You just gave your first speech but during your last
evaluation they said not to use notes. How is that possible? How can you give a
5 to 7 minute speech without notes? Should you just memorize?
With the amount of speeches that I have given both in our
Toastmasters Club and outside, I’ve tried to observe my brain to see how it’s
able to give a speech without anything written down. What I’ve discovered is
that the best way for my brain to think through things is thematically and to
have different keywords that create jump off points for my next topic.
Thinking thematically works because you never really have to
memorize your speech word for word. For example, if you were giving a speech
about yourself, think about work, family, and activities as different themes
you can talk about. Almost all of us can talk about our experiences with these
three subjects. Another example can be an event you went to. You can think about where it
was at, what you learned, and who was there as three separate subject matters
to talk about. The speech will seem to flow more naturally this way.
For the different jump off points, there are certain words
that trigger different ideas for my next topic. For example, if I were at the
part of my speech where I talk about family and I want to move on to the next
topic, which is activities, I might perhaps think about my wife as my tennis
partner and then talk about tennis. Or, I can think about my kids and then
transition to baseball because I always bring them to Angel’s stadium.
None of these tips should replace practice because you still
have to know how your speech will flow and what themes and keywords you want to
think about. However, it should prevent you from having a completely memorized speech.
