How to Practice a Speech

You have written a speech. Now you must practice, practice, practice in order to ensure its smooth delivery. Why is practice, or rehearsal, so important? Because only in practice can you locate and fix any awkward phrases. Only in practice can you accurately estimate the timing of your speech, making sure that it fits within the time limit you’ve been given. Only in practice can you feel the energy of your speech before the actual event. Follow these steps to successfully practice a speech.

Instructions

How to Practice a Speech

1. Mimic as cloesly as possible the setting of your upcoming speech. Do not sit at your desk or computer screen and read your speech (unless you will be sitting during your presentation.) Instead, stand up. Move around in front of an imaginary audience.

2. Try to practice your speech in the actual room where you’ll be speaking, if possible. Invite a few friends to sit in the chairs. Talk to them. If you practice your speech in front of a few sympathetic friends, rather than alone, you will have more confidence in presenting it in front of an audience of strangers later.

3. If you will use props and visual aids during your actual speech, use them during your practice. This will allow you to feel comfortable with your visual aids when it comes time to make your speech. Also, pre-practicing with your props and visual aids allows you to work out any technical issues that may arise.

4. Wear the same clothes during your practice that you intend to wear during your actual speech. This way, you will be able to tell if any of your clothing inhibits your movements or adds any complications to your presentation.

5. Practice your speech using different gestures and inflections. See which ones feel more natural and which ones feel awkward. Once you have identified the ones you want to use during your speech, practice them until they are flawless.

6. Time your practice speech. Keep in mind that, during the actual speech, nerves may make you talk a little faster (or even slower) than you did in your practice speech. You need to make allowances for these possibilities in your practice time. Generally, it is more acceptable to fall a little short of the time limit than it is to go over that limit. But you should not go under the allotted time by more than a minute or two. Try to time this exactly when you practice your speech.