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Before Breakfast

Practice 8 times as much

17 Apr 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?

0.031 - 4.056 Laura Vanderkam

This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human.

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4.076 - 20.237 Michael Easter

2%. That's the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter. And on my podcast, 2%, I break down the science of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange modern world.

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20.257 - 27.726 Unknown

Put yourself through some hardships and you will come out on the other side a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person.

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28.06 - 41.956 Michael Easter

Listen to 2%. That's T-W-O percent on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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41.976 - 71.967 Laura Vanderkam

Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's tip is to remember the 8x rule. You can become known as an excellent speaker simply by spending more time preparing than most people do. Today's tip is from my recent Before Breakfast interview with Bill McGowan.

72.969 - 96.415 Laura Vanderkam

Bill is an award-winning journalist who now coaches people on giving memorable presentations. In our discussion, he mentioned that as a general rule of thumb, you should spend eight times as much time preparing for a presentation as you will be talking. So if you are giving a five-minute welcome to a group, spend 40 minutes practicing.

97.577 - 120.076 Laura Vanderkam

If you are giving an hour-long keynote, spend eight hours practicing. Now, it is possible that for a really big presentation, let's say you're giving a TED Talk on the main TED stage, my guess is that you'd spend more time than that preparing. But for your average talk, people don't spend anywhere near that amount of time preparing.

121.298 - 145.227 Laura Vanderkam

If someone is asked to give a toast at a colleague's farewell luncheon, my guess is they spend nowhere near eight times the amount of airtime practicing that toast. That 15-minute presentation to your team about the new review process? Also, nowhere near two hours spent practicing for that. And you know what? It probably shows.

145.747 - 167.156 Laura Vanderkam

We sometimes have this idea that some people are excellent speakers or even natural public speakers, and some are not. And maybe some people are more inclined that way than others. But the biggest difference between people who seem to be good at speaking and those who aren't is how much time the good speakers spend preparing and practicing.

Chapter 2: What is the 8x rule for preparing presentations?

304.634 - 315.31 Laura Vanderkam

Before Breakfast is a production of iHeart Media. For more podcasts from iHeart Media, please visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

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325.297 - 340.476 Michael Easter

2%. That's the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter. And on my podcast, 2%, I break down the science of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange modern world.

0

340.496 - 347.946 Unknown

Put yourself through some hardships and you will come out on the other side a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person.

0

348.331 - 356.333 Michael Easter

Listen to 2%, that's T-W-O percent, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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359.418 - 379.783 Sam Jay and Alex English

On the Look Back At It podcast. 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year.

379.803 - 393.036 Sam Jay and Alex English

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to Look Back At It on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human.

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