Imagine giving a talk in front of 5 people not knowing what you’re going to say. Stressful, huh? Now imagine speaking in front of 1,000 people. How tense and stressed would that make you feel? These anxiety-laden emotions are avoidable if you plan for your talk. In order to mitigate the effects of communication apprehension we must prepare! I’ve outlined below two ways of scripting your talk in a way that won’t sound rehearsed, but prepared. Here are my two approaches to speaking confidently and comfortably in front of an audience and unshackling yourself from your script.

If you are seeking freedom from your script or you’re wondering how to best prepare for your talk, check out these two stellar options.

Option 1: Room for impromptu!

Begin with writing out bullet points representing an idea and a way to substantiate that point. Adhere strictly to writing out no more than five words per bullet point. Ideally, with enough practice, one word per bullet point would suffice. If you’re just starting out with impromptu speaking, aim to include between three and five words, and eventually aim for one or two words per bullet point. Doing so will give you enough flexibility to elaborate and ad-lib, without making you feel like a deer in headlights. Choose your one-word (or image) bullet point wisely. It should be representative of the point insofar as relaying it the audience in a few sentences. Select words that jolt your memory. These should be content words that carry meaning. Obviously, you should refrain from including any nondescript words that serve little purpose.

Once you have your final list of bullet points with each point containing only one to five words (…or an image… or maybe you’re into hieroglyphics?) you need to rehearse. Practice your speech many times with just the outlined points in your hand. It would be ideal to have only a note card in hand while rehearsing. Each time you practice the talk will sound a bit different and that is okay because you are working with a skeleton framework. 

Find comfort in knowing that this approach will allow you to create slightly different versions of the talk. The heart and soul of the talk remains, but on the surface may sound a bit different due to different phraseology or perhaps different anecdotes. There is room for impromptu speech and ad-libbing. If you’re the type of speaker who is already quite confident and good with extemporaneous speaking or off-the-cuff storytelling, then go with this option! It is also recommended when speaking about a topic that you know inside out and could speak about in your sleep. In other words, you’re that familiar with it. 

Additionally, if you are able to feed off the energy of the audience and are able to tie in something that happens IRL this approach is for you. Say something unplanned happens or something goes awry while on-stage (i.e., you’re being handed a mic, sound check suddenly fails, you get a few hecklers, etc.) this approach will allow you to deal with that better because you’ve built in a margin for error. Bottom line, your expectation with option #1 is that the speech will not go exactly as planned because let’s be honest no live performance goes 100% as planned. Tempering expectations is a way to alleviate any feelings of stage fright. You’re prepared for anything here, because you’ve already considered there to be elements of uncertainty. And that is the beauty of live performances. 

Remember that if you go with this option, you still need to rehearse it. It’s just that your talk will be slightly differently each time. And that’s OK if the meat of what you’re saying is still there.

Option 2: Whittle it down!

This approach is recommended for speakers who are not as familiar with the topic of the talk. Reasons to choose this option might include (a) the subject is brand-new or (b) a topic that you appear to be well-versed in so you’re being asked to speak about it but are not as interested in. In work-related scenarios these generally tend to be possible reasons for selecting option #2.  

First, write out your speech in prose form. Once it’s been reviewed and revised, you’re ready to practice. Do not simply rehearse it in your head, it is important that you read your speech aloud so you can pause and pay mind to prosody (intonation patterns). While practicing, imagine speaking to a live audience. Look around the room, smile, practice pacing, and gesturing. In the early stages of practicing, it is alright to be reading off your script, because in time you will wean off your script. In this phase, it is not expected that you have it all memorized, nor should you. Practicing aloud will get you comfortable enough with the content so that you can start to focus more on the delivery. 

After multiple rounds of practicing with your script in hand (prose version of the script, basically verbatim what you’re going to say) ask yourself how comfortable you feel with the subject. Practice now without looking down at your script as often. What words pop out at you? Which salient points trigger your train of thought? Asking these pertinent questions will focus your energy on developing bullet points so that you are not reading off your script, which is the goal!

Next, I want you to highlight buzz words and phrases. Choose descriptive words that will remind you of what points and examples you use to elucidate the concept. Once you’ve whittled down your talk you have a nice sheet with only bullet points. Going from prose to only points can be a bit daunting at first but if you’ve given yourself ample practice time you should be able to hone it down with ease. If you’re in turbo mode and want a pro-tip, then whittle it down further so that there is only 1 word per bullet point. Seems a bit insane right? But this will help jog your memory and keep your nose out of your paper. 

Now that you have your bullet points, practice your talk aloud again. Since you are not reading, you’re your script, the delivery and phraseology will be slightly different each time. Your audience will notice how you sound prepared and not rehearsed. Sounding like a robot is not what we want, right Explearners? You want to sound like you know what you’re talking about instead of reciting from memory. You will be amazed by how much info you’ve retained from the earlier practice where you were reading. 

My other pro-tip is to record your process of segueing from prose to point. While option #2 is more time-consuming it will more thoroughly prepare you. If you know that you have an upcoming talk scheduled, start preparing ASAP as there are multiple steps to complete. 

Now, Explearners you’re not shackled to a piece of paper. Instead you can be impromptu should the opportunity present itself. Once you experience this freedom from your script by going with either option #1 or #2, you will never look back! 

Happy Explearning 🌠

About the Author and the Explearning Academy:

Mary Daphne is an expert in communication, executive interpersonal skills, and personal development. She is the founder of the Explearning Academy, a platform dedicated to helping individuals enhance their social fluency, boost their careers, and elevate their social game. Through immersive group coaching programs like the Executive Communication Lab and self-guided journeys, participants gain the social superpowers and career catapults they've been searching for. If you're ready to take your negotiation skills to the next level and connect with like-minded individuals, visit academy.explearning.co and explore the various plans available. Join the Explearning Academy community and unlock your full potential.

Thank you for reading! If you found this blog post valuable, don't forget subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow our podcast!

✨

🎁5-DAY FREE CHALLENGE 🎁
🎤 Sign up for my group coaching program🎤
🤩 Join our community 🤩 for a self-guided fully-supported journey
✨ Learn more about Explearning Academy ✨
🏆 Sign up for our 33-Day Executive Excellence Challenge 🏆