Free Yourself From Your Presentation Notes With These Three Steps

When I was asked to give a presentation at the LeWeb, one of Europe’s biggest and longest-running tech conferences held in Paris, I knew I would be facing a large international audience. To prepare, I practiced my presentation 60, yes 6-0 times. If that sounds like a lot, keep in mind that Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor told me that she practiced her now famous TED talk, My Stroke Of Insight, 200 times! The goal is to reach a point where you know the content so well that just one glance at a slide will remind you of what you intend to say.

Everyone internalizes content differently. Here's what works for me:

Step 1. Write entire sentences and thoughts into the notes section of each slide in your presentation software.

Step 2. Reduce the notes to bullet points after you've practiced your presentation several times.

Step 3. Deliver your presentation in 'play mode' without reading the notes after you've rehearsed several times more with just the bullet points.

The key is to have slides that will jog your memory of what you need to say during your presentation. Each slide can simply be an image. Remember the slide is meant to complement your script not repeat what you are saying in words and bullet points.

The only way to truly be able to toss your script is practice, practice, practice. These three steps help me; I hope they are useful for you.

-Carmine Gallo

Carmine Gallo is a bestselling author, keynote speaker and communication coach for the world's most admired brands. Receive weekly tips from Carmine by joining his community list at carminegallo.com.