You can over rehearse, but you can never over prepare!

It's true to say that professionals have their talks really well canned - but a sales presentation is a different matter. Usually one is speaking on a subject where one has a degree of expertise, often adjusting your slant depending on your audience profile, and it's really a matter of rehearsing the flow rather than the content itself. The danger of over-rehearsing a presentation is that it can become stiff and over formal losing the edge necessary to persuade. So, one can over-rehearse a presentation.

However, preparation is a different matter. But isn't practice part of preparation? Yes it is, but it's only a part. Preparation involves content, structure, practise, attire, equipment, all aspects of venue, handouts, audience profiling and what if's. And here's the point. It only takes one thing to go wrong to put you under pressure, no matter how experienced you are.

Here's a real, recent story to illustrate my point. I recently conducted one of my seminars a long way from home for about 50 people. I arrived at my hotel (where I was staying and presenting) many hours ahead of time. On arrival I went straight up to the venue to set up - raised the screen, spaced the seats better so that my delegates weren't cramped, organised extension leads etc. When I went back to reception, I was informed that I'd been shown to the wrong venue (also expecting around 50 people) so we started all over again. As soon as I'd done the set-up I went up to my really grotty room and asked to be moved. I was upgraded to a very slightly less grotty room. During the changeover my delegate kits arrived by courier at reception. I signed for them, went up to my new room. No hot water. No hairdryer (mandatory, otherwise my kuif hangs in my face!). Finished my cold shower, got dressed, rushed downstairs to the salon at precisely 16h00 to be told that they were closed. Turned on the persuasiveness and managed to slip in for an 89 second blow dry. Back up to the venue - plenty of time, delegates due at 17h20. Set up data projector, computer, name tags, seminar kits... 16h55 my first 2 delegates arrive almost one half hour early! I send them away for a walk - they take one to the pub. Five minutes later another 20 arrive en-mass. Goodbye set-up. After three requests the aircon is finally working. Venue is rapidly changing from a steam bath to a freezer. Finger buffet is great - nothing to drink - no function co-coordinator in sight for a 120 km radius. After the 2nd request, some jugs of fruit juice arrive, just as we're about to start.

We started on time. No one knew a thing. What's more, this story has been toned down - you've just read about half of all that really happened that afternoon.

You see, whatever falls under your control has got to be sorted out so that you have the time to fix the things that are not. Whenever you are doing any kind of presentation and it's an away game, there are more things that can go wrong at the venue than you can begin to imagine. So be prepared. Be very prepared. Your most precious asset is time. And don't say I didn't warn you. And no, there won't be an invoice, this priceless information is yours gratis.

And here's the really funny thing. No, not funny, sad. A handful of people are going to read this, say "Ag, man, I know all this stuff" and get caught unprepared at their very next presentation. I'm sure that person isn't you. But so often we don't learn until we burn.

Paul du Toit (October 2003)