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By: Bob Sommers

You've written a great acceptance speech. The audience is going to love it. You're ready to knock it out of the park. Or are you?

The biggest and perhaps most avoidable mistake people make giving a thank-you speech happens before they even get to the banquet hall. They don't practice properly. They think that once they've written out their speech, all they have to do is go over it in their head a couple of times.

While that is a good start, if you really want to deliver a fantastic thank-you speech that people will respond to and remember, you need to put in adequate practice time.

Think about an actor in a stage play. They spend hours upon hours practicing and rehearsing to get their part just right. They can't wing it and expect to be well received. The good news for you is that a great thank-you speech doesn't require a ton of practice, but it does require some practice.

Here are seven easy ways to rehearse a great acceptance speech:

1. Do it out loud.
Practicing your speech in your head as you read through it might help you remember key parts better, but if you really want to rehearse in a meaningful way, you have to practice out loud.

Pay special attention to your opening because the audience will place a lot of weight and importance to the first few sentences out of your mouth.

Psychologists call this Primacy Effect and you want to make a great impression on your listeners from word one. Say it out loud in the shower, on your commute to work, while you're working out. The more the better.

2. Forget the mirror.
Unless you're incredibly good looking, please don't practice your speech in front of a mirror. First, it incorrectly puts the focus on you instead of your audience. Plus, it doesn't simulate the actual speaking experience. You need to get comfortable with a lot of space in front of you.

3. Tape yourself.
Preferably on video, but audio is good, too. If you want to see how you come across during the speech, put yourself in the shoes of the audience and ask yourself these questions.

Do I seem genuinely happy to receive this award? Am I smiling? Am I staring at my notes? Am I delivering parts of my speech to all corners of the room? Am I standing confidently or am I fidgeting?

4. Case the joint.
Go to the venue ahead of time and practice your speech from the stage or podium where you'll be standing. Picture the audience in front of you. Visualize yourself knocking it out of the park.

This is a short speech and it's one of your best opportunities to give the speech of your life. If you can't visit the site of the awards ceremony prior to the event, then be sure to arrive very early to do a dress rehearsal before everyone else arrives.

5. Get feedback.
Try to practice in front of someone who knows you well and get honest feedback from him or her. There are two ways to get good feedback from someone who isn't a speech coach.

One way is to ask for "2 & 2" in which you invite the person to give you two things they liked about your speech and two things you could change to make it better.

The other way is assign them specific things to focus on like: eye contact, gestures (or lack thereof), a balanced stance, proper volume, voice inflection, speed, and lastly any distracting habits. Then, they can give you directional feedback that you can actually use to make your speech better.

6. Talk to Sparky.
If you can't practice in front of another person or you choose not to, enlist the help of your favorite pet. Oftentimes you will find that dogs, cats, and even fish can be very forgiving when it comes to speeches. But at least you re-create the feeling of speaking in front of a live audience.

7. Picture success.
For years researchers have do***ented the benefits of visualization. To visualize success, spend a few minutes picturing yourself giving a dynamite speech. Imagine the audience listening intently on the edge of their seats and see yourself doing everything right. First, think it in your mind, then do it in real life.

Remember, people are rarely good at something the first time they try it. If it's worth doing well, it's worth practicing well. You will be better for it. Your audience will notice. And best of all, you and your audience will remember your talk fondly for a long, long time.

Learn how to write an acceptance speech in less than 60 minutes or get one-on-one personal help from a St. Louis Presentation Skills Training expert.

Tags: Business/Communication/Presentation acceptance speech presentation skills

7 Simple Ways To Rehearse Your Acceptance Speech