Should I memorize my speech or presentation?

Worrying that you'll forget what you want to say is one of the most common fears about speaking in public. A mind blank in the middle of your speech or presentation can really knock you off course and dent your confidence as you struggle to find your place again.

So what’s the best way to memorise your talk or presentation? And... should you?

The problem with learning your speech off by heart

My background is in education. I was a secondary school (high school) teacher for many years, teaching Irish and French, both subjects with an oral exam component. My students would prepare for the spoken exams by writing out their answers, which I’d then give feedback on. But the goal was never for them to learn those answers off by heart.

When we learn something by rote, we’re stuck into a specific sequence of information. Each word or phrase is what prompts us along to the next. So if my students had learned their answers by heart and the examiner interrupted by asking them a question, there’s a good chance they’d be completely thrown and struggle to get back on track. If this happens, it can seriously knock your confidence and composure in a situation that already has the potential to be pretty stressful.

Don’t memorise your presentation - internalise it

Rather than learning your presentation by heart, become familiar with it and internalise it. And you can do that right from the start with the prep work for your presentation.

1. Think about how you’ll start your speech. Maybe you’ll tell a story or use an attention-grabbing stat or fact to catch your audience’s attention. What will your hook be?

2. Then get clear on your main points and how you’ll develop them. You should be comfortable enough with each of those points that you could speak easily about them in casual conversation.

3. Finally, decide how you’ll conclude your presentation. You need a clear call to action to finish. What do you want your audience to do as a result of your speech?

Drafting your main points, crafting a strong opening and closing and putting structure to your content in this way will all help to embed the key ideas in your mind.

If the presentation is particularly important, or you’re sharing a lot of complex or technical information, you could go as far as scripting it completely. Otherwise, just planning out the main points you want to cover will be enough.

Recommended Reading: Your 5-Step Guide to Planning Powerful Presentations

What’s your preferred learning style?

We all take in and understand information differently, and this will determine the best way for you to learn and become familiar with your presentation.

There are three main cognitive learning styles, visual, auditory and kinaesthetic.

Visual

As you’d expect, visual learners remember things best once they can see them, whether in reality or by creating a mental picture.

If that’s you, a useful technique to help remember the content of a speech is to imagine you’re in a particular room in your house, let’s say, the kitchen. Take a mental walk, visualising words or phrases at different points through the room that will prompt you to remember the main points of your presentation.

For example, if the first thing you see in the kitchen is your fridge, you might visualise a key word from your opening as a fridge magnet to help solidify the thought.

As you move around the kitchen in your mind, to a cupboard, the window, the cooker and the table think about the location of the items and mentally place a key word or phrase on each of them.

Auditory

If you’re more auditory-focused, then listening will be your best friend.

One of the easiest ways to learn the material for your presentation is to record yourself. You can use your phone to create a recording to listen to while driving around, sitting down in the evening or folding the laundry. All the time you’ve got your speech playing in the background, the information will gradually be fixing itself in your mind and helping you internalise what you’re hearing.

Kinaesthetic

If you tend to connect the learning process to “doing”, you’re probably a kinaesthetic learner. In that case, an excellent way to help you remember your speech is to make a recording, as mentioned above, but then put on your earphones and listen to it while you go out for a walk. The physical activity will help the information stick in your memory better.

If you’re not sure which learning style works best for you, try this quick quiz . It won’t give you a definitive answer, but it’ll point you in the right direction.

Can I use notes to help me remember my presentation?

Notes to prompt you are definitely fine. Especially if there are particular elements you need to remember to include, be sure to write those down for easy access.

I’m not great at remembering dates, so I’ll always jot them down to make sure I mention them correctly when I speak. I just glance down discreetly to check, and then I’m back on track.

If you can, keep your notes to a single page; even better if that’s postcard size. It’s much easier to manage that way rather than dealing with several larger sheets of paper.

I like to use a “spider style” diagram for my notes. I put the main theme of the speech at the centre and then the key points coming out as the “legs” of the spider.

For an extra layer of clarity, you could also try colour coding your notes. That way, if you take a quick look during your speech and you’re familiar with where everything is, it’s a quick reminder that you’re on track.

Familiarity will boost your speaking confidence

I’ll always recommend internalising your content rather than learning by heart or by rote. Being familiar with the key points of your presentation and using your notes as a prompt rather than a word-for-word script will boost your confidence when you stand up to speak.

When you don’t have to worry about losing your place, you can focus your attention on creating a strong connection with your audience. And that’s one of the best ways to increase the impact and influence of your speeches and presentations.

If you need a little more help with engaging your audience and speaking directly to them, you can download my Audience Analysis checklist here.

Is It a Good Idea to Memorise Your Speech or Presentation?