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Part XII

PART XII: Practice

Chapter 23: Practice Like You Play

Practice should simulate the competition. Don’t simply run through the slides while sitting around a table. Practice:

  • standing;
  • using the clicker;
  • looking at the judges;
  • speaking at competition volume;
  • using the actual deck;
  • timing the presentation;
  • answering questions;
  • recovering from mistakes.

Practice 1: The One-Minute Story

Give your team one minute to explain:

  • the situation;
  • the problem;
  • the recommendation;
  • the impact.

If you cannot explain the solution in one minute, you may not understand it well enough.

Practice 2: The Slide Headline Test

Remove the body content from every slide. Leave only the slide titles. Read them in sequence. Do they tell a story? If not, the deck needs to be restructured.

Practice 3: The Three-Second Test

Show each slide for three seconds. Ask: What did you see? Compare the answer with the intended message.

Practice 4: The Blind Audience Test

Present to someone who has not read the case. Afterward 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?

If they are unable to respond, you have identified a communication issue.

Practice 5: The Hostile Judge

Have someone challenge:

  • your assumptions;
  • your numbers;
  • your recommendation;
  • your alternatives;
  • your implementation.

The goal isn’t to “win” the argument. The goal is to remain calm, clear, and credible.

Practice 6: The Recovery Drill

Intentionally interrupt the presentation. Have the speaker:

  • lose their place;
  • restart a slide;
  • skip a slide;
  • receive a difficult question;
  • have another speaker make an error.

Then recover. You are training a skill that matters enormously in competition: What do I do when things don’t go according to plan?

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