Step 5. Perform, Refine, Repeat

Since I always want to create a presentation that is customized to that particular audience, I tend to always be creating new presentations. There is a downside to this: If every presentation is new, then you don’t have a chance to get really good at giving it. Try to recycle presentations or parts of presentations so that you can get really polished at delivering a particular story or discussing a particular topic. Every time you give a presentation, make note of what worked—and what didn’t—and refine the content and the media you used. The more you practice a section, the better it gets. Ask any actor or comedian: Performing new material all the time is nerve-racking and stressful. The more you can reuse the material, the better it and you will be.