Practicing versus Rehearsing
What's the difference?
Let's Practice!
As a youth sports coach, the most common question a kid will ask at the beginning of practice is, "Coach, are we going to scrimmage today?" As a public speaking coach, the question I'm asked more than any other is, "How much do I need to practice for my next speaking engagement?" It's amazing to me that both parties are asking the wrong question, and for the wrong (albeit different) reasons.
Kids don't become better scrimmaging (usually). It's fun. It's really easy to coach. And players and their parents are often entertained by it. But the skills needed to become adept at sports are born from small repetitions under correction that make habits. When those habits are perfected (because practice makes ... ), then they are able to be called upon. The kid can box out. The end can block. The second baseman can turn the double play. The serve lands in. It's a rare athlete that can do those things simply by verbal instruction in the heat of the moment running across the field or court. And the higher in sports you go, the less scrimmaging (and more practicing) a team will do.
It's the same thing for speaking. People want to "run through it". But that isn't practice. Practice, according to the
is repeated performance or systematic exercise for the purpose of acquiring skill or proficiency. Most people don't mean that when they ask. They are asking to rehearse. And rehearsal makes a speaker feel good. Prepared. Ready. And perhaps even better. It's a scrimmage for speakers. But practice would mean doing the same thing over and over for the purpose of acquiring proficiency. And now we're back to defining words. Most people don't want proficiency (the state of being skilled; an expert). They want it over. Rehearsal can get you through the event. But it doesn't prepare you for the NEXT event. In contrast, practice gives you the skills you can use for ANY performance. You can speak in ANY situation. You can excel under the highest pressure.
When I plan a sports practice, I ask, "What skills do I want my players to have for the next game (or practice)?" That governs what we do. Scrimmage/rehearsal comes AFTER the skills are in place. Running a play in football is useless if kids can't block. Talking through attacking the net is a waste if the serve will never land in play.
When I coach a speaker, we go through a similar plan: "What skills do you lack that will make you a more effective communicator?" Then we practice. No one loves it. But the results are worth it when the requests to speak keep coming in.
In general, speakers (and athletes) are better served by practice (speaking small parts or focusing on ONE skill MANY times) rather than rehearsal (speaking the entire speech for a few times). I may not rehearse every speech, but I will practice relentlessly.
