We weren’t all born TED speakers. And no, this article won’t magically change that. Sorry.

A few years back, I had to memorise a script for a 2-day workshop. My co-facilitators and I rehearsed until the material haunted our dreams. We resented it …until we didn’t. Because when Day 1 arrived - magic 🪄

We’d rehearsed by running the workshop like it was the real thing, standing in front of an imaginary audience, practising pauses, and refining gestures over and over. Once presenting felt effortless, the humour flowed and the spontaneity was, well, …spontaneous. We weren’t reciting. We were connecting.

You don’t have to memorise your presentations or speeches word for word. More likely than not, it will stifle your spontaneity and it WILL sound rehearsed. Focus on delivery - posture, gestures, voice - instead, and all your presentations will benefit from it. Pro tip: The mirror is your best friend in this phase.

Try this: record yourself presenting for 5 minutes, as if it’s real (clicker, imaginary audience, slides and all). Then watch it ON MUTE and observe:
❗ Posture: Slouching or standing tall?
❗ Expression: Smiling at the audience or reading from the slides behind you?
❗ Movement: Pacing, rocking or rooted to the spot?
❗ Gestures: Are your hands… doing anything useful?

(Full disclosure: I rocked side-to-side like a metronome... )

Why this matters:
Competence is a performance. How you present matters as much as what you present.

If you would like to discuss how we can help your leaders grow their public speaking confidence, let's chat.