Why You Should Have a Pre-Speech Routine

Preparation for your speech isn’t just about the speech itself.

There are other things you need to focus on to make sure you hit it out of the park.

One important element is your pre-speech routine.

A lot of athletes have a pre-game routine.

They eat a certain meal, some wear double socks, and others listen to a particular type of music.

Their pre-game routine grounds them.

Without it, they feel like the world is slipping away.

In this post, I’ll discuss how having a pre-speech routine can ground you and add some predictability to your life.

The world feels more stable when you have a routine to fall back on.

Avoid Practicing Too Much

A lot of speakers don’t have a concept of a pre-speech routine.

They use the time before their speech to practice more.

The problem with that strategy is that over-practicing is a real thing.

This is when the speaker associates more anxiety with the talk.

Soon, each repetition in the practice session makes them more nervous rather than feeling more competent.

I recommend that speakers stop practicing their speech 2-3 days before the event.

By then, they should have successfully executed the 5x Rule.

The 5x Rule is when the speaker can get through the speech five times perfectly.

Whenever they mess up, they need to start over.

By “mess up,” I don’t mean failing to say the speech verbatim every time, but rather not being satisfied with how they delivered their point.

Hitting the 5x Rule takes time.

But once a speaker successfully completes their speech five times without messing up, the talk is now embedded in their subconscious mind.

They can now focus more on their body language and presence during the speech, rather than reading off index cards or worrying about what to say next.

After the 5x Rule has been met, that’s when the speaker should relax and do other things.

Pre-Pre-Speech Routine

There is a pre-speech routine and a pre-pre-speech routine.

Let’s talk about the latter first.

The Pre-Pre-Speech Routine

The pre-pre-speech routine happens a day or two before the event.

This is when the speaker should focus on the logistics.

The speaker should take the time to:

• Get their clothes ready.
• Make sure their car is working well.
• Be aware of the parking situation at the venue.
• Pick up extra cash just in case there’s paid parking.
• See what the stage setup looks like.

The goal of the pre-pre-speech routine is to ensure the speaker can arrive at the speech location smoothly, without any hassles.

I’ve seen speakers neglect the pre-pre-speech routine just to practice more, and it did not end well.

On their big speech day, they completely forgot they didn’t pick up their shirt from the laundry. The shirt came out too small after being put through the dryer. Now it doesn’t fit. The speaker is running late. There’s traffic on the road. All this leads to an anxious speaker rather than a calm and collected one.

The pre-pre-speech routine would have allowed the speaker to take care of the logistics.

Pre-Speech Routine

The pre-speech routine is what takes place a few hours before the talk.

Every speaker is different.

The number one thing I recommend is organizing your day so that you arrive at the speech location early.

You don’t want to be that person who takes their pre-speech routine so seriously that they show up late to their talk.

It’s better to be an hour early and have nothing to do than to be even a second late.

Organize your pre-speech routine in a way that ensures you arrive at your speech venue ahead of time.

What you do in your pre-speech routine is up to you.

I generally recommend that you don’t practice your speech too much.

Focus on things other than your speech.

Some speakers like to draw to calm themselves before a speech. Others like to watch a comedy routine. I remember a speaker who would go to IHOP and eat by himself an hour or two before his speech. Since IHOP is a franchise, he could always find one nearby. He’d always order the same meal too.

Others might make fun of your pre-speech routine.

All good—let them.

The routine only needs to make sense to you, not to others.

The more you execute the routine, the more it becomes a ritual.

A ritual is a routine plus a story.

The story will convince you to take the ritual more seriously.

My Strange Pre-Speech Routine

My strange routine before a speech is… going to Walmart.

I know, that’s weird, but it’s super therapeutic for me.

I love walking around Walmart and discovering new items I can tinker with.

It’s exciting to find new food items to integrate into my routine for the week.

Before a speech, I’ll find a nearby Walmart, park, and walk around.

I’ll go into the Walmart to pick up a water bottle.

“Why don’t you just go to a gas station to get the water bottle?”

Because it’s not the water bottle that I’m after—it’s the predictability.

On speech day, I’m nervous. I’m looking for something that feels familiar. Since I go to Walmart two or three times a week, I feel a sense of predictability walking around. All Walmarts have a similar feel, so I automatically feel safe—sort of like smelling a familiar fragrance when you’re in a foreign territory.

In addition, I prefer walking in Walmart over the park because the park doesn’t have AC.

I can walk around Walmart for a while without sweating.

I’ll take the long way to get the water bottle.

Once I have it, I drink it slowly.

“Do you ever get soda?”

Soda is a no-go. Just water.

Once I’ve picked up the water from Walmart, I slowly drive back to my speech location.

I feel grounded now.

Time to dominate.

For more insights into public speaking, check out the Speaking Wizard eBook

– ArmaniTalks