How much should you rehearse your speech? What does it mean to be a professional speaker? I often hear from semi-pro speakers and wannabe speakers that you shouldn’t rehearse too much lest you grow stale. To my way of thinking, that represents the wrong way to think about rehearsal – and professionalism. I’ll explain my point by way of an anecdote.
I grew up on the Beatles, and I love their music the same way that you love your family or your pets – they were just part of the landscape. I often use a clip from the Beatles performing to demonstrate some aspects of positive body language. All you have to do is witness the way the audience screams for them to see how well certain kinds of positive body language can work!
Nowadays, alas, an increasing percentage of my clients and audiences are only vaguely aware of who the Beatles are, or rather were, but most people cope fine with the cultural reference once I explain the reason for bringing old rock and roll up. It just dates both me (and them). I noticed recently that Paul McCartney couldn’t get into an after party at the Grammys on his face alone, so I guess things are tough all over for former Beatles and Beatle fans.
But that recent kerfluffle reminded me of a story from the Beatles’ glory days, when they were still performing live. They had earned their chops, famously, performing grueling 8-hour stints in Hamburg in some rather seedy places as an unknown band. So when fame and the world’s attention came, they were ready for it.
George Harrison (that’s the Beatles’ lead guitarist) confessed in one interview that, to liven things up, they had taken to fiddling with the tuning pegs of Paul’s bass guitar just before they went on stage. So the first couple of notes that Paul played were off, he had to re-tune, and get back on track without having a meltdown – and while singing, gyrating, and maintaining that positive body language for the audience all at the same time.
Can you imagine? Leaving aside the implicit tensions in the band for things to get to that point, what the anecdote hints at is something quite extraordinary in a perverse way: the level of Paul’s professionalism. The other Beatles knew that they could take that kind of liberty because Paul was such a pro that it wouldn’t rattle him too much.
Paul, in other words, knew his material so well that he could handle all the pressures of performing, plus the surprise of finding that his guitar was out of tune, plus tune it back to normal – all while continuing to sing, smile, and play.
How well do you know your material? How many monkey wrenches could you handle? Do you melt down when something goes wrong, or are you ready to keep going, cheerfully and with aplomb? That is one important measure of the difference between a pro and an amateur.
So, how much should you rehearse? Enough so that you’re ready for anything. Enough so that nothing throws you off your stride. Enough so that you can face any kind of technological challenge with a smile and a nod.
A real pro jumps at any chance to rehearse. You never get too much rehearsal. You’re never afraid of going stale. This is your material, your passion, and your life. Anything less is nowhere near enough.
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Great post, Nick. I think rehearsal is of two types — the one that you are recommending in this post and another that some other people relate to.
What you are mentioning using Paul McCartney’s example is someone who knows the thought process of delivering something like the back of their hand. Such people need no preparation — they live and breathe their craft. And if today’s presenters also live and breathe the topic that they are presenting, then why would they need to rehearse at all? Aren’t they in a state of rehearsal all the time?
And now about the other activity that is also called rehearsal. That relates to presenters mugging their scripts, clicking their remotes and pointing their pointers at exact times. The openings are pre-decided, and they rehearse everything to deliver a performance. In short, they are not candid at all. Well, there are exceptions such as Steve Jobs who rehearsed so many times but his final delivery was always candid.
I love the first meaning of rehearsal, but sometimes find the other meaning of rehearsal to be uninspiring.
Thanks, Geetesh — it’s an interesting distinction — sounds like the difference between mindful rehearsal — and mindfulness in general — and just going through the motions. Never a good idea!
I can never rehearse enough. I feel so confident in my material, that if the start time of my presentation was delayed 15 minutes, I can, on the spot, cut my talk from an hour to 45 minutes. I know exactly what I can add if I have 5 minutes to spare. I like to rehearse in the bathtub, sometimes with my ears under the water, so no one and nothing disturbs me. I have found that rehearsing to a friend can help too: At one point of my talk, when I have a stronger voice tone, I feel emphatic, passionate and yet it comes across as angry. In another part where I’m expressing how miserable I felt, I was told I sounded whiney. Lastly, I like to show slides with my message of the moment, but I don’t look at the slide, and I don’t use the same words on the slide, but I have to time it so it shows at the right place. Now, there, I could always use more rehearsing!
Thanks, Eva — these are the comments of a pro, someone who knows how to use rehearsal for what it can do!
Nick tells a compelling story I hadn’t heard before. This is yet another reminder that when someone says “I don’t want to over-rehearse because I might get stale” that what the really mean is “I am lazy and I don’t care about my audience.” Great job Nick.
Thanks, TJ — you hit the nail on the head. I’m always immediately suspicious when someone says, “I don’t/can’t/don’t wanna rehearse.