Rehearse and deliver: put it together
Take a talk from message to the day itself: rehearse out loud, time it, record it, and walk in ready.
Two ways to rehearse
In your head, sitting down
Reading the notes silently and nodding. Every sentence seems fine and it feels about four minutes long. You find the awkward bits and the real length on the day, in front of everyone.
Out loud, standing up, timed
You hear the sentence that's hard to say, notice the transition you don't actually have, and find out it runs six minutes, not four. All of it while there's still time to fix it.
MEMORISE LESS
Know the edges by heart, not every word
Memorising a talk word for word is risky: forget one word and the whole chain can break, and even when it works it tends to sound recited. Instead:
- Know your opening (the first 30 seconds or so) and your closing lines by heart. That's where nerves are highest.
- Know the order of your points.
- Carry keyword notes, not a script: a small card or the speaker notes, one line per point, plus the numbers and a cue for the story.
Sara's card: "Hook: two reports, one week / 1. Cost: 8 h each / 2. How: Mon, 20 min, timer / 3. Try: 4 Mondays / Close: same work twice → let's try it"
Check yourself
What should Sara know word for word?
- The whole talk, so nothing can go wrong
- Nothing; reading from a full script is safer
- Her opening and closing lines, plus the order of her points
- Only the numbers
Show the answer
Her opening and closing lines, plus the order of her points
Right. The first and last lines are where nerves peak and where wording matters most. The middle she speaks from keyword notes, so it sounds like her talking, not reciting.
A rehearsal plan for the week before
- Run it out loud, standing, with a timer
Speak at a real pace, with your pauses. Note the time. Most people run long on the first go.
- Cut to fit, then run it again
Aim to finish a little under the limit, about 4.5 minutes for a 5-minute slot. Decide in advance what you'd drop if time runs short.
- Record one run on your phone
Watch it back once for pace, fillers, eye contact and posture. It feels uncomfortable, and it's one of the fastest ways to improve.
- Rehearse in front of someone
A friend or colleague. Ask them one question: "What was my main point?" If they can't say it, sharpen the message.
- Spread it out and try the real setting
Several short runs over different days tend to stick better than many runs the night before. If you can, do one in the real room, or with the real tech.
Check yourself
Sara's rehearsal runs 6 minutes for a 5-minute slot. What's the best fix?
- Speak faster on the day to fit it all in
- Cut material, keeping the message, until it runs about 4.5 minutes
- Skip the close if she runs out of time
- Ask for an extra minute when she starts
Show the answer
Cut material, keeping the message, until it runs about 4.5 minutes
Yes. Keep the message and the structure, and cut the least important support: a second example, a side detail. Aim a little under the limit, since nerves and questions tend to add time.
Check yourself
Why is it worth recording at least one rehearsal?
- So she can play the recording instead of speaking live
- Because rehearsals only count if they're recorded
- To memorise the talk by listening to it on repeat
- To see and hear her pace, fillers, eye contact and posture the way the audience will
Show the answer
To see and hear her pace, fillers, eye contact and posture the way the audience will
Right. From the inside you can't hear your own "um"s or see yourself rocking. One watch-back shows you what the room will notice.
Sara's talk, the whole course in one walk-through
- Message (lesson 2): "A 20-minute shared planning meeting on Mondays will stop us doing the same work twice."
- Shape (lesson 3): the duplicated-report hook, three points (the cost, how it works, how to try it), and a close with a call to action.
- Story (lesson 4): 6 p.m. on a Thursday, a second copy of her report, about eight hours each, then the point said out loud.
- Slides (lesson 5): two simple ones: "Two people built the same report" and the Monday meeting in one picture.
- Voice and pauses (lessons 7 and 8): slow for the message, a beat before "eight hours", / and // marked on her card.
- Body, questions, rehearsal (lessons 9, 10, 12): planted stance, one person per thought, a question list with a second close, and three timed runs, one recorded.
Check yourself
Match each part of Sara's preparation to the lesson it came from
Show the answer
- One full sentence with a point of view → Key message
- Hook, three points, call to action → Talk structure
- A beat of silence before "eight hours" → Pauses
- A list of likely questions and a second close → Handling questions
- Three timed runs, one of them recorded → Rehearsal
On the day
- Arrive early and test the tech
Check the projector or the call link, the clicker, the mic. Have your backup ready: a PDF of the slides, or the talk without them.
- Water and a minute of slow breathing
Breathe in for about 4 counts and out for about 6, for a minute or two. Tell yourself "I'm excited" rather than "I'm calm" (lesson 1).
- Have your first line ready
The opening you know by heart. Say it once in your head just before you walk up.
- Stand still, pause, look at someone
Walk up, plant your feet, look at one person, breathe.
- Begin
Your first line, slowly. The rest follows from your card.
Check yourself
Spreading several rehearsals over a few days usually works better than doing them all the night before.
Show the answer
True
True. Practice spread out over time (spaced practice) tends to stick better than the same amount crammed into one evening. It also gives you time to fix what each run shows you, and a night's sleep between runs.
Lesson recap
- Rehearse out loud and standing up; only speaking shows you the awkward sentences and the real length.
- Know your opening and closing lines by heart and the order of your points; speak the rest from keyword notes.
- Time it and aim a little under the limit, about 4.5 minutes for a 5-minute slot. If it runs long, cut material, not speed.
- Record one run and watch it back for pace, fillers, eye contact and posture.
- Spread rehearsals over several days, with at least one in front of someone.
- On the day: arrive early, test the tech, breathe slowly, then stand still, pause, look at someone, and begin.