Principle #9 states that “Everyone knows that it’s essential to rehearse, but not everyone knows how to rehearse what’s essential.”

Is rehearsing the physiological reactions to presenter’s stress essential?

From the Core Daily blog:

No matter how hard you try mentally, it’s difficult to simulate a heightened nervous condition. “It’s not enough to say, ‘Okay, there are two guys on base,’” Afremow says. “You need to get your heartrate up. I challenge them to do some intense cardio for a minute. You recreate that feeling of flight/fight and then practice. That way, you learn that body response.”

Afremow says this applies even to public speaking. Instead of just practicing a speech in front of a mirror, do a minute of cardio and then deliver the speech. That way you practice under the raised heart rate you’re likely to have the day of the speech.

(via Joyful Public Speaking via Olivia Mitchell’s twitter post.)