I’ll never forget one of the best directors I ever worked with. He not only believed in me as an actor, but he also believed in my ability to experiment with the role I was given. His shows were legendary, but his success was by design, and not by coincidence.
He was methodical in how he directed his shows. He would block a scene, and direct his actors in a careful and defined manner. As actors, we would learn our lines and we would learn exactly where we needed to be on stage. Once he was satisfied that we had mastered his initial directions, he would turn us loose a bit to explore the way we were delivering our lines, and even to question the particular blocking we had been assigned.
He believed in the actor’s ability to understand his or her character, and he believed that actors might want to make certain adjustments… up to a point. Therein lay the genius of this director. You see, he knew the following:
- He knew that the initial changes we would make would be based on a deeper understanding of the character we were playing.
- He knew that the harder we worked to perfect our performance, the more risk we would run of becoming bored with it.
- He knew that once we became bored with a performance, we would be susceptible to confusing that sense of boredom with inadequacy.
- He knew that his actors might become bored with the performance, but no audience, seeing it for the first time, would ever be.
As a result, this director had a rule, and that rule had to be strictly followed. Actors were allowed to experiment with a role until they were two weeks away from the first performance. Once we reached that two week mark, we were given the instructions to “lock it down.” Quite simply, that meant that, under no circumstances, were any further changes permitted. I’ll bet that sounds kind of harsh to you, but it was one of the secrets to his success as a director, and a major reason why the performances were so powerful.
Repetition is a best friend to any performer, but repetition can also play tricks on the mind. Like a sinister, unwelcome friend, it can whine, plead, and beg for its unsuspecting victim to listen to its voice of unreason. “If you just add a little here, and change a little there, you can make it even better!” And therein lies the biggest mistake an actor can make when he or she is preparing for a show. It is also the biggest mistake that anyone who presents information can make when preparing for a delivery. Never confuse what may feel stale to you – based on the repetition of that part or presentation, with what appears to others as polish.
One can waste huge amounts of time constantly trying new things in a presentation, because what is really needed is the perfecting of the same moves over and over until it becomes almost muscle memory. This, in turn, frees the mind to perform truly in the moment. Is there a greater gift for someone who has to perform under pressure than the freedom to perform in the moment?
When I consult with any presenter, or when I am working on any presentation I’m going to deliver, I follow the same lessons I learned as an actor. I enjoy the process of creating a presentation, and experimenting with all kinds of nifty little moves. I add and subtract, I tinker here and adjust there, but seven days before a delivery – I lock it down. There are no exceptions to this rule, and no matter how appealing any new shiny object of change may appear, it has no effect on me. That’s because no matter how tempting that change may appear, I want the confidence and the polish of the delivery I experience by locking it down.
When you lock down a presentation and when you give yourself at least a week of no changes, you are giving yourself the chance to polish your words, polish your audiovisuals, polish your timing, and perhaps most importantly, increase your confidence. You might want to continue to daydream about your delivery, but now your daydreams are not littered with the confusion of thinking about adding a little here, or changing a little there.
There’s a time for experimentation, and there’s a time to commit to working on what you have. The next time you have to do anything that requires a performance level of preparation, work your tail off to give yourself the best chance for success, and lock it down one week before that “go time.” I can promise you, the results will be astonishing.
Thanks Rob! I am going to forward this to a bunch of instructors I know!
Glad you are doing that. I wish I had known and practiced this when I was a corporate trainer, but it’s once again a question of instinct versus logic. Instinctively we want to keep adding and picking at a presentation. Logically, we need to lock it down. Thanks for posting Lorri!
Rob,
Thank you for this excellent piece of work. It confirms your ongoing messages that hard work, meticulous preparation, and discipline are the essential elements for achieving our best performances – whether on stage, the interview room, or elsewhere.
Well, you just got a firsthand look at this point, as you were in the audience of a few hundred who saw me speak for about 75 minutes. The presentation you saw was a first for me, and although I had been working on it for a month or so, I locked that puppy down one week before. You hit it right on the head; it takes discipline to trust what you have, commit to your practice and preparation, and then just bring the heat! Always a great post from you Michael.
Well done again Rob! Nice story of systematic preps and repetition to make it natural.
Will be sharing this for sure!
Is that Mika from Finland checking in? “Systematic preps and repetition” and the discipline to go with what you have. It will never be perfect, but it will be a heck of a lot better if you put in the work upfront, and lock it down. Thanks for posting my friend!
Very useful advice for my “second” job of directing a music group and preparing us for performances. Thanks for the tips!
Yep – any performance needs to be locked down. I can promise there will be some pushback and I can also promise you’re going to love those performances. You’ll be in the moment because you won’t be stressing about remembering all the new stuff you added way to late. Great hearing from you Brad!
This bit of advice makes sense and seems very logical. I like it. Thanks.
See my comment to Lorri. Logical yes; instinctive no. For those who need to perform under pressure it’s critical. By the way, I’m not just referring to presentations. Job interviews, client meetings, demonstrations, and so much more benefit from learning the discipline it takes to lock it down. Thanks for the post Victor.
Nailed it, Rob. Great read. I work with a lot of sales professionals, as you know. Most wing it. They’ll practice their PPT once in a while, but usually wing it once the slides are done. This blarticle reminds me of how much we really should be -practicing- our trades instead of winging it. Great job.
Great point Fred. How often do we justify the not-so-fine art of winging it? We justify that lack of preparation by convincing ourselves that, “this isn’t that big of a deal.” I’d like to think that every presentation, or interview we deliver is our very best. For me personally, it’s much easier to get up for a large audience, or a high paying performance, but I block that out and fight for an even bigger cause: pride. Thanks for the post Fred!
Rob…among your numerous talents – I didn’t know you were an accomplished ‘thespian’ – in addition to a great trainer, salesman, BLArticler, sportsman, philosopher, author, T.V. performer, lover….etc., etc.! (I bet you liked that last one…….)
And I couldn’t agree with you more – on this one……..IF…….you have a presentation that’s ‘cast in iron’…..!
…..but what if you’re operating from ‘talking points’….or ‘bullets’….or ‘key words or phrases’…where you have to ‘expound’…or ‘elaborate’….to make your ‘point’…..and that ‘elaboration’…..could change a little – each time you give that presentation! As you know – we do that a lot on T.V. !
‘Food for thought’, Rob……..
John M.
“C.T.”.
Talking points, bullets or key word phrases are the way to go here John. Having been on your show I know you follow a pretty strict process. The talking points we create are our guidelines for the interview and will often go into interesting areas. Your skill as an interviewer allows us to expand or contract the information we provide. However, imagine if your guest decides to leave those talking points because he or she is bored with what they have laid out. You have a process – we follow that process – and your show benefits from it. Let’s hope no presentation is cast in iron, but together we follow a path that allows both of us to be in the moment, and give you a great show. Thanks for the post John!
Hi Rob!
We can absolutely improve performance by practice, proof reading and “locking it in”. I like how you draw a line between spontaneous creativity and creative evolution where the goal is to be constructive. Too much change opens up wider void as opposed to filling the void with key improvements. This reminds me how important discipline is when we are working towards a goal. It’s easy to fall off track when we get carried away but if we can grasp these concepts, improving performance or any process becomes a healthy habit.
I really like this post Rob, thank you!
Sincerely,
Taura
You sure nailed it with this post! I like your view of drawing “a line between spontaneous creativity and creative evolution.” Viva la creativity… but beware. There’s a time to create, and a time to lock it down. If not, that nonstop creativity can get you into some serious trouble. Having delivered seminars for over 30 years now I can tell you the biggest duds I’ve ever delivered were due to confusing continued creativity with boredom. It doesn’t matter if I’m bored. It matters if the audience is bored. Thanks for the great post Taura! (By the way, I don’t get bored with the presentations I deliver!)
Great article again Rob. I am reminded of the time my neighbor asked if I had ghosts for dinner. She saw me at the head of the table in the dining room speaking and making some hand gestures but she didn’t see anyone at the table. I told her actually some of my antique stuffed bears were in the chairs substituting for my audience. I was practicing for an upcoming presentation. I practice thoroughly but then I lock it down so I look professional and don’t lose my place in the middle of the presentation. However, I am always flexible enough to adjust for the audience.
Great article again Rob. I practice thoroughly but then I lock it down so I look professional and don’t lose my place in the middle of a presentation. However, I am always flexible enough to adjust for the audience.
Perfect Phyllis. Watching you work some years ago I saw firsthand your ability to mix locked down segments with spontaneous segments allowing you to adjust what was coming your way. Great hearing from you my friend.
Rob:
My experience suggest that the best “spontaneous” speakers are those who have practiced to the point of comfort where they can truly “be in the moment”. As always, you are spot on.
Agreed. There are truly spontaneous moments in every presenter’s delivery, but I can assure you, when we are opening, closing, and hitting critical segments we are in locked down mode… allowing us to “be in the moment.” Thanks for the post!