One of the main reasons people fear public speaking is because they are worried they will forget their words. They are often so concerned they will forget what to say, they need notes, PowerPoint slides or other devices that they can use as a prompt. However, audience research shows that if you do use notes of any kind you are less trusted and less liked than speakers who have no support of this kind.

So how can you remember what to say, without resorting to notes of one kind or another? The first thing is to be sure that your speech tells a story, or several stories. Stories are easier to recall, so if your talk is story based you'll find it is more memorable for you.

Secondly, use several pictorial examples - fill your talk with visuals that you have to describe. You will then end up with several "mind's eye" pictures about your talk that will make your speech easier to recall.

Props are also great for helping you remember what to say and therefore remove your fear of public speaking. Have your props arranged around the room; they will act as visual clues as to what to say next.

Labels: fear, memory

One of the main reasons for fear of failure in public speaking is the potential for forgetting what to say. If you stand up in front of an audience and forget your words you fear you will look a failure when public speaking. However, the audience doesn't know what you came to say. Even if you forgot the details of your talk, the audience would never know - providing you just chat about the same subject as they were expecting. So, many public speakers put themselves under unnecessary pressure to try and recall their "script", when in fact the audience simply doesn't know what their script is, so if the speaker goes off track no one will see the problem. In my work with people who are suffering from public speaking anxiety, I find that many people still have to get to grips with the fact that the audience doesn't know what was intended to be said, so if the speaker forgets their words no-one will know. Once the people I work with get to understand this, they feel much more comfortable when speaking in public. However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to remember your talk at all..!

Labels: memory