Planning to use notes for your speech or presentation?
If so, make sure you test them out in (almost) real conditions.
Too often at conferences, you can see the speakers struggling to read their notes.
They face downwards.
Their face tightens.
They look confused.
The reason this happens is simple.
When preparing, they were sitting at a desk.
The notes were closer to their eyes and easy to read.
But in the real thing, their eyes are much further away from the page.
Sometimes quite a bit further.
And they’ve scribbled some unreadable points at the last minute.
And they feel the pressure of the moment.
To help avoid this, try a simple three-step process.
- Step 1: Read your notes from a standing position, not a seated one
- Step 2: Review your overall performance. Does the font need to be bigger? Would a cleaner typeface help?
- Step 3: Adjust any specific lines or phrases that were hard to deliver – bold them, underline them, or rewrite them for clarity
Notes will always seem easier before the presentation than during it.
Don’t let your desk set up lull you into a false sense of security.
Test them standing up.
Review broadly.
Review precisely.
Looking for more helpful presenting tips, why not check out the following article on the importance of finishing your presentation on time…
