Idea 69: Speaking without notes
If I am to speak for ten minutes, I need a week of preparation; if fifteen minutes, three days; if half-an-hour, two days; if an hour, I am ready now.
US President Woodrow Wilson
Why not speak without notes? If you are a professional speaker, you should always do so. It is not such a difficult art to master as you may think. Actors, comedians and concert musicians do not refer to notes, so why should you? The practice of doing so leaves you free to look at your audience and to think on your feet. It does take more time in preparation, but it is invariably worth it.
By ‘learning the part’ I don’t mean committing a fully written-out script to memory, as the actor or comedian or musician does before going on stage. ...
