Yes you can use notes - Quick and dirty guide to speaker notes using index cards
Barack Obama did it, Martin Luther King did it, and so many other icons of powerful public-speaking have all done it! They have all used speaker notes at one point or another. And yes you can! too. Sure, it takes some skill and overall comfort level in speaking to pull it off seamlessly.
But the deeply consoling truth is that you are not doomed to the abyss of failure and ineffectiveness just because you use notes. And while I agree for the most part that it is easier to connect with your audience when you skip the notes, I still think it is better to use them and cover your material (and rear-end) than to skip them in hubris only to crash and burn.
So in this short post, I provide my quick guide to speaker notes using index cards. Let us begin!
Speaker notes in point-form
These are straightforward directions on how to use notes. First, you will need to organize your presentation into main points and sub-points. Once you are done with that, come back and read on...
All organized? Good. Now you need to do some condensing onto the index cards...
Write a few short and sweet key phrases that remind you of your points and sub-points in large capital lettering on index cards.
Arrange the cards in sequence ahead of time.
Hold these in your hand or place them on a lectern and glance at them briefly as you go through the presentation making sure to use them only as reminders while you focus on your audience as you expand on the key point you wrote down.
Place each card at the bottom of the deck (or to one side on the lectern) as you move on to another point.
Rinse and repeat then put the cards aside and conclude strong with your full focus on the audience.
Presto! You have flowed smoothly and competently through your presentation without losing your connection to your audience.I hope this quick post helps you in preparing for presentations where you cannot afford to skip the notes.
Remember, it is OK to use speaker notes when you have crucial content to cover and have not been given enough time to internalize it. This does happen. I have had to create a presentation just 15 minutes before presenting! In cases like this, most speakers would benefit from outlining their points and using speaker notes.
But when you do have time, be sure to use the tips here to memorize your speech easily.
Until the next post, speak with skill!
