How do you practice a presentation at home?
The smartest way is not in front of a mirror. It is with a video recording device, which is built into every phone and computer now. The mirror fails because you are trying to deliver and analyze at the same time, and you need to focus on one thing at a time.
Most people practice a presentation by reading it over, or by running it in their head on the way to work. Some stand in front of a mirror. There is a better method, and the equipment is already in your pocket.
Use a camera, not a mirror
The smartest way to practice is with a video recording device, and every phone and computer has one built in now. This is a must. The mirror fails for a specific reason: you are trying to deliver and analyze at the same time, and you cannot do both. Focus on one thing at a time. Deliver the whole presentation to the camera, then stop being the presenter and become the reviewer. Set the phone at roughly eye height, far enough back that your hands are in frame, and hit record.
Why the playback does the work
The playback is the coach you already have. It shows you the pace that runs away from you, the point that never landed, the hands that do not know where to go, and, just as usefully, the moments that worked so you can do more of them. None of that is visible from inside the delivery. It is only visible from the outside, and the recording is the outside.
Do not skip the part where you look for what worked. Most people record themselves once, wince, and never do it again. Finding two or three things you genuinely liked is what makes the exercise survivable, and it is the only way you will repeat the parts that were already good.
Two leaders who stopped rehearsing in their heads
Two emerging leaders at an energy utility told Jess they practiced by rehearsing in their head. That is the most common method there is, and it is close to the least useful, because your head fills in every gap and forgives every stumble. After they switched to video, both started getting asked to speak at conferences. Same people, same material, different practice method.
How to run a practice session
- Deliver the whole presentation to the camera, start to finish, without stopping to fix things.
- Watch it back once as an audience member: what did you understand, and what do you remember?
- Watch it again as the reviewer. Write down what you liked first, then what to improve.
- Make the corrections and record it again. The second recording is where the change shows up.
Plan the middle first, then practice
When you are building the presentation, plan the middle first, then go back and build the introduction and the conclusion. Once it is planned you are only halfway there. Practice is what makes it ready. Skipping practice is exactly what most people do, and it means standing up and sharing a first draft that was never ready for the world.