194 REFINE AND REHEARSE
swims fifty miles a week to prepare for a competition, and Steve
Jobs spends hours of grueling practice before a keynote presenta-
tion. Superstar performers in all fields leave nothing to chance.
If you want to thrill any audience, steal a page from the Jobs
playbook and start practicing!
DIRECTOR’S NOTES
Practice, practice, and practice some more. Don’t take
anything for granted. Review every slide, every demo,
and every key message. You should know exactly what
you’re going to say, when you’re going to say it, and how
you’re going to say it.
Record your presentation. Spend a couple of hundred
bucks on a camcorder and record yourself. You don’t
need to record the entire presentation. The first five
minutes should give you plenty of information. Look
for distracting body language and verbal tics, or fillers.
When possible, review the video with someone else.
Use the bucket method to prepare for tough questions.
You will find that most lines of questions will fall into
one of seven categories.