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Part XII

PART XII: Practice

You have built the argument. You have designed the deck. You know the story. You have prepared the delivery and anticipated the questions. Now you need to make it work under competition conditions.  Practice is not simply repeating the presentation until everyone remembers what to say. Effective practice should reveal weaknesses, create pressure, test understanding, and build your ability to recover when things do not go according to plan. 

  • The objective is not: Can we deliver the presentation perfectly in practice?
  • It is: Can we communicate our recommendation clearly, confidently, and credibly regardless of what happens in the room?

Practice should progressively move from learning the presentation to testing the presentation and finally to stress-testing the team.

Don't just practise the presentation you hope to give. Practise the situations you may actually face.

Chapter 23: Practice Like You Play

PracticeMany shouldteams simulatepractise the competition. Don’t simply run through the slides whileby sitting around a table.table Practice:and talking through their slides. That can be useful early in the process. But eventually, practice needs to resemble the competition.

  • standing;If you will be standing in competition, stand.
  • If you will use a clicker, use one.
  • If the presentation is ten minutes, practise to ten minutes.
  • If Q&A immediately follows the presentation, include Q&A.
  • If you are expected to role-play as consultants advising senior executives, practise that way.

The closer practice becomes to the actual experience, the fewer things will feel unfamiliar when competition begins.

Move From Rehearsal to Simulation

There is an important difference between rehearsing and simulating.

  • Rehearsal asks: Can we deliver the presentation?
  • Simulation asks: Can we deliver the presentation under the conditions we are likely to face?

Both matter.

Early practice should help you learn:

  • the content;

  • the story;

  • the transitions;

  • the key numbers;

  • the recommendation.

Later practice should test whether those things survive:

  • time pressure;

  • interruptions;

  • mistakes;

  • difficult questions;

  • unfamiliar audiences;

  • competition conditions.

Recreate the Competition Environment

As competition approaches, practise:

  • standing;

  • using the clicker;

  • advancing the actual deck;

  • looking at the judges;

  • speaking at competition volume;

  • using the

    moving actualnaturally;

    deck;

  • making speaker transitions;

  • timing the presentation;

  • answering questions;

  • using appendix slides;

  • recovering from mistakes.

If possible, replicate the physical environment. Do not make competition day the first time you experience the presentation as a performance rather than a rehearsal.

Don't Stop Every Time Something Goes Wrong

Early in practice, stopping to correct problems makes sense. Later, it can become counterproductive.

  • Someone misses a sentence.
  • "Stop. Let's start again."
  • Someone makes a poor transition.
  • "Stop."
  • Someone forgets a number.
  • "Start the slide again."

That trains the team to perform only when everything goes correctly. There is no restart button in competition. As you get closer to competition, introduce no-stop rehearsals. If something goes wrong:

RECOVER → CONTINUE → REFLECT AFTERWARD

Finish the presentation. Then discuss what happened.

Build Practice in Layers

A useful progression is:

  • STAGE 1 UNDERSTAND
    • Can everyone explain the recommendation?
  • STAGE 2 STRUCTURE
    • Can everyone follow the story?
  • STAGE 3 DELIVER
    • Can the team communicate it clearly?
  • STAGE 4 INTEGRATE
    • Can four speakers present as one team?
  • STAGE 5 PRESSURE TEST
    • Can the team handle difficult questions and disruptions?
  • STAGE 6 SIMULATE
    • Can the team perform under competition-like conditions?

Do not spend all your available practice time polishing words before testing whether the underlying argument works.

Practice 1: The One-Minute Story

Give yourthe team one minute to explain:

  • the situation;

  • the problem;

  • the recommendation;

  • the impact.

No slides. No detailed analysis. No long explanations. Just the story.

A useful structure is:  SITUATION → PROBLEM → RECOMMENDATION → IMPACT

For example:  "ACME's revenue continues to grow, but profitability is declining because its highest-value customers are leaving. We recommend a targeted retention strategy built around a redesigned loyalty experience, beginning with a six-month pilot. This addresses the root cause of the profitability problem while generating positive returns and limiting implementation risk."

That is the core argument.

Why It Works

The one-minute story forces the team to identify what actually matters. If you need eight minutes to explain what you are recommending, the problem may not be presentation time. The problem may be clarity of thought. Every team member should be able to tell approximately the same one-minute story. The words do not need to be identical. The logic should be. If you cannot explain the solution insimply, onekeep minute,working youon maythe not understand it well enough.solution.

Practice 2: The Slide Headline Test

Remove the body content from every slide. Leave only the slide titles. ReadThen read them aloud in sequence. Do they tell a story? IfFor not,example:

  1. Profitability has declined despite continued revenue growth.
  2. High-value customer churn is driving most of the deckdecline.
    3. needs
  3. The customer experience—not acquisition—is the root cause.
  4. A targeted retention strategy provides the strongest response.
  5. The strategy generates positive value even under our downside scenario.
  6. A six-month pilot allows ACME to bevalidate restructured.adoption before scaling.
  7. The strategy restores profitable growth while limiting execution risk.

You can hear the argument.  Now compare that with:

  • Situation Analysis
  • Customer Analysis
  • SWOT
  • Alternatives
  • Recommendation
  • Financials
  • Implementation

Those are sections. They are not a story.

Why It Works

The headline test strips away:

  • charts;

  • graphics;

  • numbers;

  • design.

All that remains is the logic. If the story does not work without the visual content, redesign the architecture before polishing the slides.

Practice 3: The Three-Second Test

Show eacha slide to someone for approximately three seconds. Then remove it.

  • Ask: "What did you see?"
  • Do not ask: "Did you like the slide?"

You are testing communication, not aesthetics. Compare thetheir answer with theyour intended message.

  • Suppose the slide's intended message is: The recommendation remains profitable under the downside scenario.
  • If the viewer says: "I saw three charts and a lot of numbers," you have learned something important.
  • If they say: "It looked like the investment still works even in the worst case," the slide is doing its job.
Why It Works

Judges rarely have unlimited time to study a slide. They are simultaneously:

  • listening;

  • reading;

  • evaluating;

  • taking notes;

  • thinking about questions.

The important message needs to become visible quickly. The three-second test evaluates whether your visual hierarchy is actually working.

Practice 4: The Blind Audience Test

Present toFind someone whowho:

  • has not read the case.case;

    Afterward

  • did not participate in the analysis;

  • has not watched the team build the presentation.

Present to them. Do not explain the case beforehand. Afterwards, ask:

  • What was the problem?
  • What was our recommendation?
  • Why did we recommend it?
  • What was the most important evidence?
  • What was the expected impact?
  • What was our biggest risk?

Then compare their answers with yours.

Why It Works

Your team suffers from an unavoidable problem: You know too much.

  • You have spent hours with the case.
  • You understand the acronyms.
  • You know where the numbers came from.
  • You remember discussions that never appeared in the deck.

That makes it difficult to recognise when the presentation requires information the audience does not have. The blind audience knows only what you communicated. That makes their confusion valuable.

Don't Explain the Confusion Away
  • Suppose the listener says: "I wasn't sure why you chose Option B."
  • Avoid responding: "Oh, that's because our analysis showed..."
  • Stop.

If that information was necessary, why didn't they areunderstand unableit during the presentation? The purpose of the exercise is not to respond,explain youwhat havethe identifiedaudience amissed. communicationIt issue.is to discover why they missed it. Ask: Where did we lose you? Then fix the communication.

Practice 5: The Hostile Judge

Now increase the pressure. Have someone challenge:

  • your assumptions;

  • your numbers;

  • your recommendation;

  • your alternatives;

  • your implementation.implementation;

  • your risks;

  • your stakeholder assumptions.

TheQuestions goalmight isn’include:

  • "Why should I believe your revenue forecast?"
  • "Why wouldn't we simply choose Option B?"
  • "What happens if adoption is half what you expect?"
  • "Where does the organisation get the capability to “win”execute this?"
  • "You haven't addressed the argument.biggest stakeholder risk. Why not?"
  • "What makes you think customers actually want this?"

The objective is not to create an unpleasant practice environment. The goalobjective is to remaincreate calm,constructive clear,pressure.

and
Don't credible.Try to Win

The goal of this exercise is not for the team to defeat the hostile judge. It is to practise:

LISTEN → UNDERSTAND → ANSWER →  SUPPORT → STOP

Remain:

  • calm;

  • clear;

  • professional;

  • evidence-based.

A difficult question should not change your personality.

Push the Second Question

A particularly useful variation is the follow-up challenge. After the team answers, the judge says: 

  • "I'm not convinced." Or:
  • "But what if that assumption is wrong?" Or:
  • "You still haven't explained why Option B isn't better."

This prevents teams from preparing only one polished response to predictable questions. The follow-up tests whether the team actually understands the reasoning underneath the answer.

Practice 6: The Recovery Drill

IntentionallyNow interruptdeliberately themake presentation.something go wrong. Have thea speaker:coach or teammate introduce a disruption. The speaker might:

  • lose their place;

  • forget a sentence;

  • restart a slide;

  • skip a slide;

  • receive an unexpected question;

  • encounter the wrong slide;

  • hear a difficult question;

  • have another speakerteammate make an error.

Then: Recover.

  • Do not restart the entire presentation.
  • Do not immediately rescue the presenter.

Let the team solve the problem.

The Recovery Sequence
  • When something goes wrong:

1. STAY CALM

  • Do not make the mistake larger through your reaction.

2. FIND THE MESSAGE

  • Ask: What is the one thing we need the audience to understand?

3. RE-ANCHOR

  • Return to:

    • the headline;

    • the key number;

    • the recommendation;

    • the transition.

4. CONTINUE

Move forward.

5. REFLECT AFTERWARD

  • Ask:

    • What happened?

    • Why?

    • How did we recover?

    • What would make recovery easier next time?

This connects directly to the recovery cycle from Chapter 18: FEEL THE FEAR → ACT ANYWAY → SURVIVE → REFLECT → IMPROVE → TRY AGAIN

Add One More: The Compression Drill

I would add a seventh practice to the manual because it brings together focus, understanding, speaking, and time pressure.

Practice 7: The Compression Drill

Present the entire recommendation in:

  • 10 Minutes: Full competition presentation. Then:
  • 5 Minutes: Keep only the most important material. Then: 
  • 2 Minutes: Explain the core argument. Then:
  • 1 Minute: Give the executive version. Finally:
  • 30 Seconds: Give the elevator version.

The recommendation should remain recognisable at every level.

Why It Works

Compression forces you to understand the hierarchy of your own argument. What survives when time disappears? Usually:

  • the problem;

  • the key insight;

  • the recommendation;

  • the strongest evidence;

  • the impact.

Those are probably the elements that deserve the greatest attention in the full presentation as well. Compression also prepares you for Q&A questions such as: "In one sentence, why should we do this?"

Practice With Purpose

Running the presentation ten times does not automatically make it ten times better. Each rehearsal should have an objective. One run might focus on:

  • STORY Another:
  • TIMING Another:
  • SLIDE CLARITY Another:
  • TRANSITIONS Another:
  • DELIVERY Another:
  • Q&A Another:
  • RECOVERY

Trying to fix everything simultaneously makes feedback difficult to use.

The Practice–Feedback Loop

A strong practice process looks like:

PRACTISE → OBSERVE → GET FEEDBACK → PRIORITISE → ADJUST → PRACTISE AGAIN

Notice the word prioritise. After a rehearsal, you may identify twenty things that could improve. Do not try to fix twenty things. Ask: What are the two or three changes that would most improve the presentation? Fix those. Then recover.run it again.

Record Yourself

When possible, record a practice presentation. Watching yourself can reveal things you may not notice while speaking:

  • looking at the screen;

  • excessive movement;

  • weak eye contact;

  • rushed delivery;

  • filler words;

  • inconsistent volume;

  • awkward handoffs;

  • nervous habits.

Do not watch simply to criticise yourself. Watch with specific questions. For example:

  • Where did I stop looking at the audience? or:
  • Where did my pace become too fast?

Specific observation creates useful feedback.

Know When to Stop Changing the Deck

Late-stage practice can create another problem. Every rehearsal produces another idea.

  • Someone wants to redesign a slide.
  • Someone changes a number.
  • Someone rewrites the recommendation.
  • Someone adds another appendix slide.

Eventually the team is practising a moving target. At some point: Freeze the core deck. Continue correcting genuine errors. Stop making unnecessary structural changes simply because someone thought of a different way to say something. Late practice should increasingly focus on execution and adaptability, not constant redesign.

The Final Simulation

Before competition, when time and circumstances allow, run one complete simulation. Treat it as real. Use:

  • the final deck;

  • competition timing;

  • speaker positions;

  • clicker;

  • formal opening;

  • complete presentation;

  • full Q&A;

  • appendix slides.

Do not stop for mistakes. Do not coach during the presentation. Do not give feedback until the simulation ends. Then ask two questions:

  • What worked?
  • What most needs improvement before competition?

Do not rebuild everything. Fix what matters.

Discover Your Mad Skills Principle

Practice should make the unexpected feel familiar.

The objective is not to create a presentation where nothing can go wrong. You cannot control that. The objective is to create a team capable of continuing when something does.

The Bottom Line

Effective practice progresses from:

UNDERSTAND → STRUCTURE → DELIVER → INTEGRATE → PRESSURE TEST → SIMULATE

Use the seven drills:

  1. The One-Minute Story — Can we explain the solution simply?

  2. The Slide Headline Test — Does the deck tell a story?

  3. The Three-Second Test — Are the slides immediately understandable?

  4. The Blind Audience Test — Can an outsider follow the argument?

  5. The Hostile Judge — Can we defend our thinking under pressure?

  6. The Recovery Drill — Can we continue when something goes wrong?

  7. The Compression Drill — Do we know what matters most?

Together, they test more than presentation polish. They test whether the team understands, communicates, owns, and can defend the solution.

Part XII: The Final Competition-Ready Test

This is no longer about moving on. It is about determining whether the team is ready. Before competition, ask:

  • THE STORY Can we explain the entire solution in one minute?
  • THE ARGUMENT Do our slide headlines tell the story without the slide content?
  • THE SLIDES Can the important message be understood quickly?
  • THE AUDIENCE Can someone unfamiliar with the case explain our recommendation after watching us?
  • THE TEAM Do four presenters sound like one team?
  • THE DELIVERY Can we communicate naturally without relying on a script?
  • THE TIME Can we finish comfortably within the limit without rushing?
  • THE Q&A Can every team member defend the major elements of the recommendation?
  • THE PRESSURE Can we remain credible when challenged?
  • THE RECOVERY Can we continue when something goes wrong?

And finally:

  • If the slides disappeared, could we still explain the solution?
  • If the judges challenged our strongest assumption, could we explain our reasoning?
  • If a teammate made a mistake, could we recover as a team?
  • If we had only one minute left, would we know what absolutely had to be said?

If the answer is yes, you are no longer simply practising a presentation. You are training a skill that matters enormously in competition: What do I do when things don’t go accordingpreparing to plan?perform.


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