PRESENTING · THE SLIDES ARE READY

A presentation rehearsal plan: find the section that needs work.

Run the talk aloud, find the specific problem, then practise the repair before another full timed run.

By Habits · November 5, 2026

You have finished the slides and clicked through them several times. You know what comes next. Then you say the talk aloud and discover that the example takes three minutes, the transition feels awkward, and the ending does not tell anyone what to do.

Use a rehearsal to find those particular problems. Keep a short record of the timing, what a willing listener understood, and the edit you will test next. A run-through is useful even when it reveals that the talk is not ready yet.

Toastmasters’ practical guidance on preparing a speech recommends practising aloud at the delivery you intend to use and asking listeners focused questions. The plan below turns those ideas into a worked example you can adapt.

First, clarify the actual time allowance.

Ask whether questions are inside the total or additional to it. For example, a ten-minute slot with two minutes reserved for questions leaves eight minutes for speaking. Do not rehearse a ten-minute speech for that slot and expect the questions to fit afterward.

For your own talk, time the sections as you deliver them rather than estimating from the number of slides. Include transitions and any demonstration you plan to give. Mark where you hesitate or repeat yourself; those notes help you choose a repair.

Cut repeated content before rushing the delivery.

Leah’s example repeats the handoff explanation that the audience has just heard in the problem section. She marks the repeated setup to remove:

“The request goes from the account manager to the designer, then to the reviewer. At each handoff, we need to know the deadline, who the work is for and where the source file lives.”

Those points stay in the problem section. In the example, she will move straight to the sample request:

“Here is the request before the checklist: the deadline and source-file link are missing. Here is the same request with all three fields filled in.”

She also removes a second recap at the end of the problem section: “So, to repeat, the three things are the deadline, the audience and the source-file link.” The list is already on the slide and has been explained.

The replacement keeps the example’s purpose: show what changes in an actual request. If a cut removes the explanation the audience needs, choose a different cut. The aim is a talk that fits and makes sense, not a stopwatch result at any cost.

Find out whether the listener heard the request.

Ask a willing listener to hear the run-through. Before explaining what you meant, ask them to describe the action they think you are requesting. Then ask which part was unclear. Record their actual answer, including a misunderstanding.

In Leah’s fictional rehearsal, the listener remembers that handoffs are confusing but cannot say who should do what next. That points to a different problem from the extra minute: the ending is too vague.

You do not need to accept every suggestion. Compare the feedback with what the presentation must accomplish, then name the edit you will test. If you practise alone, you can check the recording for timing and wording; you still need another person to tell you what they understood.

Rehearse the repair, then test the whole talk.

1. Session 1: the full first run. Speak aloud with the slides. Record the total and section times. Ask a willing listener what action they heard and what was unclear. Select the repeated content and vague ending to revise.
2. Session 2: the affected sections. Practise the shorter example with the transition into and out of it. Practise the specific closing. Check that the slides still match what you say. Then save a short note of the changes for the next full run.
3. Session 3: the full revised run. Use the slides and equipment you expect to present with. Time the complete delivery, including transitions. Ask a listener again what they think the next step is. Record the new results before deciding whether another edit is needed.

Give the questions their own short practice.

For Leah’s talk, a likely question is: “What happens if a source-file link is missing?” She can prepare a concrete response: the project lead adds the missing link before the handoff, and the team records recurring gaps for Friday’s review.

For a question she cannot answer, such as how often links are currently missing across the whole team, she should say she does not have that count and explain how she will follow up. Do not invent a number because the answer would sound smoother.

Keep the planned two-minute question allowance separate from the eight-minute talk. Actual questions may differ from the one you practised; confirm with the organiser how to handle follow-ups that exceed the slot.

If a rehearsal is missed, protect the full run.

Move the unfinished repair to the next available session, and make room to test the full revised talk before presenting. If time is very short, reduce the amount you are changing so you can still check the complete delivery. Reading a new ending silently is not the same test as delivering it in context.

A completed rehearsal is one useful action. The timing and listener feedback tell you what still needs attention. For help finding realistic practice occasions, use the goal action-plan guide.