How to Memorize and Present in Public Powerfully and Effectively.

At some point most people will be asked to speak in public, whether it’s a wedding toast, funeral eulogy, or for business. Then there are those of us who actively seek out opportunities to speak for the purpose of communicating a message that we feel needs to be heard or that is necessary for our livelihood.

As a hypnotherapist and success performance coach, I’ve worked successfully with presenters to help them deliver their message much more powerfully and effectively. One such person is Libbe Halevy. (Libbe has graciously given me her permission to use her story and feature her video presentation.)

Libbe HaLevy is a Communications and Creativity expert, and dedicated anti-nuclear activist. She recently had the opportunity to speak at the recent TEDxPasadena conference. TEDx is a locally organized event licensed by TED that brings people together to share a TED-like experience. TED stands for Technology, Education and Development and is an internationally renowned platform for “Ideas Worth Spreading.” (Although Ms. HaLevy had a Ted hypnotherapy experience, neither TED nor TEDx is associated with Ted A. Moreno–aka, me.)

Libbe came to me with the goal of giving a top notch professional presentation that was dynamic, interesting and informative. She had compelling information, the speech was well written and she is an experience public speaker.  However, she needed to have the nearly 20-minute speech completely memorized, could not use notes, and had to deliver it within an allotted time frame. I worked with Libbe for one session. Watch the video to see the results.

One of the qualities of a top notch presenter is the ability to speak without notes. Memorization can be a daunting task to many, but it gets easier with practice. Here are some tips:

• Give yourself plenty of time to prepare and practice. More practice and time is required to present for 20 minutes than to present for an hour, when you can use an outline to help you remember.
• Read your speech or presentation out loud a number of times before you start to memorize it. If you wrote it, you will immediately find words and phrases that need to be revised because they create speech that is awkward or clumsy or difficult to negotiate.
• Try to divide your talk into paragraphs or sections. It will be easier to memorize if you take it piece by piece.
• Begin to memorize line by line out loud. You will find that you might be able to memorize two lines at a time, or a paragraph or perhaps just one line if it is complex. Memorize in bits or chunks that seem intuitive to you.
• Get partially comfortable with the first chunk then move on and add the next chunk. The idea is to get the first section, or paragraph into your memory so that you can say it without reading it, and glancing only occasionally for reminders.
• Move onto the next section by starting with the line of the last section you memorized, then moving on to the first line of the next section. Practice seguing from the last line of the last section to the next section you want to memorize, creating a link that will help you remember the next section.
• Continue to practice from the beginning to the end of your talk. If there is a section that is giving you difficulty, practice that alone, but as soon as possible, incorporate it into practicing the whole body of the talk.
• Practice, practice practice. Driving is a great time to practice. Taking a shower too. Practice in front of someone you trust for feedback. By the time you present, the more times you have practiced, the better you will be.

To read more Ted’s Tips about public speaking, click here.

If you need confidence, belief or anxiety reduction to give a speech or presentation, I can help you. You can learn to be a better public speaker, whatever your level of proficiency. Click here to contact me.

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Your companion on the path to Transformation,

Ted (TMan) Moreno