the only way to practice your presentation.
I know you think you are practicing as you sit there flipping through your slide deck going “and here I’ll talk about this” and “there I’ll go through that.” You sit there going blah, blah blah in your head and guess what, blah is just what you’ll end up with.
Don’t try to memorize things either. This is not a university exam you are cramming for. The object is not to commit a series of words to memory. The point of practice is to, as closely as possible, without the audience and probably the location, deliver what you plan to present.
Haven’t you ever played through a conversation in your head that you wanted to have with a friend? Well pretend this is the same thing. Present to your friend during your practice session. And if you can actually have the friend there, all the better. Get some feedback.
Believe me. Your audience will thank you. You’ll end up being more conversational and relaxed. You’ll have the pacing and rhythm down and your transitions will flow.
So talk to yourself.
