You should write out the entire speech even if you do not plan on memorizing it verbatim. The point is not to memorize it right now, but to get a sense of how the speech reads and flows. If at all possible, try to read the speech in the place you will deliver it. The acoustics of every room and setting vary somewhat, so reading your speech in the actual delivery location can help you get accustomed to the way your voice will sound from that spot. Additionally, it helps you get comfortable with the layout of the room, making it possible for you to rehearse your movements as well as your words.
Take the time to actually mark off each section or chunk of information in your written notes. This can make it easier for you to recall when one part ended and when the next part picks up as you practice, making it harder for you to accidentally forget or leave any parts out.
If you get stuck, do not immediately return to your notes. Start from the beginning and try to say the chunk again. If this fails, spend a few more moments trying to recall the missing information. When you decide that nothing can help you remember it, return to your notes and briefly look up what the missing part consisted of. When you finish memorizing a chunk of your speech, read through it again to verify that you have it correct.
It is important that you continue repeating previously memorize chunks so that you do not forget them. Moreover, repeating all chunks of your speech together will help you to memorize how each chunk fits together with the rest.
Regardless of which memorization tactics you use and how effective they are, the most valuable thing you can do for yourself is to practice the speech as often as possible. Practice your speech from memory as best as possible. You can refer to your notes when you get stuck but deliver as much as possible without your notes. Try to practice your speech from memory for at least half of your practices, if not more.
For instance, instead of writing “When I was a child, I was attacked by a dog. It was a mean old dog that belonged to my neighbor at the time. Ever since then, I’ve been afraid of dogs,” simply write “dog attack story. ” Writing your outline this way will prevent you from memorizing the exact words you intend to use in your speech, which would make you sound robotic instead of natural. Your outline should include all major ideas and all major supporting ideas. [5] X Expert Source Patrick MuñozVoice & Speech Coach Expert Interview. 12 November 2019. If you have any special examples or analogies you want to use within your speech, these also warrant bullet points.
For example, if 1 bullet point reads “my semester abroad in China” and the next bullet reads “attending a Chinese school,” these can be combined into a single section called “my experiences in China. ” These sections should logically flow into each other in a comfortable narrative format. Think of them as the different acts in a story you’re telling the audience. If you did not write an outline or do not like the way your information is organized into bullet points on the outline, you could opt to divide your speech by paragraph instead of by bullet point. The idea is mostly to assign one major idea to each part.
For instance, if a part of your speech mentions that coconut oil can help hair grow faster, you could imagine something like Rapunzel sitting on top of a tower made of coconuts or living in a room filled with coconuts. Rapunzel emphasizes the idea of long hair, while the coconuts help point out the connection to coconut oil.
For example, the section of your speech on your experiences abroad can be assigned to your bathroom sink if you like. You can choose another location besides your home if you like, such as your office or the road you drive on to get to work. The location can be near or far; the choice is up to you. Ultimately, though, you should be able to navigate it well enough in your mind to find your way to your various visuals. Alternatively, you could also use the human body as a map. The images can be “tattooed” onto the body in your mind, and as you travel along the body, you will hit the images in order more naturally.
Construct narrative links between each mental image. For example, if your visual for the dog attack story was a bandaid and your visual for your experiences in China was a dumpling, imagine yourself putting a bandaid on in the bathroom, then walking into the kitchen to find a dumpling on the counter. You need to have firm links connecting one visualization to the next. If not, you might forget the order your information is supposed to land in.
Use this recording to listen to your speech when you do not have the chance to practice it out loud. You can play it for yourself in the car or play it as you fall asleep, for example.
For instance, if you say that a certain historical event really made a bang or made a splash, you can imagine the sound of a loud bang or the sound and feeling of something heavy dropping into water.
For example, you can use the acronym HOMES to recall the names of the Great Lakes in the U. S. , H for Huron, O for Ontario, M for Michigan, E for Erie, and S for Superior.
