The Proactive Speaker: Tech Rehearsal
Imagine a circus performer moving directly from practicing aerial feats in a studio to performing those same feats in a circus tent, in costume, with blinding lights, for a large crowd of rowdy onlookers. Nobody would expect that to work out well. Any performer knows that we need a transition between practice and performance.
In the theater, we set aside a full week to be awful: we call it “tech week.” During tech week we are awkward, make big mistakes, lose any spark, while we get used to the props, set, stage, lights, music, sound design, people in the seats, and begin to bring it all together.
As speakers and presenters, we can give ourselves this gift. We can do a mock-up rehearsal or two in our own space and, if we are really proactive, a “tech rehearsal” in the presentation space with all the tech—slides, clicker, lights, mic, everything.
Here is what a tech rehearsal might look like for a corporate speaker:
Ask a friend/colleague/book-group/team to watch.
Prep them to give (or really, NOT to give) feedback. Say we are just running it through and need them to watch. The only feedback we might ask is, “Was there anything you didn’t understand?”
Set up our space to mimic the presentation space—audience, podium, chairs, entrances—just sketch it out physically. Or, if it’s available, set up in the actual space.
If there will be a hand-held clicker or microphone, hold something in our hand—a pen, is fine.
Remember our Intention—why are we speaking? What are we hoping to change? What is our gift to the audience?
Speak the whole talk out-loud, fully, not just rushing through.
When/if we get lost, keep moving forward as if this is a real, live presentation, so we know we can survive, figure it out, and finish the talk.
No apologies. No, “Sorry! Whoops! Sorry, I have to go back.”
Any missteps, lapses, mistakes, are welcome because they reveal the fault lines in our talk and build a stronger bridge between ideas and transitions.
Be grateful to have this opportunity to move through this awkward phase now rather than in the actual presentation.