Written by: Maria Tecce, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Practicing and preparing for presentations and speeches can be a daunting task. Why? Because most of the time you don’t know where to start. That’s where ‘purposeful practice’ comes in.
This one preparation skill can help you not only maximize your practice time but also feel more empowered and prepared at the end of it.
Here are 4 ways purposeful practice can turbocharge your prep time and help you feel more prepared, confident, and ready to nail that presentation.
1 Purposeful Practice Gives You A Clear Plan Of Action
Matthew Syed, author of the book ‘Bounce’, is an Olympic table tennis champion who introduced the concept of ‘purposeful practice’. This concept is about being 100% conscious of what you’re doing and why, and having a clear plan of action, and executing it with velocity.
Olympic athletes are scrupulous when it comes to how they prepare for events. They have a team around them that put a very clear plan of action into place so the athlete can focus on practicing with complete focus.
High achievers use purposeful practice when preparing for a speech or presentation. When you have a clear plan with specific, executable steps, you are much more likely to actually practice.
If you don’t have a plan in place, then the odds of you procrastinating and putting off practicing is much higher. And if you don’t practice, the odds of you putting in a bad performance are much higher.
Remember, failing to plan is planning to fail. Get a clear plan of action and the odds of you succeeding and putting in a performance you’re proud of are much higher.
2 Purposeful Practice Means Focus On One Skill At A Time
Purposeful practice cuts out the chatter that overwhelms you sometimes feel when you think of the huge task of practicing. There are so many physical and vocal skills you know you should be looking at, ie. vocal delivery, using your hands, breathing, crafting your story, slowing down… It can feel like a lot.
So instead of trying to take one huge bite of the pie all at once, break up your practice into small, digestible chunks.
For instance, take your three top takeaway skills when it comes to your delivery and practice each one separately, one at a time. It could be slowing down, using your hands, and eye contact.
When you take each skill in turn, you allow your brain to focus on just one task at a time. You will get much more value out of each skill than if you try to practice them all at once.
3 Take Breaks In Order To Get The Most Out Of Your Practice
Your brain takes in millions of pieces of information every day. It’s always filtering what you should pay attention to in order to be economic with its energy.
Part of purposeful practice is preparing with specificity and also knowing when to stop. Your brain needs time to let the information you just gave it settle and sink in.
The days of pushing yourself to doggedly study and prepare for hours and hours without a break are well and truly gone. Your brain works much more efficiently when it takes in manageable chunks of information instead of long streams of information.
So make sure you factor in rest time and taking breaks when you prepare and practice. Focus on one skill, practice it for an hour or so, film yourself, watch it back. And then take a break. You will gain more value from your practice time.
4 Get Coaching And Specific Feedback When Your Prepare
When you are left to your own devices, you are much more likely not to implement a clear plan of purposeful practice. However, if you have a coach to hold you accountable, you will turbocharge your practice time.
It’s well documented that accountability is one of the key factors in getting results from building your business and achieving your goals. When you know that another pair of eyes are upon you, you will not try to get away with just doing the bare minimum.
At the end of the day, you want to get more bang for your buck when it comes to preparation and practice. So do it with purpose and clarity and you’ll be crushing your presentations in no time.
Want to know more and get private coaching from me? Book a free call with me HERE and let’s get you smashing out those presentations and turning in stunning performances!
Want to learn more from Maria? Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin and visit her website.
Maria Tecce, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Maria Tecce is a leader in public speaking & voice and speech coaching. After making her living as a professional actor and singer for 20 years, Maria began coaching business professionals and performers a decade ago in the same skills that professional performers use every day. C-Suite and Senior Executives work with her when they want to up their game and show up as powerful, confident, passionate, joyful speakers in their businesses and for the people around them. Her clients include Google, Diageo, Ulster Bank, Bank Of Ireland, Ericsson, KPMG, Smurfit Business School, Johnson & Johnson, Salesforce, and Virgin Media. Maria is dedicated to helping powerful men and women take ownership of their confidence, authentic voice, and joy as speakers and communicators. Her mission states, "Own your voice, own your story, own your space."
