As sales and account management professionals, we are frequently in a situation where we need to deliver a presentation. These presentations can be delivered to a customer, prospect, distribution partner, or an internal audience. We deliver presentations for many different reasons, including sharing specific content, controlling the flow of a meeting, inspiring the audience to take action, and more.

A crucial step in preparing to deliver a presentation is rehearsing the presentation before we deliver it. The act of rehearsing the presentation helps us to master the content, hone our delivery skills, prepare for possible objections, and prepare our team to play their part. 

It seems like a compelling argument – better rehearsal leads to better delivery, which leads to better outcomes. Everyone knows they should rehearse, but not everyone does it. Why? Who really knows. There are many reasons or excuses that we have all heard before (“I do not have time”, “I do not want to come across as too robotic”, “I already know everything I need to know”, …), but there is no substitute for putting in the work.

Here is another reason to rehearse – the confidence we gain when we are completely prepared. When we truly know what we want to say and know that we can deliver the message effectively, our confidence soars. 

When we do not have to worry about forgetting key points, we come across as more knowledgeable and capable. When we have that confidence, we can truly be “in the moment” in a presentation, picking up on verbal and non-verbal signals and tying concepts together in an ad hoc way that is almost effortless. This is the type of presentation, and presenter, who inspires confidence in an audience, and is much more likely to achieve their desired outcomes.