Rehearse Your Speeches

The LORD was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of the human race.” Genesis 8:21

In their book Now, Discover Your Strengths, Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton describe the process Colin Powell goes through before making a major speech. The former general and secretary of state is a poster child for “cool, calm, and collected” in any situation. Part of his secret, according to Buckingham and Clifton, is the way he reviews his notes prior to stepping onto the platform.

Consider that in light of God’s example at the conclusion of Noah’s story.

The Lord was getting ready to make a major announcement, and he spoke to himself before he spoke to Noah. God clearly doesn’t need to practice, so the example must be there for our benefit.

If the announcement you are preparing is important, then it’s worthy of some practice.

Practice your speech.

If you’ll be taking questions from the audience, have someone toss tough questions at you.

Be prepared.