Michael Port

And as a result, I was stiff.

And I think that they're right.

because they did a little bit of rehearsal.

If you do a little bit of rehearsal, then what happens while you're giving the speech is you are trying to recall what you did in the rehearsal.

rather than be in the moment when you're giving the presentation.

In order to be spontaneous, to really be improvisational, rather than winging it, those are very different things.

You need to be so prepared that you know your material cold.

You could do it backwards.

You don't need a slide to tell you what's coming next.

You know it so well that you can essentially forget it when you walk on stage so that it comes back to you organically in the moment and you're much more connected to your audience.

That's the highest level type of performance.

Absolutely right.

And if you are well rehearsed, then you actually come off as more authentic rather than less authentic.

It's what an actor does.

The best actors in the world are the most authentic actors in the world because they bring every bit of their heart and soul and imagination to that performance.

And when they are, say, in an intense emotional state, if they're crying or wailing or fighting, they are really feeling those things.

They're not...

trying to trick you into think that they're crying or something.

They really feel those things.

Now, of course, they know they're not in World War II.