The Importance of Rehearsal

One of the ways to conquer fear is to face up to it.

If you have a fear of speaking in public, the best way to overcome it is by actually giving a speech.

Your nerves might attack at the last minute but if you come prepared, you will surely be able to conquer your fear and face up to the task of delivering your speech.

The key to being prepared to deliver a public speech is rehearsing. Here are some tips on how you can use the ‘rehearsal’ technique to your advantage speaking in public.

1. Make a final draft of your speech.

Preparing your speech way before the actual date is the secret to delivering a great piece. Know everything that you can about the topic. Research, read up, ask around, you may even conduct interviews if you need to.

Having a vast knowledge of the subject that you will speak about will increase your confidence. Just think that nobody in the room knows more about your topic than you do. This attitude is sure to increase your confidence.

2. After making your final draft, read the words out loud.

Listen to yourself deliver the speech or better yet, have somebody else listen to it for you. Practice in front of a mirror. After delivering your speech to yourself or in front of a friend for several times, the words will surely stick to your mind and just flow out spontaneously on the ‘big day’.

3. Have a “dress rehearsal”.

Assign one particular day for this before the date that you would have to speak in public.

Pretend that this is the actual day when you will deliver your speech and assume that there are people watching. By rehearsing your actual speech, you would have an idea of how long it will run and how you can change your movements and posture so that audience will have a great time listening to you and learning from your speech.