Notes, Cue Cards, Or What?
Earlier we told you that you really need to have a full written copy of your entire speech. This is not so you can bring it to the stage with you and just read from it. This is mainly because that way you can see the structure and make changes as needed. But a full written copy also makes rehearsing it much easier. Ideally, the best way to give a speech is by memorizing it and then allowing your personality to shine through during delivery. So that’s the ideal way to do it. However, human beings can make mistakes and there’s nothing worse than being in the middle of a speech and forgetting what part comes next! Professional speakers have honed the art of ad-lib, but you probably won’t have that knack developed yet. If you do decide to give your speech from memorization, be sure you know it backwards and forwards. Practice while brushing your teeth, practice while driving to work, heck, even practice while taking a shower! You have to know this speech inside and out – every comma, quotation mark, and period. Involve the help of a friend or member of your family and rehearse in front of them. Stand in the mirror and rehearse with yourself! Take caution here, though. When you have your speech completely memorized, it’s easy to slip into a rote delivery – one with absolutely no punch at all. It’s almost the same as standing at that podium and reading the speech. Memorization can be difficult, however, and very risky as we’ve said. So, there are a couple of other techniques that can help you along the way. My favorite has always been note cards. You know those little 3 x 5 or 4 x 6 white cards with dark blue lines that you can get at almost any store? Yeah, those! I buy them by the carton because I use them for so many things, but for speeches, they’re great also. Note cards are not a crutch – they’re a way to help keep you on track and know what the next part of your speech is going to be. So, if you’re going to be using note cards, DO NOT write your whole speech on them. Just write the main ideas along with a few words to remind you of what you’re going to say about those ideas. Your notes should consist of the keywords or points of your speech - a skeleton of thoughts or words around which you can build your speech. You may refer to your notes occasionally to maintain the thread of your speech, while for the most part of you will be able to speak directly to the audience. Here’s a valuable piece of advice as well: when you make your note cards, always make two copies! I remember an episode of “the Brady Bunch” where Mike Brady was to give a big speech and he couldn’t find his note cards. This caused chaos in the family until they were finally found and all was well (typical Brady Bunch episode!). If Mike had just made a second copy of those cards, such drama wouldn’t have happened, but the show would have been awfully short too! At any rate, make yourself an extra copy – better to be safe than sorry! Oh, and keep those two sets in separate places! Maybe keeping one set at the office and one set at home would work for you. However you need to store them is fine; just store them away from each other until the big day. After you’ve made these two sets of note cards, make a small hole in one corner using a hole punch. You can then tie all the cards together with string or whatever you want. That way you can turn the cards over as they're used, but should you drop them you won't have to fumble around trying to pick them up and re-order them. The securing device does not have to be sophisticated, as long as it's strong When you have these notes in front of you, don’t read from them, just glance at them from time to time – such as when you need a memory boost. They are not a crutch; they are a memory aid, so use them as such. Another great tool to have when giving a speech is to prepare a Power Point presentation that the audience can look at and refer to while you’re speaking. This can serve as a sort of teleprompter for you – or electronic notes, if you will. Plus, if you use a Power Point, you can “jazz” it up and make it captivating for your audience. So, you’ve got your speech, you’ve made up your note cards, now let’s look at how you can make your speech really great – through your delivery! |
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