HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations (HBR Guide Series)

Rehearse Your Material Well

There’s no such thing as overrehearsing your delivery. Not that you should memorize your talk—if you do, you’ll come across as stiff and struggle to connect with the audience. But know your material inside and out. That way, you can adapt more easily if the environment, audience, or technology suddenly changes on you (something often does). Also, audiences can tell if you try to wing it—and they feel slighted. It sends the message that you don’t value them or their time. Perhaps most important, rehearsing frees you up to be more present in your talk and fully engage with the people in front of you. When you rehearse, leave plenty of time to:

• Get honest feedback from a skilled presenter: As the presenter, you’re so ...