Please help me learn my lines

[cbfair]

I have a script for a presentation thats about 40 minutes long. I want to give this presentation nearly verbatim without using notes in about one week. Are there any actors or presenters out there who can give me some pointers?

Things I've thought of and started working on:

1. Read the whole thing through several times and am beginning to recognize the various transitions and what they lead to.

2. Try to memorize small sections then piece them together.


Things I've thought of and haven't started working on:

1. Read the whole thing into a recorder then play back the recording while silently reading the text.

2. Writing-out the text so I can improve recall. - Is handwriting better than typing for improving recall? My hand hurts just thinking about it.

Any better techniques out there? I'm all ears.

Thanks,

cbf

[jason_t]

http://www.crushkill.com/archives/milli.jpg

[Tron]

Play the recording while you sleep.

[shadow29]

[ QUOTE ]
Play the recording while you sleep.

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't know if this is a jopke or not, but this doesn't work.

[OtisTheMarsupial]

In my experience the most effective thing to do is to write it out a bunch of times (either handwrite or type, doesn't matter). After you do that, then say it outloud in front of a mirror over and over. I'm talking 100 or more times. Really.

[Tron]

Well yeah, he's not going to learn by exclusively doing this, but it sure as hell doesn't hurt.

[cbfair]

I took it as a jopke. Don't know if I'll get serious advice here or not, but it can't hurt to try. Anyone?

Milli Vinilli (sp) - that's good. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[cbfair]

cool. I'll start typing it up. I've done it three times in front of the mirror today - I'll do it a few more times tonight and many times daily.

Any other ideas? Thanks!

[BretWeir]

Don't memorize it verbatim if you're only giving the presentation once. You'll sound like a robot or a bad actor, and you won't be able adjust the presentation to respond to audience reaction. Plus, if you forget a line, it may throw you off and it'll be obvious to everyone.

Memorize a fairly detailed outline of the points you're going to cover, and if there are specific passages that are particularly important or complex, memorize them word-for-word.

It'll be less work, and a better presentation.

[OtisTheMarsupial]

yw

good luck /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[The Stranger]

http://www.goforjesus.de/images/lines.jpg

[wmspringer]

First off - you don't have to know it word for word. If you have a general idea of what you want to say and what order you want to say it in, you should be ok.

That said - start by making an outline so you can be sure of hitting all the important parts of your speech, and practice giving it. Out loud. <-- that's important - you'll learn it a lot better giving it out loud than rehersing in your head, plus you can catch stuff that sounds awkward. For a long presentation, if you can't memorize it all at once, memorize the first chunk, then do the first chunk and move on to the second - you're doing the whole thing (not just the new part) so you don't forget what you already learned while you're learning something new, and the first part should lead you into the next part.

Hope this helps.

[cbfair]

Cool. Years Ago, I learned This (http://www.banned-width.com/shel/works/high.html) in one night using that technique. It works.

It does have to be pretty much verbatim and with great responsiveness to the audience. I hope to do it many more times than once.

I've recited The Perfect High hundreds of times. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[nothumb]

[ QUOTE ]
Don't memorize it verbatim if you're only giving the presentation once. You'll sound like a robot or a bad actor, and you won't be able adjust the presentation to respond to audience reaction. Plus, if you forget a line, it may throw you off and it'll be obvious to everyone.

Memorize a fairly detailed outline of the points you're going to cover, and if there are specific passages that are particularly important or complex, memorize them word-for-word.

It'll be less work, and a better presentation.

[/ QUOTE ]

Good advice. People who can extemporize and think on their feet are more impressive anyway.

NT

[Cyrus]

I have presented some things. Here are some tips:

-- I was once trying for the verbatim approach and it was always turning out to be a disaster! The reason is that I'm not an actor. You're not an actor either. An actor would have no difficulty remembering lines and going over them, quite realistically. But the actor does not get in too deep for a presentation! He doesn't know the things associated with whatever is onscreen every time -- like you do. What I mean is, if this is gonna be a presentation without questions, try the verbatim angle (for whatever reason you think your script is perfect). If you do have questions and answers, do not.

-- If you wanna encourage questions to come up during your presentation, do not use a written text. If you don't wanna hear any questions until the end of the presentation, use a paper and either read from it or pretend reading from it. People hesitate more to interrupt someone reading than someone reciting.

-- Why not go for the "studied improv" approach? Learn and re-learn the text, until you know inside out what you are shooting for in each segment/chapter, and then extemporize in front of a colleague who's monitoring you via the written page. Have him tell you what you missed, had wrong or added, and then do it again. It's OK when you don't get the exact words but get the message alright.

-- Written text, even when read most eloquently and casually, cannot compare to a speech given without notes, if the speech is given in a vibrant, confident and pleasant manner. The latter will get them every time. (I Have A Dream was all improv, full of phrases that just don't read good on paper.)

-- Will there be slides? If yes, then know now that you have less to worry about, if you're at all nervous. Most people in the audience will be focusing on the slide projection, even if it's only a single phrase. Obviously, you need to work on slide/speech co-ordination: When to change, etc. Remember that, now, each slide is its own chapter.

-- Practice in front of the mirror. See if small movements of hands, etc, can help you. Practice your default position, ie how you're standing when there's nothing to point at, emphasize, etc. Also, practice looking left and right casually -- it's not looking good when you're staring straight ahead all the time. (But speak to every side forcefully and not by glancing for only one second, as if every side is the straight-ahead side. This conveys strength and honesty.)

-- Beat the crap out of the written text! I mean, use pencils and colour to underline text, circle, fluo, point to, change it - whatever. Every time you read through the text, or make a test-run of it by heart, go back and work on the written page. This will be your working copy, from which the main points/issues will jump out and will be your Anchoring Points. Your presentation will proceed along those anchoring points, like a coastal ship, from port to port.

-- Wear good clothes but make sure they do not choke you or squeeze you. The clothes must not overwhelm your speech. You want them to focus on you and not some orange-red tie.

[Felix_Nietsche]

Mark Twain was a very popular public speaker. Even in Germany where he made many a paid apeareances. His technique was to take a walk in the park and as he walked he practiced his speech. During the walk he associated certain landmarks in the park with certain milestones w/ his speech. During the speech, he would replay his walk in his head which helped him remember his speech.

Make sure you associated things in chronological order.
E.g.
1st Park landmark w/ 1st Part of Talk
Last Park Landmark w/ last Part of Talk