Dangers of Over-Practicing a Speech
There was one day I was writing a post on my newsletter.
Here’s a rough idea of how my writing process works:
- Think of an idea.
- Create a rough draft.
- Fix spelling issues.
- Mentally re-read and correct kinks until I am satisfied.
On this day, I was stuck on step 4.
Normally, I will re-read the piece four times until I hit publish.
But on this day, I ventured beyond four.
Each time I re-read the piece, each time I fixed up the content.
I thought:
‘I should say it like this instead!’
Eventually, I began making a fuss over the tiniest things.
I would turn:
- “Weren’t” -> “Were not”
4 reads turned into 6.
6 turned into 8.
After the 8th read, I decided that was enough.
So, I hit publish.
I waited 3 days before re-reading the piece.
Waiting a few days allows me to approach the content from an unbiased viewpoint.
When I read the newsletter that I spent so much time editing, I was appalled.
This newsletter was BORING.
I edited out my personality!
That day, I learned that overediting was a concept in the writing world.
Over-Editing & Over-Practicing
The main lesson I learned from the over-editing experience was that too much of a good thing is a bad thing.
Over-practicing a speech will cause us to edit out our personality.
People over-practice for a few reasons:
- No clear target for how much to practice.
- Fear.
1. No clear target for how much to practice.
When you have no framework for how much to practice, you will accidentally overdo it.
Plenty of guys who first get introduced to the gym work out for soooo long.
Like 2-3 hours.
They think being at the gym for a long time is a good thing.
Not quite.
One day, a seasoned lifter polishes up the newbie’s routine.
Nowadays, the newbie is out of the gym in under 1 hour.
They realized they were overtraining before.
2. Fear
The fear of public speaking is known as glossophobia.
We think:
‘If I constantly practice, then I will have no fear.’
Incorrect.
Over-practicing causes you to lose confidence in your talk.
You feel as though nothing is enough.
After each rep, we begin to associate dread with the talk.
How to Avoid Over-Practicing a Speech
Two concepts to help you avoid over-practicing:
- Public speaking cutoff.
- 5x rule.
Public speaking cutoff:
The public speaking cutoff is a hard deadline on when to stop practicing.
Let’s say today is Tuesday.
You have been alerted that you will have to give a speech next Friday.
What’s a public speaking cutoff that you will be comfortable with?
My tip is to quit practicing 1-2 days before your speech.
Use these days to relax and focus on the logistics.
Here are a few questions to ask to zone in on the logistics:
- Are your clothes ironed?
- How far is the speech location?
- What time should the speakers arrive?
- Do you need to carry cash to get a parking spot?
- Should you eat anything before the talk or go in hungry?
Whatever public speaking cutoff you set, abide by it!
Boundaries mean nothing if boundaries are not enforced.
When you set the public speaking cutoff and follow it, there is a sense of clarity.
2. 5x rule
The 5x rule is to get through your speech 5x times to perfection. Anytime you mess up, start over.
Even if you mess up your speech in the final 5 seconds, start over!
What do I mean when I say to get through your speech 5x to perfection?
By perfection, I don’t mean to repeat your speech verbatim each time.
Instead, get through the main points of your speech in a way where you are satisfied with the delivery.
Nailing the 5x rule takes time.
Luckily, you have until your public speaking cutoff to pin it down.
Each time you inch closer to hitting the 5x rule, each time you transfer your speech from a conscious level to a subconscious level.
Poor Practice Strategies Lead to Over-Practicing
One time, I was participating in a Toastmasters competition against one of my best friends.
2 days before the competition, we were hanging out.
He bought a big binder with him.
He was still in training mode while I was in relaxing mode.
My friend’s public speaking preparation strategy was way different than mine.
He literally wrote down EVERY WORD of his speech in a document.
Then he spent his days memorizing every word.
With all due respect to my friend, I believe he had an awful preparation strategy.
Due to his poor strategy, he was always tempted to over-practice.
He felt the need to memorize every word, otherwise, he would be on edge.
If he followed the 5x rule, then he’d focus on the big points, and the tiny words would fall in line.
A person who follows the 5x rule is more robust in case they forget a certain line during their speech.
Because while practicing, they were not delivering the talk the same way each time.
Each session had the same cream (message) but slightly different biscuits (delivery style, word choice, transitions, etc).
The 5x rule allowed them to be ‘points-focused’ rather than ‘words-focused.’
When you’re too words-focused, you focus too much on memorizing.
When you focus too much on memorizing, you can’t help but over-practice.
Too Much of a Good Thing = Bad Thing
You’ll be surprised by how many people open their speech like this:
‘I am so nervous! I didn’t prepare at all. Well, here it goes.’
Line 2 explains line 1 of the opener.
- You’re nervous because you didn’t prepare at all.
Preparation is a good thing.
But never forget this life law:
Too much of a good thing becomes a bad thing.
We avoid over-practicing by:
- Creating a hard cutoff for when to stop practicing.
- Executing the 5x rule to perfection.
Once we hit the coveted 5x mark, we can now relax and focus on the logistics.
For more public speaking strategies, be sure to check out my eBook, Speaking Wizard!
– ArmaniTalks 
