How do you rehearse your conference presentation?

1 Plan your rehearsal

Before you start rehearsing, you need to have a clear plan for your presentation. This includes defining your main message, audience, goals, and key points. You also need to design your slides, if you use any, and make sure they are visually appealing, informative, and consistent. Once you have your plan, you can schedule your rehearsal sessions and allocate enough time for each part of your presentation.

2 Practice out loud

The best way to rehearse your presentation is to practice out loud, either alone or with a friend, colleague, or coach. This will help you improve your vocal delivery, such as your tone, pace, volume, and intonation. It will also help you identify and eliminate any filler words, such as "um", "like", or "you know". You can record yourself and listen back to your rehearsal, or use a tool like Speechify to get feedback on your speech.

3 Simulate the conference setting

Another tip to rehearse your presentation is to simulate the conference setting as much as possible. This means using the same equipment, format, and duration as the actual event. For example, if you are presenting online, you should rehearse with the same platform, webcam, microphone, and internet connection that you will use on the day. If you are presenting in person, you should rehearse in a similar room, with the same lighting, sound, and audience size.

4 Seek feedback

Rehearsing your presentation is also an opportunity to seek feedback from others and improve your performance. You can ask your peers, mentors, or experts to watch your rehearsal and give you constructive criticism on your content, structure, and delivery. You can also ask them to pose questions or challenges that you might face during the Q&A session. You should be open to feedback and use it to refine your presentation.

5 Review and revise

The final tip to rehearse your presentation is to review and revise your content and delivery based on your rehearsal outcomes. You should identify your strengths and weaknesses, and focus on improving the areas that need more work. You should also make any necessary changes to your slides, script, or notes to ensure they are clear, concise, and accurate. You should rehearse your presentation until you feel confident and ready to present.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?