In one line: Practice doesn’t make perfect, it makes permanent. Rehearse the right way, with a clear standard and feedback, or you will lock in the wrong habits.
Core idea
A coaching saying, passed on in the course, captures the idea: perfect practice makes perfect, and any practice makes permanent. Repetition alone builds habits whether they are good or bad. A speaker who rehearses a rambling talk ten times gets fluent at rambling.
Research on expertise points the same way. Ericsson and colleagues found that top performers stand out less by how many hours they log than by how much deliberate practice they do [1]. That is effortful work on specific weaknesses, against a clear goal, with immediate feedback, and usually guided by a teacher or coach.
How it works
For a presentation, perfect practice looks like this:
- Set the standard first. Know the structure, the purpose and the one message (see Presenting with Presence).
- Rehearse aloud, standing, at full speed. Silent read-throughs don’t count. The course asks for at least three full rehearsals before a talk.
- Get feedback. Record yourself, or rehearse with a peer who will be honest. Watch for filler words, pacing, and slides you keep turning to.
- Work on the weak parts, not the comfortable ones. Repeat the opening, the transitions and the hardest question until they are smooth.
- Rehearse under realistic conditions: the real time limit, the real equipment and, if possible, the real room.
In practice
The same principle applies beyond presenting, to an Elevator Pitch, a difficult conversation, a negotiation, or a design review defense. Engineers often under-rehearse because they know the technical content well. But knowing the content and delivering it well under pressure are different skills, and only the second one gets better with rehearsal.
Questions to ask yourself
- What am I practicing right now, and is it the right version of the skill?
- Who gives me honest feedback on how I communicate?
- Which part of my next presentation do I least want to rehearse? That is the part to rehearse most.
Connections
- Where it’s applied first: Presenting with Presence, Elevator Pitch.
- Building on what you do well: Strengths-Based Development. Making the time for it: Time Management.
- Capabilities exercised: Responsibility and Urgency to Deliver, Initiative, Communicating and Advocacy.
Sources
- Ericsson, Krampe and Tesch-Römer on deliberate practice [1].
- Course guidance on rehearsal; no public source.