When you're speaking at a press conference, it's perfectly fine to have some notes, I would not recommend reading because if you were like this, TV cameras just do not like to capture video of people doing this, it doesn't seem credible, it doesn't seem real, it doesn't seem as though you really know the stuff, or that you believe in it, or that you have passion for it. Now, there may be very, very specific names charged. Let's say you're a district attorney, and you're announcing indictments and you've got to get every single name, just write or it could cause problems. I understand. You may have to read parts of it. But for your main message, what you really want to say you do have a long list of people who were indicted in the names of their businesses and you read that, but then you may look up and say to the cameras in the room and the reporters in the room, and that's why I want To send a message this community will not tolerate money launderers.
If we catch you, we will chase you down, we will capture you and we will throw you in jail. Well, those are a bunch of sound bites, and that's what the reporters would use on TV. That night, they can then put in the names of the people you indicted. The newspaper can write the names and the addresses and the ages of the people that you supply them with the press release or the fact sheet, but they need that quote, they need those sound bites to put the story together. So find to have notes, find even read a part of your speech, but for the stuff that you really care about, especially if there's television, you need to be looking up. You need to be speaking with passion, and you need to be speaking with conviction.
Otherwise, you really minimize your chances of getting good TV coverage and even radio coverage. Because for most people, when they're reading, their voice goes flat and monotone. It doesn't sound as lively, it doesn't sound as engaging. So I'm urging you don't try to read your whole speech at a press conference. Some of it, even if it's just the first 40 seconds. You need to be able to be looking up, looking at reporters, looking in a way where you seem engaged and not reading and you'll come across as much more believable and much more quotable.