How to Use Notes When Public Speaking Without Losing Your Audience

Watch any TEDx talk and you’ll see the speaker strolling confidently around the stage, making eye contact with members of the audience and using their arms – their whole bodies even – to add emphasis to their key points.

 

This ability to deliver a speech assuredly without notes is the holy grail of presenting. But for the majority of people this doesn’t come naturally. It must be learned and practised, and anxieties overcome. Here’s how…

 
 

Why it’s better not to use notes when speaking

When a speaker is able to talk without gripping a sheaf of notes, it gives the feeling that they are really in the moment and helps them build the all-important connection with the audience. Their ideas seem to emanate from them as if they’re discovering them on the spot and speaking them for the first time (although doubtless they’ve practised many times!). This makes them sound more alive and more authentic.

 

Notes, when held, can often get between the speaker and their audience like a wall, both literally and metaphorically. When an audience listens to you speak the communication is happening in real time. Your listeners want you to bring them into the moment. They want to exist in the moment with you.

 

Notes can hinder this. They can draw the audience’s eye away, distract them and prevent such a close connection. The energy you’re radiating may be disrupted by a paper-based obstacle in your hand.

 
 

Can’t lose the notes? Here’s what to do instead

This is all well and good, but you may need the security of holding notes even if you don’t intend to use them. Sometimes just knowing they are there within arm’s reach can be the difference between feeling in control and wanting the ground to swallow you up.

 

If that’s the case, keep your notes. It’s really not the worst thing (unless it actually is a TED talk, in which case, come and get some coaching!).

 

But seriously, with or without notes, the most important thing when speaking is creating authenticity and connection with your audience. For confident and experienced speakers this may come through performing ad lib. But if you worry you’ll forget what you have to say or feel the effects of stage fright creeping up on you, the security of notes may actually lead to a better, more engaging performance.

 

You’ll avoid retreating inside your brain searching for the next line and instead stay present with your listeners.

 

How can you use notes yet still achieve authenticity and connection?

If you decide you’d feel more comfortable with notes then go for it, but here are some tips to help you use them in a way that won’t disrupt the impact of your speech.

 

1. Hold the notes in the right place

The problem with presentation notes is that they can create a physical barrier between you and the audience. As long as you’re aware of this it becomes fairly easy to prevent.

 

Either hold them down low or place them on a lectern. But – and this bit is important – stand to the side of the lectern rather than directly behind it. Allow space for your energy to flow outwards toward your audience.

 

Wherever you hold your notes, make sure they are not directly between you and those you are speaking to.

 

2. Use your eyes to emphasise

We talk often about the importance of good eye contact when delivering a message. When you have notes, the temptation is to look down at them more than you look at your audience.

 

Making regular eye contact helps ensure your message has landed. For example, many speakers glance down at their notes at the end of a sentence to see what’s coming next. Instead, this is precisely when you should look up and make eye contact so you can deliver the thought with impact and see whether it has been understood.

 

3. Try to avoid making verbatim notes

While writing a full script can feel reassuring, the danger is that you’ll end up reading it like a book. This can cause you to hold your notes up like a wall between you and the audience.

 

It also makes it much harder to deliver your points with passion. The way we write is often very different from how we speak. Unless you’re a professional writer, delivering written sentences aloud can make it harder for your audience to connect with you.

 

Reading verbatim notes can actually make it more difficult for your listeners to fully engage.

 

4. Be flexible with your notes

If your audience applauds or laughs, engage with them. Pause, smile and acknowledge their response before continuing.

 

If someone makes a comment or asks a question, look up and respond directly to them. Return to your notes only once you’ve addressed the moment.

 

Religiously sticking to notes can make your audience feel excluded from the experience.

 
 

Your audience > Your notes

The most important relationship in the room is the one between you and the audience, not the one between you and your notes. Make sure that is clear to everyone watching.

 

If you make a good first impression at the beginning of your presentation, it becomes much easier to maintain engagement throughout – notes or not.

 

And remember, the more you practise the easier it becomes. Take opportunities to speak in front of others and you’ll soon find those notes become simply a few reminders before you are able to ditch them altogether and focus purely on connecting.

 

And that will give you the biggest buzz of all.

 
 

Got a wedding speech coming up that you need to prepare for? Check out this blog on the ultimate guide to giving a wedding speech.

 

If you’d like to practise public speaking with a professional coach, take a look at our courses or book a free 15 minute discovery call to learn more.