Hack your commute: Memorise your next presentation
In Marketing Week’s new ‘Hack your commute’ series we explore inspiring and fulfilling ways to spend your journeys to and from work that will expand your mind and broaden your horizons.
You’ve probably wondered how some people make public speaking look effortless. The answer is usually that they’ve had practice and know exactly what they’re going to say.
Whether you’re presenting to your boss, the board or a conference, memorising a talk makes you more confident because you know you’re prepared. It also makes you appear knowledgeable because you’re not devoting mental energy to forming your next sentence.
The memorising process seems daunting but memories become embedded surprisingly quickly. Actors learn lines by speed-reading through an entire text repeatedly, then gradually replacing the book with occasional cues.
Others use images, taking a journey through a ‘mind palace’ of connected rooms filled with familiar objects that are assigned to different passages of the talk.
Either way, with enough concentration you can memorise a short talk in a couple of commutes.
