🎤 This month: Stop trying to remember every word

You've prepared your presentation.

You've written it. Rewritten it. Practised it. Maybe you've even rehearsed particular sentences until you know exactly how you want them to sound.

Then you stand up to speak...

...and forget what comes next.

Sound familiar?

One of the easiest ways to make presenting more stressful is to try to remember exactly what you planned to say.

Because the moment you forget one word or sentence, your brain starts searching for the script instead of concentrating on the message.

And that's often when the panic kicks in.

💡 Something to try this month

For your next presentation, instead of learning your words, learn your route.

Think of your presentation as a series of destinations:

Where am I starting?
What are my three or four main points?
Where do I want to finish?

Then practise getting from one point to the next using slightly different words each time.

It might feel less polished initially.

That's a good thing.

You're teaching yourself that you don't need a script to know what you're talking about.

🎤 Know your message, not your script

There's a big difference between knowing your presentation and memorising it.

When you've memorised something, you're relying on recalling the next sentence.

When you really know it, you can explain it in different ways.

You can answer a question halfway through and find your way back.

You can skip something if you're running out of time.

You can react to your audience.

And if the technology suddenly stops working, you can carry on.

That's when presenting starts to feel less like performing and more like having a conversation with the room.

🧠 What happens when the pressure hits?

Under pressure, we don't all behave in the same way.

Some people speed up.

Some suddenly become incredibly serious.

Some start talking... and keep talking.

Others find their mind goes completely blank.

Understanding your own reaction to pressure can be far more useful than collecting another ten generic presentation techniques.

It's one of the reasons I incorporate MBTI® into my presentation coaching.

Once you recognise your natural communication preferences, and what can happen to them when you're stressed, you can start developing strategies that actually work for you.

💍 And if you're writing a wedding speech...

Please don't try to memorise the whole thing!

A wedding speech already carries enough emotion without giving yourself the additional job of remembering several pages word for word.

Know your opening.

Know the stories you want to tell.

Know what you genuinely want to say to the people at the heart of the day.

And know how you want to finish.

The words in between don't have to be identical every time you practise.

In fact, if they're not, you'll probably sound much more like yourself when you deliver them.

✨ One thought to take away

Your audience doesn't know what you planned to say.

They don't know you've missed a sentence.

They don't know you've changed the order.

They don't know that wasn't exactly how you rehearsed it.

Only you know that.

So stop trying to deliver the perfect version.

Know what you want people to understand, remember or feel and talk to them.

See you in November,

Kate
Speech & Presentation Confidence Specialist

M Coaching

Now go and be fabulous!