Print your speech onto cards
Most speakers tend to blow an audience’s mind into immediate uninterest by strolling out to the lectern with a sheaf of papers in their hand. When an audience sees a huge pile of notes they suspect right from the start that the speech will be boring and very rarely are they proved wrong. Conversely, if you use cards, say about the size of your hand (roughly 15cm x 10cm), not only will your notes be practically invisible to your audience but you will be able to gesture with your hands to underline the meaning of your speech.
The best way to use the cards is to have your speech printed on them, one sentence per line, with double spacing between paragraphs. The spaces represent longer pauses and therefore new thoughts in your speech.
Remember to number the cards. There is nothing more embarrassing at a seminar than seeing a speaker in full flight drop his notes on the floor. It unsettles the audience when they see the speaker panic as both they and the speaker wonder if the speech can be put back in the right order.
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You’ve always made sense, we’d do well to take heed
Thanks Richard and can I thank you with a cheesy smile? (For those that don’t know, Richard is the Australian Cheese Expert… and a big cheese in that world!)