How to give a killer presentation without notes
For those who are abundantly familiar with their subject matter and completely at ease in front of an audience, this is the next huge step toward becoming a speaking star.
Are you comfortable with speaking from a well-researched and rehearsed outline? If so, you may be ready to transition from extemporaneous speaking to presenting with no notes.
Doing so will allow you to become more dynamic and authoritative in your style—you can move freely in the speaking area because you aren’t tethered to the lectern, and you can make lasting eye contact because you aren’t glancing at notes or a script.
If and when you are ready to speak without notes, here are a few suggestions to make the transition easier:
1. Memorize selectively.
Giving a presentation with no notes doesn’t mean that you have to memorize an entire script. Word-for-word memorization is time consuming, can cause a catastrophic failure if you blank out mid-delivery, and can lead to a wooden delivery if you focus on recalling specific words rather than connecting with your listeners.
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