Tip 89: Don't memorize your presentation
Apart from memorising the opening sentences of your presentation, you should avoid memorising the rest of the presentation like a speech.
Firstly, it is usually obvious to the audience that you are reciting a memorised speech because the natural pauses, intonations and variations of speed and tone that occur in real-life conversation are lost. You sound like a machine and that puts a barrier between you and your human audience.
Secondly, if someone interrupts you to ask a question while you are talking, you will have to answer the question and while you are answering the unplanned question you will be talking in your natural conversational mode. Your audience will immediately and very easily notice the two distinct modes of talking - one natural, and one fake. Believe me, this looks really odd and your audience will wonder why you can't just talk to them like a human being rather than subjecting them to your dry, wooden, pre-prepared speech!
Then you will have to resume your memorised speech from where you left off. This is not normally something you will have planned for, and most people who have memorised their speech do a terrible job of picking up from where they left off and finding the flow of their speech. Again, the difference in style of talking between the speech and the question & answer interaction is almost tangible. Your audience will be left wanting to know more about the real you that they glimpsed in the unplanned window in your presentation.
Don't memorize your speech word for word. Commit your message to heart and commit yourself to speaking your truth. Memorize your outline, the flow and structure of your speech. And memorize, if you can, the opening and closing words of your speech. If you need help, prepare some simple outline notes to speak from, and take them to the front of the room with you.
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