Many good public speakers speak so often that it can seem redundant to practice. If you’re addressing groups large and small a couple times a week, doesn’t that become its own practice?
Not really. The value of true practice—working through a piece methodically, being videoed, getting knowledgable feedback, trying sections over and over until the speaker inhabits the material—can’t be replaced. After all, when we are speaking to the audience, there are no do-overs, there’s little reflection, and there’s typically no constructive feedback. And what do we hear afterwards? The speech was good! Or at least good enough.
Understandably, most people think,”Hey, I’m doing fine. I don’t get nervous, I’m comfortable, and I kicked that ‘um’ habit ten years ago. I’m good.” This confidence is a double-edged sword: it helps us show up and speak, but it also leads to complacency.
How much more effective could we be if we really practiced? We can’t level up when we are always delivering.
Targeted practice that includes establishing a deliberate intention, working through the whole speech out loud, polishing transitions, and getting some sort of feedback doesn’t have to take a long time, but the incremental improvement we experience with each opportunity to speak is invaluable.
