If you are like most of us, the last time that you had to memorize anything was likely a terrible poem of some kind in about 5th grade. But these days, presentations and talks need to be slick, to the point and delivered with confidence if you want to get noticed for your work. And, I’ve got news for you, reading from your slide deck, is not a great look. So, it’s time to get serious about memorizing.
1. Write Out Your Talk
Put it down on paper. For some folks, bullet points are enough, but if you get nervous speaking in front of others, I highly recommend that you write out every word.
2. Divide Your Talk Into Sections or Beats
A section is a portion of your talk that is addressing all the same chunk of material. It could be an introduction, analysis of a particular data set, or recommendations, for instance. A Beat is a small idea within the Section. Each Section will have a number of Beats.
3. Get Out The 3×5 Cards
Yes, those old trusty note cards that some of us who are old millennials used in high school to study for our AP test…they are your BFF for memorizing. With a whole variety of colors of pens at your disposal, start writing. Each section gets a color of pen and each beat gets its own card. Don’t forget to number your cards as you go so that, in the unfortunate event that you drop your stack, you can get them back in order.
4. Practice Practice Practice
Now, you start going through your speech or preso, one card at a time. Give yourself time, memorizing doesn’t happen instantly. Go through each section, look at the card, read the words, say them out loud, cover them, say them aloud…ask yourself, “what would make sense for me to say next?” Look at the next card, read the words, etc. Repeat! The transitions between Sections will likely be the hardest part to memorize, so give yourself extra time to work those transitions!
5. Move It, Move It
Once you have it down, start to say it to yourself while you run on the treadmill, ride on your bike, swim laps in the pool. If you can get the words to connect to your mind while your body is moving, they are more likely to be there when the pressure is on in the room!
6. Use a Friend or Dog
Before the big day, you MUST say this talk or presentation aloud to another living creature. A person is ideal, but if you need to a dog will work in a pinch. Practice saying it the way you would in the room-a good slow pace, expressive voice. (Click here if you want to learn more about the “how-to” of expressive voice)
Congratulations! You have memorized your talk! Now those slides are there to support your fantastic storytelling and compelling communication, not for you to bore everyone by just reading what’s right in front of them.