Summary: Nothing can quite replace the value of practice. The feeling of unpreparedness is horrible. Follow the 5 P’s: Prioritizing practice prepares for perfection.

Nothing can quite replace the value of practice. Let’s imagine you have a chance to give a three minute devotional before the entire church. Can I give you a strong suggestion? It is a great idea to rehearse your 3-minutes BEFORE you have to ACTUALLY deliver your 3-minutes.

Hear me out on this one. I am amazed how unprepared I am when I attempt to run my short talk for the first time outloud for the first time. This feeling of unpreparedness is horrible. However, this feeling of unpreparedness can be with a trusted team member or it can be in front of the entire church. The choice is yours. Your ideas and your talk may be crystal clear in YOUR mind. However, pushing your thoughts into words is harder.

The times that I have presented to a friend prior before I present to a group of people have been quite revealing. During that first presentation, I automatically see holes in my flow of thought. I see what needs to be REPEATED and what needs to be DELETED. I notice my friend’s body language and see what is not making sense to them.

Listen to me. The distance from my brain to my mouth is actually pretty long. Here is a quick and blunt word of advice: Stop winging it and start practicing. Your first draft should never be your final draft.

Here are the 5 “P’s” of this concept: Prioritizing practice prepares for perfection. Here is my reality. I had a 5 minute talk to give at a wedding. I practiced 12 times, outloud, with hand motions and all PRIOR to that 5-minute talk. I did over 60 minutes of back-to-back rehearsals for one 5-minute talk. I challenge you to do the same.