Importance of Deliberate Practice
- Mar 16
- 3 min read
Introduction: How to Become a Better Presenter: The Science of Deliberate Practice
Most of us have sat through a presentation and thought, I could never do that. Or worse — we've stood at the front of a room and felt that thought ourselves. But what if the gap between where you are and where you want to be isn't a matter of talent? What if it's simply a matter of practice — the right kind of practice?
That's the central argument Scott Allen, professor at John Carroll University, made in his session at Present to Succeed 2022. Drawing on the work of psychologist Anders Ericsson and his landmark book Peak, Scott laid out a compelling framework for how anyone — yes, anyone — can build genuine expertise in presentation skills.
What Actually Separates Experts from Novices
Scott introduced a simple but powerful model he calls Know, See, Plan, Do — the four things that distinguish an expert from a beginner in any domain.
Know: Experts have deep domain knowledge. A skilled slide designer doesn't just know what looks good — they understand theory, aesthetics, and the full toolkit available to them.
See: Experts can quickly diagnose a situation. A surgeon reads a blood test and sees a story. A chess grandmaster looks at the board and sees constellations of pieces, not individual moves. An expert presenter watches someone speak and immediately spots what's working and what isn't.
Plan: Because experts can see options, they can map a path forward almost instantly. They don't freeze — they choose.
Do: And here's the catch. Understanding the first three doesn't mean you can perform. There's a real chasm between knowing you shouldn't use filler words and actually eliminating them under pressure.
That gap — between knowing and doing — is where deliberate practice lives.
The Four Ingredients of Deliberate Practice
Ericsson's research (which Malcolm Gladwell famously — and somewhat loosely — summarised as the "10,000-hour rule") identifies four key ingredients that actually drive skill development:
Time — World-class musicians practise three to four hours a day for decades. There's no shortcut here.
Repetition — Not just showing up, but actively working the skill. Surgeons start with gallbladders. Presenters start with small rooms. You build up.
Real-time coaching and feedback — This is where most of us fall short. The chief executive steps off stage, and everyone says it was brilliant. Nobody grows from that. You need honest, unfiltered feedback from someone who genuinely knows the domain.
Working at the edge of your current ability — Constantly stretching. Not just doing what you're comfortable with, but pushing into uncomfortable territory, every time.
As Scott put it: most organisations have plenty of time and repetition when it comes to presentations. It's the last two ingredients that are almost universally missing.
Why Mindset Is the Foundation
Underpinning all of this is the work of Carol Dweck, whose book Mindset Scott also recommends. The difference between a fixed mindset ("I'm just not a good presenter") and a growth mindset ("I'm not there yet") isn't just psychological — it's practical. It determines whether someone engages with feedback, pushes through difficulty, and ultimately improves.
Scott shared a personal story about his own identity shift — going from a self-described underperformer at school to competing at the Junior Olympic National Championships in diving — not because his talent was extraordinary, but because the right coach entered his life at the right moment and helped him believe something different about himself.
That's the real work: building confidence, shifting mindset, changing identity, and adding skills — one deliberate repetition at a time.
Final Thoughts: Your Growth Is a Choice
If you work with presenters — or if you are a presenter trying to improve — the message is straightforward: time and repetition alone won't get you there. What accelerates growth is honest feedback and the willingness to work at the edge of what you can currently do.
Find your coach. Read Peak. And remember: you're not there yet. But you can be.
Join the Conversation
Who was the coach, mentor, or honest critic who gave you a piece of feedback that genuinely changed how you present — and what did they say?
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