To prep or not to prep

How many of us prepare before we present? And I don’t mean sitting at your computer scanning over what you’ve written.

Because that’s the sum of what most people will do. They’ll maybe read through what they’ve written a couple of times - but in their heads - and they won’t physicalise it.

This is a bit like a marathon runner turning up for a race, getting their new shoes out of the box and thinking that they can run without training. Yes, you could do it but it’s not going to be pretty and you’re not going to feel great afterwards.

We are holistic beings and when we communicate we use the whole of ourselves, body and voice as well as our words. These are what make up our communication - in equal measure when we are communicating in a relaxed state. However, studies show that when we feel in a state of emotional turbulence these percentages go out the window.

Our message - our words - then become as unimportant as 7% and our audience will read our body language and then our voice, over them.

So preparation is key before you do anything that might feel pressurised.

You want to know that your body and voice will be saying the same thing as your words.

Get in touch if you’d like to learn some simple exercises that you can do to prepare before you speak.

As Mark Twain said: “It usually takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.” And he was a wit, and a famous raconteur.

If he felt the need to do it, you should, too!