How to rehearse for your big presentation (even when you’re busy)

The single best way to demonstrate competence and confidence when presenting is to know the content. When we feel at ease with our material because it’s “in our bones”, we use fewer filler words, can leverage non-verbal and paraverbal communication techniques, and generally carry ourselves with the outward and inward posture of an expert. 

Yet knowing the content is more than just subject matter expertise (the reason you were tapped to give the presentation): it means we’ve rehearsed the presentation itself—to know the sequence and phrasing of the material as it has been structured for the particular audience being addressed.

In today’s fast-paced business climate, finding time to rehearse is often difficult. When there aren’t significant consequences for delivering a presentation in a less-than-amazing fashion, rehearsing may not be necessary. But when the stakes are high, knowing your material is imperative. The following seven strategies will help ensure the little time you have to practice is as effective and efficient as possible. 

1. Don’t aim to memorize it. At least not in its entirety. Instead, invest your time into learning the introduction and conclusion. Knowing these elements well enables you to (1) start strong and forge connection with the audience while the nerves dissipate and (2) finish well, leaving the audience with an outstanding last impression. For the other sections of the presentation, simply aim to memorize your outline/main concepts and key transition points. 
2. Make an audio recording of the message as you’d ideally deliver it. Listen to the recording while you commute, exercise, cook, or any other time you can multi-task. As you listen, you’re learning your own message passively, making it easier to recall when it’s time to present.
3. Practice the material in sections. Don’t aim for a full run-through every time; instead of always starting at the introduction, extract one portion to practice. Begin with the transition phrase from the previous section and rehearse the next one. This ensures that you’ve been able to practice each part and has the added benefit of learning how to resume your presentation if you get interrupted.
4. Create stress. A little of it, anyway. By practicing with a live audience—a colleague or several—or at least recording video, you’ll learn how to overcome the nerves that might arise on the day of the presentation. A TEDx speaker once told me she rehearsed with all her kids’ stuffed animals lined up in front of her to get used to facing lots of eyeballs.  
5. Simulate the real thing. Practice your message aloud so you can hear your own voice and identify places where articulation might be tricky. Practice it with gestures and movement to learn them as well as your words. If at all possible, rehearse in the actual room; you’ll learn how your voice sounds in the venue. If you can’t practice in the room, tape out the approximate area of the stage or conference room to practice using the space. Put on the clothes and shoes you’ll be wearing to be sure you’re comfortable moving in them (and have a place to hook a microphone’s battery pack if you’ll be using one). For virtual presentations, rehearse on the platform you’ll be using to get accustomed to the layout and tools; record your rehearsal so you can view the output.
6. Employ mental practice. Dedicate time to close your eyes and picture yourself standing tall, using gestures, and embodying poise. Visualize the audience in the room engaging with your presentation the way you’d like. See yourself moving across the stage/space where you’ve blocked it.
7. Know when to stop. Just as runners taper their training as the race nears in favor of rest, presenters need to afford themselves enough sleep and respite before the presentation. This allows us to come to the actual presentation sounding fresh instead of robotic. And a rested speaker always retains their message more effectively, too.

Rehearsing for any presentation is worthwhile, even if the outcome of that particular presentation won’t affect your career, the team, or the organization. It’s worthwhile because all rehearsal benefits every future presentation. Practicing the techniques that undergird skillful presenting ensures that we can deploy those skills in all our presentations. In other words, even when the content changes from one presentation to the next, rehearsing enables us to show up as our best selves in all of our presentations.