3. Rehearsal

The importance of rehearsal can’t be overstated. Rehearsal affords you opportunities to identify issues with vocal and nonverbal delivery as well as provides you chances to modify your visual aids and timing. The most efficient use of your rehearsals is time spent rehearsing with humans. If you want to know if your content is accessible, if you come across as confident, or if your slide deck makes sense, run through your presentation with a classmate, friend, or speech consultant. The sooner you begin the rehearsal process, the more time you give yourself to identify delivery goals and implement changes that polish your presentation.

Download the PDF worksheet Stages of Rehearsal to help you effectively organize your content as you follow the tips below.

Tips

- Note how the sample response not only provides some demographic information about the audience, but it also considers who the audience is as they relate to the context of the material presented.
- Scaffold the rehearsal process. Begin rehearsing with every support in place, such as your script or outline. After a few run-throughs with your script, reduce your support down to cue cards and then rehearse from memory. Move at your own pace to build your confidence over time.
- Time every rehearsal. No audience appreciates being made to wait or, even worse, being late to their next engagement. Always practice your presentations with a timer to ensure that you don’t go over time. If your rehearsals are exceeding the time limit, identify content that you can trim and then continue rehearsing.
- Rehearse with humans. A real audience can identify issues with your presentation that you would not recognize rehearsing alone, so use a peer, friend, or speech consultant to provide honest feedback from the audience perspective. You can schedule free appointments at the Public Speaking Center to receive audience feedback from a trained speech consultant.
- Not ready to rehearse with humans? Record your rehearsals! This may feel uncomfortable, but you can learn a lot about how you present from simply observing yourself. After you’ve recorded your rehearsal, observe yourself in two phases. For phase 1, don’t watch yourself; just listen for flow, pitch, speed and enunciation. Once you’ve listened to your presentation, watch your rehearsal for phase 2, looking out for gesticulations, eye contact, posture, and other body language. Separating your observation like this can help you be a more objective reviewer of your rehearsal.

Dig Deeper

Watch more

Dr. Keri Stephens shares strategies to help you recognize and work through your rehearsal dip. (2.38 minutes)

Read more

Read Carmine Gallo’s article “How to Rehearse for an Important Presentation” as you prepare your next informative or persuasive speech.

Pro Tip:

Rehearsing a presentation can feel a bit daunting, especially if you are giving a lengthy presentation. To make the rehearsal process feel more doable, consider chunking the process. This technique is often used by professional musicians, who devote most of their practice rehearsing the most difficult measures of a musical piece rather than playing an entire symphony from start to finish repeatedly. Similar to rehearsing a presentation, rather than rehearse your presentation from start to finish, identify the muddiest sections and transitions and prioritize rehearsing those sections over and over until you feel comfortable with them. In this way, you can find brief moments or breaks within your day to run through key parts of your presentation.

Interested in a one-one consultation with an expert to review your communication assignment, rubric, or activities? Looking for a workshop on teaching oral competency? How about a Public Speaking 101 workshop for your students? Visit the Sanger Public Speaking Center webpage or send a message to: slc.speaking@austin.utexas.edu. Our team looks forward to empowering you and your students!