Practise before your next talk

Best for: Composure and first impressions

Before your first sentence: breathe in, look at three friendly faces, and speak your opening line on one long, slow exhale. Practise it until the breath, not the nerves, sets your pace.

Best for: Voice, body language and audience engagement

Record a 3-minute practice talk. Round 1: listen only — note pace, pauses and filler words. Round 2: watch with the sound off — note posture, hands and eye line. Round 3: watch the whole thing and pick one thing to keep and one thing to change.

Best for: Clarity and audience impact

Formulate a purpose you can actually achieve in the time you have — and that moves you toward your bigger goal. Not 'get audience A to buy product B', but 'create interest and help the audience understand the need for product B'.

Best for: Structure that serves the audience

Write down what you want the audience to think, feel and do — three points under each heading. Then check every part of your presentation: if it doesn't serve one of those points, cut it or rewrite it.

Best for: Authenticity and persuasion

For each key statement or insight in your talk, find a personal anecdote that demonstrates it's true. Tell it to a friend first — if it works in conversation, it will work on stage.

Best for: Presence and pacing

Take one section of your talk and mark two deliberate pauses. Practise it out loud: stop completely after the key sentence, count to three, then continue. Notice how the pause makes the next line land harder.