Because rehearsing alone skips the pressure. Run it in front of even one person and your heart rate climbs and your inner critic gets louder, just like the real thing. That's the practice that makes the room feel familiar.
What I say in the video
Let's talk about what helps it all come together when it counts, preparation. Good preparation is what lets you start feeling ready and calm. Rehearse in front of someone else. Just having a person there changes your nervous system. Your heart rate climbs a little. Your internal critic gets louder. That's exactly the point. It's the closest simulation to the real thing.
What I didn’t say in the video
If you can, pick someone whose opinion matters to you. A colleague from another team. Someone a step or two above you. Their attention will feel a lot closer to the room you're actually walking into.
Then run it like it counts. Stand up if you'll be standing. When you stumble, don't stop to apologize or start over. Keep going, the way you'd have to in the real thing. That's the rep that makes the real thing feel calmer.
Try it today
Think of someone whose opinion matters to you. Book fifteen minutes with them before your next presentation.
Bill Smartt is a New York executive presence and public speaking coach and the founder of Smartt Talk. He works with leaders in financial services, tech, advertising and startups.
