Video Rehearsal is the Most Important Thing

OK.

Here’s the part that you’re not gonna lie you’re not going to like me now in fact you may want to go and start writing bad reviews on this course.

You’re not going to want to do what I’m going to ask you to do but I’m telling you it is at slightly essential if you want to be a TED speaker or if you want to be a good speaker for any venue.

And here’s what you need to do.

You need to practice on video.

You need to record it on your cell phone on a webcam.

It could be a movie camera if you want.

Or it could be just a very very cheap webcam that you buy for ten dollars at the grocery store.

I don’t care what kind of camera you use that’s unimportant.

What’s important is that you can actually see your speech.

People don’t like to do this.

Even good speakers I teach and I like looking at myself I don’t like the tone of my voice and oh my gosh I don’t like the fact that my hair’s falling out all tough.

Everyone watching you a tad and everyone watching you on line is going to have to hear your voice.

They’re going to have to see your wrinkles or your jowls or your hair.

So you might as well know how you’re coming across to the number one thing I do with my private clients.

Doesn’t matter if they’re presidents of countries prime ministers NFL stars.

The only way to improve your speech is you have to practice on video numerous times.

Well T.J.

can I just talk to the mere No if you talk to the mirror if you’re like most people after a while you’re going to think gosh is my nuts a little crooked or might be easier than they used to be.

You can’t actually focus on delivering your presentation and do it in a mirror and be able to process it and figure out what’s working what isn’t work you can’t do two things at the same time we all like to think we can multitask.

We can’t.

You need to give your presentation.

Have it recorded.

And while you’re giving it just focus on giving your presentation then you need to watch your presentation and you’ve got to focus just on watching that presentation.

And here’s what you’ve got to do.

You’ve got to get paper or if you want to do it on your tablet that’s fine too but you need to have a line down the middle of whatever screen or paper you’re looking at.

Write down the stuff you like on one side.

Write down the stuff you don’t like on the other.

So you’ve got to give your speech.

Watch it.

Grade it.

If you stop right there you haven’t improved anything.

And that you probably have discouraged yourself because you’re fixated on the things you don’t like.

You have to give your speech again and record it again.

Now maybe your friends colleagues associates will do this family members but if you don’t you don’t get off the hook.

I know you have some video camera near you your laptop has a camera on it.

Your cell phone has a camera on it.

You don’t have any excuses the way you did 30 years ago even 20 years ago.

Everyone is surrounded by cheap video cameras.

So you’ve got to practice again and begin again so you’ve done it a second time.

Ideally the list of things you don’t like is shorter this time the things you do like is longer because nothing else you eliminated one or two things you didn’t like.

So you’ve got to really look at it again and figure out what am I still not happy with and what am I happy with that I have to do more of.

And guess what.

You’ve got to practice your speech again and review it again.

Keep practicing it until you like how you’re coming across till you’re convinced this is the way you want to look.

This is the way you want to sound.

This is the way you want to move.

This is your message.

These are your stories these are your examples.

This is how you want to communicate at every level of style and substance.

Now for some of you you might be able to do it one take.

Great.

Good for you.

But I got to tell you that’s rare for many of you.

It may take 20 takes it may take 30 takes it may take a hundred different takes over the course of a year to get to that point where you’re really happy with it but you need to get to that point because that’s what will give you confidence whether you’re on the TED platform or a lot of other platforms.

That confidence knowing you look exactly how you want to look you’re coming across the way you want to come across.

People ask me T.J.

don’t you get nervous when you speak are you nervous now when you’re doing this video.

The answer is No it’s not because I think it’s impossible for anyone else to do better.

But I do think it’s impossible for me to do better because this is how I come across.

This is how I want to come Ross some of you might like it.

Some of you might not but I’m not worried about my left hand shaking.

Am I speaking too quickly.

My feet.

I’m not worried about any of that because everything I’m saying to you right now I’ve seen myself say the very same things in other videos.

I’ve practiced for you.

I’ve rehearsed for you and that’s why I’m not nervous.

And this is why you can go on to a TED platform and have a million people watching you and not be nervous because you’re not going to wonder about what to do.

You’re not going to wonder if this works.

You’re not going to wonder if it looks okay to walk over here.

Move your hands or do this you’ll know exactly how you’re coming across because you’ve seen it many many times.

Great communicators for that matter great entertainers great musicians.

We’ll watch video of their own concert so they can figure out what works how to get better.

Somebody didn’t work how to make a tweak so there’s nothing nothing new original about this.

The new element is it’s just so cheap because so many cell phones have video capabilities and webcams and tablets have cameras.

So the technology makes it easier.

But this is what people presidents of countries CEOs of billion dollar companies.

This is what they’ve been doing for years with people like me.

Now it’s available to absolutely everyone you may be an academic the top of your field but there’s not a huge huge budget for this sort of training.

That’s OK you can do it yourself.

Also at some level of the TED application they’re going to want to see video of you.

Now you’ll have something.

Don’t just send them the very first video you do.

Send them one that you’re happy with.

And you’re not going to be happy unless you’ve practiced many many times on video.

So some of you are just passively sitting back watching this course.

Maybe you’re on a bus that’s fine.

But I can tell you right now this whole course is a complete waste of your time and money regardless of whether you want to be a TED speaker or just be a better speaker in life.

It’s all a waste unless you do this one tip and that is keep practicing your speech on video and watching it until you like do that and you’ll be a great speaker whether you speak to Ted or not.

If you don’t practice your speech on video there’s an excellent chance you will be mediocre in all of your presentations for the rest of your life.

So please rehearse.