We all hate to practice our presentations, but it's one of those necessary evils if we want to grow our business.
Here's how you can make practice less painful:
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Record yourself. How easy is this — you're on your headphones, talking on the phone all the time. Just use the voice memo feature right on your phone and play it back. What do you hear? Are there too many "ums" and "uhs"? Are you giving too many details that bog down the flow of your presentation & cause people to lose interest? Is your language appropriate, or are you a little lax there?
Practice with your peers. We used to video ourselves (again, you can do this on your smart phone today) at weekly sales meetings. Everyone is awkward and ill at ease, but two things I can guarantee: You will get better and you will laugh A LOT. It's great fun and builds team camaraderie like you can't believe.
Focus on the family. Your family members are great guinea pigs. My boys have heard me on the phone so many times that they can actually critique me now — and they do. ("Dad, that's confusing. You should stop saying that.") They hear things I can't, and it's invaluable. Admittedly, after awhile you may only be able to get your dog to sit and listen to you, but the act of saying things aloud to another person (or pet) is the most important practice you can get.
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