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That Role Called Speaker

How to prepare and memorize a speech 


Awesome, you've been assigned to speak! Ideally, you will have at least 3 weeks to prepare. Taking a 3 weeks prep time as a sample, this is how to use my speech prep formula:

Week 1

  1. Review speech objectives in the manual – this will influence the topic you choose.
  2. Once you have your topic, you'll need to focus in on a single facet and consider what message you want to convey.
  3. Ideate and hone your message and then start typing out your speech -- keeping within your speech timeframe. Typical speech lengths are 4-6 mins, 5-7 mins, 7-9 minutes. Target the middle minute – for example, for a 4-6 minute speech, target for the 5 minute mark. Target for 4 and you may risk ending too early or not developing your message enough. Target for 6 and you might go over. 
  4. A logical breakout of that 5 minutes is: 1 minute intro, 3 minute body, 1 minute conclusion. 
  5. For reference, a minute translated to word count is roughly 100 typed words per minute (for me, personally). So for a 5 minute target, it would be a roughly 500 word speech. Based on how slow or fast people talk, this count may fluctuate!
  6. I like to use PowerPoint to construct my speeches. For this 5 minute speech example, I might create 3 squares – one each for my intro, body and conclusion and label them as such. Sometimes, I might break out my 3 minutes of body content into smaller chunks which helps with memorizing transitions between thoughts.
  7. Now start filling in your squares! Fill in your introduction, keeping to roughly 100 words...etc.
  8. Once all squares are filled in and in a good state, use a voice recorder app to record yourself as you read your speech. You do this for a few reasons: to make sure you are within your target time frame, to hear if you are emphasizing the rights words/phrases and overall you'll most likely find things to tweak after listening to yourself say them aloud. Once you're satisfied with how it's shaping up, it's most likely week two.

Week 2  

  1. Start to practice, a lot! Think it to yourself and say aloud everywhere you go, in the shower, in the car driving, while doing yoga. You'll eventually stop referring to your typed notes because you've started to memorize it.
  2. Live it, breathe it! It's important to know your story inside and out so that it becomes part of you. This will make you feel more confident because you've prepared and you're ready to deliver it to it's fullest potential!

Week 3

  1. Start to say it out aloud more often, practicing your vocal variety and body language.
  2. If you can, practice it in front of someone like your mentor or a friend.

I hope this formula makes it easier for you to dive into speaking. Having a framework is always helpful, especially when just starting out. Good luck!
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