#1 Practice Out Loud and On Your Feet

Don’t let the first time you try a gesture or hear your own words be when you are standing in front of your audience!

We spend so much of our time preparing the words we will say or trying to mentally feel okay about whatever public speaking situation we have coming up that we don’t give enough time to the final and most important part of our preparation: the physical and vocal.

Public speaking is physical. It is audible. You need to get familiar with how your pitch, presentation, or talk will sound and how it will feel. How do you want your audience to feel? What atmosphere do you want to create, and is that coming across?

While rehearsing silently or reading from notes may feel comfortable, speaking aloud and physically engaging with your content is crucial if you want to be effective in communication.

There are so many benefits. To keep things simple, here are just three:

1. Memory: In physically and vocally engaging with your words, you are helping to memorize them on multiple attention levels. This will help guard against the dreaded ‘going blank’ and allow you to focus more on your message rather than simply trying to find your next sentence.

2. Natural Rhythm: Get comfortable with your own voice! Practicing out loud helps you find the natural rhythm of your speech. It allows you to identify awkward phrasing, unnatural pauses, or areas where the message isn’t clear. Hearing yourself speak builds confidence and helps you become more comfortable with the sound of your voice, pacing, and tone.

3. Simulating Reality: When you speak aloud and physically engage with your words (through pacing, gestures, or posture), you simulate the real experience of delivering to an audience, which also helps reduce performance anxiety.

Exercise

Choose a short paragraph from a recent presentation or pitch you’ve worked on. Stand up, speak it aloud, and pair it with a gesture that emphasizes a key idea. Think about the meaning behind what you’re saying, for example, if you’re speaking about growth, use an upward motion with your hand. Repeat the paragraph and gesture three times, each time refining your tone and movements to feel more confident and purposeful. Reflect on how your delivery evolves.

Challenge

This week, commit to practicing one presentation or speech fully out loud and on your feet. Even if it feels awkward at first, set a timer for 10 minutes and rehearse as if your audience is right in front of you. Challenge yourself to repeat this process three times over a few days and notice how much more natural the words feel by the third attempt.

Be prepared. Practice out loud and on your feet. It’s the foundation stone to powerful public speaking.