Preparation

DO YOU WING IT?

Freshman year of college was rough for me. I juggled multiple jobs, majored in music and was constantly on the go.

One day, I showed up late to my trumpet class, having forgotten it was my turn to play a solo. Unready to perform in front of my classmates, I delivered a subpar performance. I was beyond embarrassed!

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of being unprepared.

That experience left a mark. From then on, I practiced relentlessly. I spent every spare moment in the practice rooms, humming my solo. The next time I was called on, I was ready. It wasn’t perfect, but it went well because I was prepared.

As John Wooden wisely said, “Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.”

Isn’t that true? Too often, speakers treat their speech, talk, or presentation like it’s something that can be thrown together at the last minute. When we get mixed results, we wonder why. If we aim to clearly communicate and inspire our audience to lean in, we must put in the work.

“If you wing it when speaking, you’ll get wing it results.” – Arvee Robinson

Boost your content, creativity, and passion by carving out time to study and prepare. Josh Shipp put it perfectly: “Delivering a strong talk is all about what you do before you take the stage, not when you take the stage.” This underscores the importance of what I call "closet work."

For me, mornings are spent in my closet doing my morning routine, which prepares me for the day ahead. This private time steadies me and gets me ready for public life. The same goes for your study and preparation time; it does wonders for your content, passion and nerves.

1. Enhances Self-Discipline

There is joy and freedom in being prepared. Discipline gives you the power to stick to your decisions and follow through without wavering. This ability leads to self-confidence, self-esteem, inner strength, and ultimately, happiness and satisfaction. Read everything by Jon Acuff—he’s a guru in goals! His books "Start" and "Finish" are incredible. Committing to studying and preparing will elevate your self-discipline in all areas of life. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results.

“90% of how well the talk will go is determined before the speaker steps on the platform.” – Somers White

2. Enhances Strategic Thinking

As you prepare your message, you engage in an internal dialogue. The more complex the task, the higher the degree of strategic thinking required. None of us are born master strategic thinkers; it’s a skill developed through practice and experience. Every day, as you look out your window and prepare for the day, your brain is already engaged in countless strategic thoughts, from dressing appropriately to arriving on time. Recognizing your thoughts as strategic helps hone these skills.

3. Increases Flexibility

Preparation increases flexibility. Being self-disciplined and thinking strategically opens the possibility for your thought processes to become more fluid and flexible. Not everyone who is disciplined and strategic can be flexible, but this is a skill we can develop. Preparing to be flexible builds resilience, a critical trait in public speaking.

4. Develops Resilience

Resilience is the ability to recover from setbacks. Developing all our skills often leaves little room for resilience. Without preparation, unforeseen challenges and failures can be shocking. Preparation helps build mental resilience, allowing us to stand up eight times after being knocked down seven. This resilience is crucial for success.

HOW TO STUDY AND PREPARE

To be an effective, empathetic, and captivating communicator who inspires people to LEAN IN, you need to carve out time to study and prepare. Here’s how:

1. Find Your Best Setting

Choose a location that helps you get into study and preparation mode. It doesn’t have to be the same place every time, but having a set location can help. Ensure your tools are ready: laptop charged, phone on "Do Not Disturb," and a timer set. Decide how much time you will dedicate to research and dive in.

2. Do the Research

Don’t rely solely on what you already know. Dive deep into your topic. Read everything by experts, analyze your topic thoroughly, and explore different viewpoints. Talk to other thought leaders and get into your audience’s mindset to understand their problems. Gather quotes, images, and videos for content and illustrations. I organize my research in a Google Drive folder, separate from the folder for my actual talk.

3. Embrace Clarity

Before moving to the next step, let your research and thoughts sit. Everything's better when marinated. Let it rest in your mind. As Kevin Gerald said, “Preparation makes room for possibilities.”

By the end of that college semester, I was ready at any given moment to perform my solo. I came into class with my head held high and when my trumpet professor called on me, I put my horn up and crushed the solo.

It was a painful lesson to learn, but I did and I still try to use it to this day with my speaking. 

Boost your content by carving out time to study and prepare. By doing so, you’ll enhance your self-discipline, strategic thinking, flexibility, and resilience, ultimately becoming a more effective, empathetic, and captivating communicator. So, how will you study and prepare? Find what works best for you and commit to it. Your audience will thank you.

By Jason Raitz - CEO, Speak with People

Jason is a top notch speaker and communication coach. He trains employees of Fortune 500 companies to become healthy and influential communicators so that they will successfully increase revenue.