Picture Credit: Tammy McConaty
Check out my TEDx talk by clicking here.
This is Episode 9 in my TEDx journey series. In case you missed them, here are the previous entries:
- Episode 1: My Secret to Becoming a TEDx Speaker: The Event Theme
- Episode 2: How I Became a TEDx Speaker: Getting The Acceptance Letter
- Episode 3: Why I Hated My First TEDx Talk Draft: What Was Missing
- Episode 4: Why My Second TEDx Draft Was Worse Than The First
- Episode 5: My TEDx Draft 3: Even Worse than Versions 1 and 2
- Episode 6: My TEDx Draft 4: How I Completely Overhauled My Talk
- Episode 7: How to Write a TEDx Talk You’re Proud Of: The Final Draft
- Episode 8: How I Rehearsed (Unconventionally) For My TEDx Talk
1 day to go before TEDx Logan Circle…
I tell all my clients that 1 day before a big talk you should NOT rehearse. Just relax.
The reason:
- You need to be well-rested, unstressed and ready to give your best
- Everything by this point should be muscle memory
If it’s not “perfect”, remember that no. talk. ever. is.
In my case … I had to break my own rule. Here’s why, and everything I did the crucial day before TEDx Logan Circle.
The TEDx team did not have access to the venue until 1 day before.
That meant: all my previous rehearsals at home were nice, but imperfect.
If the stage was smaller than I thought, the lights brighter than I thought, the furniture higher than I thought, that could really affect my delivery.
All those surprises … turned out to be true.
The venue – the Madison Hotel in Washington DC, was mostly as expected. Our TEDx organizer Monica had shared pictures and videos of the venue months before – everything she could to help us, given we couldn’t visit until 1 day prior.
When I rehearsed at home I used that knowledge to guide my practice:
1. I knew the audience would be seated in three different sections
That informed my eye contact: as I spoke, I would rotate looking at each section of the audience, to make sure everyone felt addressed.
2. I knew there would be a table in the center of the stage
(Since I planned to play music, I wanted a table on stage to support my keyboard)
This informed my movement. With each new section of the talk, I would move to a different side of the stage to signal a transition. Then I would move back to the table in the center when I had to play music again.
When I finally visited the venue, a few of those things were very different
1. The stage lights were very bright
I had not accounted for that at all.
If I hadn’t visited the venue, I would have been blinded the day of my talk and that wouldn’t have been good for anyone.
2. The chair paired with my table was really tall
When I sat to play on my keyboard, I felt like a little kid on a high stool…and looked ridiculous.
3. The stage was smaller than I thought
I practiced a wide walk during home rehearsal, but now knew there was a more limited surface to work with.
Imagine if I didn’t know these things…and just went straight into the talk.
I would be in in front of 100+ people, trying to figure out how to see, how to sit on a chair, and how to walk properly on the stage: all distractions from giving a smooth and natural delivery.
To fix that, I went straight back home:
- And practiced with stronger lights in my face.
- I drew tape on the floor to indicate the dimensions of the stage and practiced within them.
- I rehearsed again and again and again to build new muscle memory.
(Ultimately I couldn’t figure out the chair, so I made a last minute request to swap it with one in the audience. It was perfect!)
If I could leave you with one tip for giving a big in-person talk it’s this:
Public speaking is part-theater
Actors know their lines. But they also need to know their stage directions.
It’s tempting for us as speakers to just focus on content and slides, but knowing your stage and how you’ll capitalize on it makes a huge difference in your impact.
Try to learn as much about your venue in advance as possible!
With those last minute adjustments done and a surprisingly intense (but necessary) day of prep complete, I braced myself for the next day – the big day of my TEDx talk.
Coming up next in the series is Episode 10: “How I Freaked out Right Before Giving My TEDx Talk”...
Before getting to the end of the series, you can also check out the TEDx talk below!
