"Should You Rehearse in Front of a Mirror?" Nick Morgan.
https://publicwords.com/2020/02/11/should-you-rehearse-in-front-of-a-mirror/
I don't know about you but I have practiced some of my toastmaster speeches in front of a mirror and then I saw this article. Yikes! Was I doing it wrong? Nick Morgan's premise is a good one. Practicing in front of mirror signals that you might be thinking your speech is all about you when it should be about the audience. He cited a study that found if you stop looking in the mirror for two weeks your self-esteem will increase and social anxiety decreases. What he deduced from the study was that practicing in front of a mirror can increase self-consciousness and anxiety. This is not something you want to increase before a speech! Morgan suggests rehearsing in front of friends or your mobile phone set to record. Then watching the video, you can act as the perfect audience and see how your message and gestures are received. Not a bad article and a good reminder that it is all about the audience not you.
Key Quote: "Eschew the mirror[S1] . Focus on the audience, real or imagined. Better to practice in front of an intelligent ferret than to talk while looking at yourself!"
