Memorizing a speech for a lecture, business presentation, or other purpose is intimidating for most people, but fortunately, there are techniques and tricks to make it easier to memorize speeches to give in public. Read on to learn more.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Fundamental Techniques
Step 1. Write a draft
To understand what the most important information is, prepare a draft of your speech before writing it in its final form. The draft should touch on the main points of the speech, in order to facilitate the subdivision into "thematic" parts at a later time.
The draft should include all the main ideas and elements that support them. If there are any particular examples or analogies that you want to include in your speech, you could also use a bulleted list
Step 2. Write the entire speech
To fix it in the mind, you need to write the speech in its complete form. This means writing the introduction, the main body and the conclusions.
You should write the entire speech even if you don't intend to memorize it word for word
Step 3. Read the speech aloud
Before using any memorization technique, you must read and listen to the speech so that different senses are involved in the memory learning process.
If possible, read the speech where you will keep it. The acoustics and the set-up vary from one place to another, so reading the speech in the place where you will keep it will help you get used to how your voice sounds in that particular place. In addition, it will allow you to familiarize yourself with the structure of the room and also to memorize any movements in addition to the words
Step 4. Decide which pieces to memorize entirely and which only partially
You don't need to learn the whole speech word for word. As a general rule, you should memorize the introduction and conclusion verbatim (as much as possible) and keep in mind the key ideas and details of the central body of the speech, without learning it word by word.
- Memorizing the introduction can be a good idea because knowing exactly what to say at the beginning of a speech helps to keep calm and put the person at ease. Memorizing the conclusion is also helpful, because it prevents you from ending up in a turn of phrase in which you keep repeating the same information looking for a way to close.
- Memorizing the central body of speech verbatim is generally not recommended, as it may sound stiff and unnatural.
Step 5. Practice, practice, practice
Regardless of which memorization technique you use and how effective it is, the best thing you can do is to rehearse your speech as much as possible. It would be better if you repeated it aloud rather than trying to recall it.
- For the first two or three tests, you can practice reading the discord from your notebook. But later on, you should start practicing using as much memory as possible. You can take a look at your notes if you lose the thread, but you should try to go as far as possible without the help of the notepad.
- Use your memory for at least half of the tests if not more.
Part 2 of 4: Visualization
Step 1. Divide the speech into logical sections
Refer to the draft if you have one. Each main idea or supporting element must have its own section. In other words, if information is written as a bulleted list in the draft, it must have its own section.
If you have not prepared a draft or if you do not like how the information is organized in the bulleted list, you can decide to divide the speech into paragraphs. The basic idea is to assign a section to each central point of the speech
Step 2. Turn the speech into images
Create a mental image for each part of the speech. The more absurd and unique it is, the easier it will be for you to recall it later.
For example, if your talk describes the benefits of some organic products and part of your talk explains how coconut oil helps make hair grow faster, you might imagine Rapunzel sitting on a tower made of coconuts or all. interior of a room full of coconuts. Rapunzel emphasizes the idea of long hair, while coconuts help establish the link with coconut oil. These elements are ordinary when considered alone but absurd when put together, which makes it easier to recall them
Step 3. Create the setting
During your speech, you will need to connect mental images to each other. The easiest way to do this is to visualize yourself traveling through various places by looking at the images in order.
- Places can be near or far, the choice is up to you. Ultimately, however, you should be able to mentally move from one to the other with ease, in order to find the way to the different images.
- You could choose a simple place like a forest if most of your views seem to look good on the outside.
- Alternatively, you can use the human body as a map. The images can be “tattooed” on the body and, by moving along it, you can more easily find the images in order.
Step 4. Link the images
Once the places and images are established, you need to start practicing using these images as a guide. As you practice, imagine moving from one place to another and seeing the various images in the same order that the corresponding concepts are written in your bulleted list.
- There must be a strong link between the images, otherwise you risk forgetting the order in which to give the information.
- In the example with Rapunzel and coconuts, you can connect this view to the previous one, ending the latter with the image of you with ruined hair while looking for the advice of someone with long and strong hair.
Part 3 of 4: Splitting into pieces
Step 1. Break the discussion into several parts
You can memorize short speeches or sections of a longer speech verbatim using the parting method. Break up the speech into shorter, more manageable parts of a maximum of two or three sentences.
Highlight important information in each piece or section of the speech. This will help you remember them when, while practicing, you finish one part and start another, and not to forget something by mistake
Step 2. Repeat a part until it stays in your head
Practice reciting the information contained in the first part aloud, until you can repeat it without the help of your written notes.
- If you get stuck, don't go read the notes right away. Start over and try repeating that section again. If you can't, try for a few minutes to recall the missing information. When you realize that you just don't remember them, take a look at your notes to find what you have forgotten.
- When you have a part of your speech memorized, read it again to make sure everything is correct.
Step 3. Gradually add new parts to memorize
Once you have mastered the first section, add the second and repeat both until you memorize this too. Continue like this until you can repeat the whole speech from memory without the help of the notes.
It is important to keep repeating the parts already memorized so as not to forget them. Also, repeating all sections of the speech together will help you memorize how they relate to each other
Step 4. Repeat
Keep practicing aloud. If you have difficulty with a part, focus on this by trying to memorize it before inserting it into the speech.
Part 4 of 4: Extra Help
Step 1. If possible, record the speech
Writing and repeating the speech are the fundamental practices for memorizing it, but it can also help to record it and listen to it again.
Use the recording to listen to the speech again when you don't have the opportunity to repeat it aloud. For example, you can listen to it while you are in the car or when you are about to fall asleep
Step 2. Use your other senses as well
If certain words bring to mind particular sounds, smells, or tastes, connect these sensations to the images used to memorize your speech. Mental images are the strongest tool for learning something by heart, but the other senses can also help.
For example, if you say that a certain historical event caused something to burst or fall, you can imagine the roar of an explosion or the sound of an object falling heavily to the ground
Step 3. Create acronyms
If you have a list to memorize, you can use a mnemonic strategy called an acronym to remember the elements of that list. An acronym uses the initials of each of the words in the list to create a sentence or other word that can be used to recall the initials.
For example, the phrase "BUT WITH GRAN PENa RECANO LE DOWN" is the acronym used to memorize the order of the Alps: Marittime, Cozie, Graie, Pennine, Lepontine, Retiche, Carniche, Noriche, Giulie
Step 4. Turn complex concepts into concrete examples
Consider including analogies and anecdotes in your speech to explain concepts and ideas. A concrete example makes information easier to remember and involves the public more.
For example, if you give a talk about various mental illnesses and know someone who has one of them, you can tell this person's story to explain what it means to deal with that illness
Step 5. Give your speech
Incorporating physical actions will help you memorize important parts of the speech and will attract the attention of the audience.
