08/28/2026
A little behind the scenes after hosting a cybersecurity tech webinar for a client.
Years ago, Efrem , one of the top 4 reporter-producers I’ve ever worked with, taught me something about preparing for a presentation that has stuck with me:
Keep working with the script until it becomes your own.
Whenever I’m preparing to present or deliver a message, I don’t just read the script. I say it out loud.
Something can look great on the page and sound completely different when you actually say it.
So I rehearse. I rewrite. I keep working with the material until it sounds like me.
And sometimes I’m still thinking through the script when I’m not even looking at it.
In the shower.
Getting a haircut.
At lunch.
On a walk.
Especially when I’m preparing for something live, I want to know the material well enough that I’m not thinking about the next line.
I’m thinking about the idea and the person watching.
What do they need to understand? What language will feel familiar to them?
The goal isn’t to memorize the script.
It’s to make it your own.
Because the best delivery doesn’t sound like you’re reading.
It sounds like you’re talking to someone.
And I think that’s true of a lot of things we want to get better at.
Don’t just do the thing. Pay attention to your process.
There’s usually something you can learn, adjust, and improve the next time.
Watch by Original Grain ⌚️
