Why Practice?

As mentioned previously in Chapter 2, the element of uncertainty sparks one of the primary sources for public speaking anxiety. People fear all of the possibilities that could go wrong, including saying the wrong thing, forgetting what to say, or having the audience turn against them or view them as incompetent. Practicing a speech helps eliminate many of those sources of uncertainty, and with that practice, speakers start developing self-confidence with respect to the message they have to deliver. Practicing effectively trains their mouths to say the words, bodies to deliver the accompanying nonverbal communication to supplement the message, and brains to perform under pressure.