Do you have problems with stage fright, nervousness, or fear in your veins when you try to speak? With proper preparation, you can make it through a speech unscathed. What is the best form of preparation though? Memorizing your entire speech? Merely the key points? Or to go in only to speak what is on your heart at the moment? We’ll review them together and let you decide for yourself what the best memorization practices before a speech are.
Memorizing the entire speech
You want to make sure that that the most important factor when giving a speech is to effectively reach your audience. If they are not feeling the point you are trying to make, what’s the use of giving the speech at all? Often times when you memorize your entire speech, as you would flash cards for a history test, you will come across to the audience as though you are monotonously reading a script. Give your audience emotion and depth.
Another negative aspect of simply memorizing your speech word for word is the high possibility of failure under pressure. What does failure under pressure mean for you
Focus on the specific points
Memorizing the specific points you would like to present to the audience throughout your speech is a definite yes. There are a million ways a point or concept can be expressed to your audience. Getting the point across is your main objective in presenting your speech. Often times presenters find it helpful to memorize the opening line which leads into each point. Once they are started on the opening sentence, the rest of the message flows from their mouth with ease.
Use index cards, or a note card, to list your key points to reference during your presentation. You may also add small quotes or a note of a story you would like to share pertaining to each point. Prepare easily read notecards. Would you want to listen to, the speaker who has their nose in their cards trying to read their own
Not memorizing anything at all
Have you noticed there are some individuals that can give a beautiful presentation completely impromptu? This is when you are given a subject, argument, or theory and immediately give a compelling speech about it. These people are very few and far between, and even they can significantly enhance their presentation with a little preparation. Take full advantage of preparation time.
When you give a speech, you are planting a seed in the minds of your audience. Consider some of the most interesting Ted Talks. One that I find compelling is a Ted Talk given by Sir Ken Robinson. You cannot just throw a packet of seeds out into the crowd and expect it to grow. You must carefully plant the seeds, water them, let the sunshine hit them. Only then will your speech beautifully blossom in the minds of your audience.
Your speech is so much more than simply the words spoken. Remember that your audience will reflect on your body language, the tone of your voice, and your facial expressions blended with your words to receive the message you are presenting. Don’t memorize your speech word for word, you should practice giving your speech frequently enough that you can naturally present it in a similar context every time. Practice your speech over and over, and then practice it again. Furthermore, Practice how you will pace the floor, the hand movements you may make, the key moments when you pause and look directly into the eyes of your audience.
Practice, not memorization, is what turns public speaking into a