Presentation - with and without rehearsal

I failed to note the source but I read recently how some directors - Woody Allen, among them - feel that they get better performances from their actors if they shoot movie scenes without rehearsal.

This called to mind a church lector who felt he read the biblical passage with more energy if he didn't review it beforehand.

It also reminds me of Lowell Thomas - writer, world traveler and broadcaster - who died 30 years ago. Thomas almost never read his news copy before going on air and consequently found himself, for example, refering to Hershey employees as "the folks who make chocolate bars, with and without nuts." Often such a gaffe would send him into a fit of laughter but, since he was Lowell Thomas, it didn't get him fired.

For the rest of us, however, it's essential to rehearse our presentations - out loud - until we're comfortable with them.