I’ve written about the deer-in-the-headlights phenomenon before, when a speaker faces one too many unexpected obstacles and finds himself losing concentration and staring blankly at the source of the latest disaster wondering, ‘what do I do now’? 

It doesn’t have to be that way.  When you’ve got a big speech, insist upon a walk-through, or technical rehearsal.  Get together the day before the event, or at the very latest the morning of the event, with the technical people upon whom your life will depend.  Walk through the speech paying attention to all the technical aspects of the delivery. 

What does it feel like to be miked?  Does it restrict movement?  Can you be heard?  How are the sound levels? 

What about the lighting?  Does it shine in your eyes?  Get used to it.  Practice not squinting, looking just below the spotlights out to the audience.  Can it follow you if you move?  If you’re going out to the audience, work that with the tech folks.  They’ll need to have a follow spot, or to turn the house lights up.

What about the camera coverage?  Where do you need to be?  Again, if you’re going into the audience (and you probably should be at some point), then you’re going to have to work that out with the techies.  They’re going to be inclined to say they can’t manage it, but they can if they really put their minds to it.  So negotiate that nicely, since their help and cooperation is essential for a successful show.

What about slides, notes, visual aids, music, sounds, video, and so on?  Practice all that with the technical folks and have a plan B in case something goes horribly wrong and nothing works.  Probably won’t happen, but you want to be ready if it does.  (And if you cover well, and respond heroically, you’ll get a hero’s reception from the audience.) 

Walk the entire hall, to get a sense of how big it is.  Check out the sight lines, because you want to know how tiny you look from the back, or if you’re blocked by something from the side.  Get to know the space, so you can fill it with your presence.  The bigger the hall, the more energy is required.  Check out Mick Jagger tapes to see how much energy is required to fill a stadium.  It’s a lot.

A tech rehearsal, or walk-through, is essential when the stakes, and the hall, are big.  Don’t leave it to chance or to the last moment.  Remember Murphy’s Law.