How To Remember Your Speech Without Reading A Script
Many people’s greatest fear is standing up to speak…and suddenly realizing they can’t remember anything.
This fear can make people wake up in a cold sweat. It’s no wonder that most people use copious notes to refer to when speaking. Unfortunately, this makes you look down instead of out at your audience, forcing an immediate loss of confidence and presence.
The great news is you don’t need a script.
Presenting without reading off notecards or slides isn’t impossible, and you don’t have to worry about memorizing your entire speech word-for-word. You simply have to make sure you’re creating and practicing content in a memorable way.
You need to speak the way your brain is born to think. Thankfully this is the same way that people are born to listen. It’s a win-win.
Using our experience of coaching clients for 20 years, my team at Body Talk have developed a few simple tips to help you succeed. Here are a few things to keep in mind to make sure you aren’t hiding behind paper the next time you have an important message to share.
1. Write it in a way that is memorable for you and the audience.
Create a story, not a list — a journey from start to finish.
You can start with your background. Imagine if someone said, “Who are you and why should I listen to you?” You would most likely tell them a very simplified story of events that led you to speak in this meeting — your personal history, significant events at your company or critical details that have happened in the past few weeks. This will give everyone context and establish what Aristotle called ‘ethos’.
Thousands of years ago Aristotle explained that before anyone will listen to you they need to trust you. You can build this trust and get into an easy flow in a meeting by telling the story of events that led you to speak. This will establish your credibility and set the scene for everything you say next.
Practice answering this question with a friendly anecdote you might give to a friend who really wants to get to know you — then apply your answers to your presentation.
The next stage to remember is that great stories have three acts.
We love the rule of three when it comes to storytelling. It’s easy to remember and to follow. So, whatever you’re speaking about, break it into three sections. You might have 20 things you need to talk about, but if you divide them up into three key sections, then you’ll always know where you are in your presentation, and your audience will feel like they’re taking a journey with you.
2. Practice in a way that creates muscle memory.
Physical memory is much more powerful than mental memory alone.
Think about the last time you saw a play. Did you think at all about how many lines those actors had to remember? It’s pages and pages of dialogue — and they keep it all in order in part because of muscle memory.
When I was studying acting, I had to physically move my body and voice in rehearsal exactly the same way as I would for an actual performance. Actors don’t plot out what they’ll do at the first show and then wait until the day to actually do it. They stand up and run through their performance physically the way they want it to go.
This ingrains it in their bodies so keenly that when the time comes, it’s entirely natural to step stage right and deliver the opening line to their monologue. The story is embodied.
So, if you’ve got something important to say, stand up, wear the clothes you’ll be wearing on the day, and physically do it out loud. Then, when the big moment arrives, your clothes and stance will feel familiar. You’ll have physical cues to remind you, and your mind will say, “oh yes, I’ve been here before. I know what to do.”
3. Create Trigger Notes
Even for things I’ve been delivering for years, I keep a few simple keywords or phrases nearby in case I need them, because I know that everything that can go wrong, eventually will. This safety net allows you the freedom to perform at your best, knowing that you have a back-up to jog your memory if need be.
It’s important to remember that even when you have notes, they’re really only a few trigger words, not the full script.
Break down the different parts of your speech into a few key ideas you can focus on. Write down key words that are connected to each major point. That way you’ll be able to find your place and keep going if anything happens to stop your momentum.
By only using trigger words your mind doesn’t obsess over every single thing you planned to say or get tripped up when it’s missed something small. Instead, you’re focused on the key message you’re delivering.
And that key message, at the end of the day, is the only thing that matters because it’s going to deliver your goal to the audience. It can be really easy to obsess over details and minutia when we’re afraid of the spotlight. But really, it’s achieving that big picture that’s important.
