A Simple But Powerful Way to Get More Out of Rehearsing Your Wedding Speech

You'll get even more out of your rehearsals if you practice in front of friends, family, colleagues or others. That's because practicing under the types of pressure you are likely to face will help ensure you perform when it really counts.

In her book, Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting It Right When You Have To, University of Chicago Psychology Professor Sian Beilock writes:

"In my laboratory at the University of Chicago, we have shown that golfers who learned to putt in front of an audience were less anxious and putted better under stress than those who never practiced with others looking on. Thus that half hour of putting practice at the end of a round of golf may be more beneficial when it occurs while your friends look on than when you are alone—especially if you have to buy a beer for your buddies every time you miss a shot. 

"This is also true for other activities such as public speaking or pitching a marketing campaign. If you are accustomed to operating under pressure to begin with, you will be less likely to choke, whatever you are doing.” 

Here's the bottom line for speech success: you must have absolute confidence you have mastered the content. So rehearse in front of others as often as you can.