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"Although there are significant differences between giving a business presentation and performing as an actor, there is one huge similarity: rehearsal is the key to success. While this might seem obvious to you now, it's easy to put off rehearsal as more immediate concerns demand your attention. But you simply can't expect to give a powerhouse presentation when you haven't rehearsed sufficiently. So, let's consider smart lessons learned from an acting workshop and how to adapt these to create a concrete process for rehearsing your next presentation, sales pitch or speech."

"George Takei knows how to tell a great story. In this case, a true story of his life. The famed Star Trek actor, activist, and social media star was in town recently to give a remarkable talk as part of a very special TEDxKyoto event. I was invited to watch the rehearsal just before the live event, so I arrived early and grabbed a front row seat. George did not give a speech in the traditional sense. There was no lectern, no notes, no teleprompter. George obviously was reciting the speech from memory-his live version was exactly the same as in the rehearsal-but the speech did not seem memorized. That is, when I was listening I was not aware that he was giving a speech or a prepared talk, I was just lost in the narrative flow of his story."

"Fontbonne speech-language pathology student Andrea Darveau, right, and Jennifer Schnitzler, 16, of Shiloh, Ill., second from right, wait for Schnitzler's cue as they listen to Tahlia Lowe, second from left, deliver her lines during dress rehearsal for the play "The Pirates of Punxsutawney," the culmination of the Augmentative and Alternative Communication Theater Camp on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013, in St. Louis. Participants either can't or struggle to talk, so they use language programs on computers to talk for them. Their siblings and family may also participate in the play."

"I'm a fan of the writing workshop. That means I also write with my students, and I allow plenty of time for students to conference with me and with each other. I also provide models of what good writing looks like -- and lots of them. Here's what the classroom writing process looks like: Brainstorming (Think About It) Drafting (Getting It Down) Revising (Making It Better) Editing (Making It Right) Publishing (Sharing It!) At the beginning of the writing process, I have had students write silently. For it to be successful, in my experience, students need plenty of topics handy (self-generated, or a list of topics, questions, and prompts provided). Silent writing is a wonderful, focused activity for the brainstorming and drafting stage of the writing process. I also think it's important that the teacher write during this time, as well (model, model, model). However, when it comes to revising, and later, editing, I think peer interaction is necessary. Students need to, for example, "rehearse" words, phrases, introductions, and thesis statements with each other during the revision stage."