In my first post, I highlighted the following three phases to practicing a particular sleight with cards:

First Phase: Perform the sleight whilst looking at your hands, without talking.
Second Phase: Perform the sleight without looking at your hands, without talking.
Third Phase: Perform the sleight without looking at your hands, whilst pattering at the same time.

OK, so we've progressed to the third phase: being able to perform a sleight without looking at the hands, whilst talking at the same time.

One of the most common problems I see in most amateur performances is a noticable pause before a sleight ('get ready' adjustments). The following exercise phases are designed to help your sleights flow and to eliminate any tell-tale pauses.

The next two phases compromise the following:

Fourth Phase: 'getting into' the sleight;

Fourth phase example, the Elmsley Count. Instead of performing this from the standard dealing position try the following: Start with the packet face-up in dealing position. Turn the packet face down and go straight into the Elmsley count. Repeat with a face-down packet going into a face-up count.

Second example: Instead of palming from the dealing position try the following:
Table the deck face down. Pick up the deck, palm, and re-table the deck. Exercise two: table the deck face-up, pick up the deck into a face-down dealing position and palm. Re-table the deck face-up.

Fifth Phase: 'getting out of' the sleight:

The fifth phase: Using one of the above exercises, palm a card. Make an explanatory gesture with your deck-hand (letting the other hand drop naturally to your side). Bring the hands back together and ribbon-spread the deck, adding the palmed card. Perform a turn-over of the spread.

A similar exercise can be developed for your favourite add-on move. Lay a few cards out on the table, perform your preferred add-on move (Brause, Ose, etc.), re-table the cards (vary tabling them as a face-up packet and as a face-down packet).

I like it!