I vividly recall the first story I presented in front of a live audience outside of my family twenty years ago. These individuals didn’t immediately love me just because they knew my mother—they had paid to be there. I wanted to vomit because I was so anxious. My biggest phobia keeping the words in mind I only had one objective in mind. to overcome it. I read through that account quite quickly. I’m almost certain I didn’t breathe until I was through. The audience respectfully applauded, but I’m not sure they comprehended a single word. I vowed never to repeat that mistake.
I breached my vow after twenty years and tens of thousands of talks and performances. I did it once more. once more. once more. I no longer even recognize the person I was when I initially started twenty years ago. But I do recall how she must have felt. I wish I could go back in time and counsel her. But I am unable. I will instead offer it to you, the one who was there when I was twenty years ago.
People assume that all of my talent is natural. Those folks are mistaken. What you perceive as talent is actually the result of hard work and a few tricks. I’ll reveal those secrets today, in particular, how to recall the words. You can actually have more fun delivering it once you can recall the lines and feel at ease with your script.
Let’s begin by genuinely examining WHY that presentation is so difficult to recall.
The main reason why the majority of people find it difficult to memorize a presentation is that they didn’t write it to be memorized. It has been written to be read.
Make Your Presentation Simple To Memorize
Writing a speech in a way that makes it simple to memorize is the best technique to assist yourself in doing so. Consequently, a lot of these memory tricks are truly speech writing-related.
Instead of writing as you read, write like you talk.
When we returned to school after the summer break, do you remember how the teacher made us write about what we did? She was just told to take a piece of paper and start writing till the allotted time had passed. It makes sense why so many adults struggle to write presentations. Because of our structural struggles, the final product is something that should be read, not uttered.
Speeches don’t resemble the articles we read aloud. Despite the fact that we are the only ones chatting, it feels like we are talking to a group of people. Hopefully. Write your presentation in the same conversational tone that you would use when speaking.
Write Like THEY SPEAK
My husband’s father was an enthusiastic Scrabble player. They were fed a diet of three-syllable vocabulary terms by his mother. The word should be as vague as possible. This makes my husband sound incredibly intelligent, but it also makes him feel out of place in many situations because the words he uses aren’t ones that other people use frequently. His listeners are having trouble following his conversation because some of the words are causing them mental confusion.
The quickest route to the humor is preferred in comedic situations. simple words The journey there is brief. identical in your presentation. Even if they comprehend the meaning of the phrases, your audience will become weary if you download it with a ton of verbose terms.
Not sounding smarter than everyone in the room is not the goal. It’s your responsibility to convince them of your position and to act accordingly. A triple word score containing the letter “Z” is not worth any points.
Exercise While Writing
I used to create speeches and stories without ever speaking. (Yes, there are occasions when I am truly silent.) I began practicing it aloud when I had finished composing it. It felt unreal and was really difficult to memorize. I created it. It didn’t feel like me, though. Why? Because I don’t speak in that manner. The problem was how I wrote. In order for every sentence to feel natural and true to me, I ultimately had to rework it. I ultimately chose to practice WHILE I wrote in order to save time. Yep. I altered my procedure.
These days, I practice reading each line of a story or presentation aloud as I write it. I alter it if it sounds artificial, forced, or not at all like myself. On sometimes, I can even come up with a more effective phrase.
Very cool side note: You’re memorizing the presentation as you go along!
Have a framework
I always plan out the framework of a story or presentation before I write it. I give it a rough outline that corresponds to how my story or argument develops.
Your presentation’s outline is presented first.
Check out my Story Camp or one of my Power UP Workshops if you want to learn more about my story formula or the structure of a presentation. The URL of my live event page is as follows: Live Event Workshops & Camps with Kelly Swanson
Use more narrative
Stories are simpler to convey and recall than lists of facts or bullet points (assuming they are well-structured). Stories can also persuade on an emotional level in a manner that data cannot since they are amusing, compelling, and emotional. Facts reveal. Stories are valuable.
Refuse to make a presentation that is loaded with information that is difficult to recall. Send that home with them as a handout instead. Instead of trying to teach, a presentation aims to convince. If you’re a teacher, a lecture or a breakout session would be more appropriate.
You already know that my primary area of expertise is storytelling. If you ever need assistance writing corporate stories, you know where to find me.
Script The Key Ideas
Just the most crucial sections of your presentation should be scripted, not every single one. I have my stories and main ideas remembered when I give a speech, but the rest is just sort of memorized. In other words, rather than having a staged moment, I talk about it.
Line by line, memorize it
I am frequently questioned on memory techniques. The response? a line at a time. verb for verb. phrase by phrase. Repeat the first statement until it is committed to memory. As you rehearse, pay attention to the words to help you create a mental picture of the speech.
Exercise High Speech
I learned this important skill from professional speaker Linda Larsen, who also has experience in acting. Memorize the narrative or presentation as quickly as you can. This is a method used by actors to memorize lines. Additionally, it excels at presentations. My favorite.
Practice Order Outside Of
It’s quite difficult to remember a long list of terms. It’s far simpler to learn the presentation’s “scenes” and practice them out of order so you may switch between them whenever you practice.
All of my presentations are written in five-minute chunks. I find it lot simpler to memorize and maintain my place in the lecture thanks to these sections.
Learn to use the outline
I’ll practice not just giving the presentation but also reciting its main points, outline, and line-by-line development of my argument. Without the need for PowerPoint slides as cues, this helps me maintain my concentration on stage.
Apply Notes
There is no absolute prohibition on using notes. Unless it’s a brand-new article, in which case I frequently just print out the outline, I rarely utilize notes. Don’t read your notes if you use them. Make sure everything flows naturally when you get on stage by practicing with your notes. On occasion, I’ll carry a black music stand, and my notes are written in a pretty large type into a black binder. If someone does spot me turning the pages, they don’t really seem to care.
The secret to being ready is practice. But even the best of us make mistakes from time to time. Own your mistakes and enjoy the experience. The audience understands that you are a human, and occasionally, acknowledging that you have lost track of where you are will win them over.
Do you require further assistance? Enroll in StoryImpactAcademy.com today!