I’ve been reading up and studying a little on the art/science/craft of meditation, for reasons of my own. (Here, for example.) One of the things that struck me – as mentioned in that very blog! – is how often people who take up the practice seem to comment and/or complain to their instructor that they are more confused/chaotic and stressed out after they’ve been working at things for a while than they were before they started!
That, naturally, puts them off.
It certainly did me, for a bit, which was why I was researching it in the first place! :)
The instructors’ responses are often that this is not so – it just seems to be so. What is actually happening, they say, is that the sensitivity to the clutter in the mind has improved. The mind of the newly practicing meditator might have been getting better, might not have been changing much in either direction (or might genuinely have been getting worse!) but that the most likely cause of the ‘problem’ is that the person involved is now conciously aware of how chaotic their mind is.
Stick with it, their instructor says, and the improvements will come.
And what’s this got to do with making presentations? This: I encourage people to practice their presentations before they deliver them – and many times I’m told that doing that just makes them worse. After a few (10? 5? ) minutes of practice they give up in disgust, intent up on ‘winging it’ because that’s the best way of doing it for them.
Well, it’s possible, I suppose. But is more likely – much more likely in my experience – that the process of practicing has simply made them aware of the things that could be improved. They see things they wouldn’t have noticed were wrong with their presentation otherwise because they are conciously examining it.
Get’s worse with practice? Nope, it is just that you’re noticing what needs to be changed – whereas you didn’t notice these things before-hand! In short, they’re seeing things in a way more like the way the audience sees things.
And, as in meditation, that’s the first step to enlightenment… or in this case, giving a better presentation.
Practice truly does make perfect.
I had a baseball coach in high school who said, “You play the way that you practice.†Naturally, practicing public speaking will help. What most people forget though is that it is equally important to practice non-verbal delivery skills as well. It is important to do so as practicing your non-verbal skills will help cement them in your muscle memory. If you do not practice that way, you are less likely to meet with success.
Another important thing to keep in mind when practicing public speaking, is that you shouldn’t stop yourself in your practice sessions. What would you do if you made a mistake or misspoke? Practice it like you would in front of an audience. Then you’ll be more adept at reacting and thinking on your feet.
There is no substitute for practicing your presentation on your feet before you deliver it. Mark Twain said it best, “It usually takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.â€
Hi Terry – I like the sound of your baseball coach!
Couldn’t agree more about practicing on your feet – and it’s a personal bug-bear of mine that people try and practice in their heads (on plans and trains on the way to the conference, for example). It’s far, far better to do your rehearsals out loud, as you suggest!
S