You're not going to like this next step, but it is absolutely critical to appearing to speak without notes. And to just be a great speaker, you've got to do what I'm about to ask. And that is, you have to rehearse. But rehearse in a very specific way you have to rehearse on video. So I need you to put a webcam up in the corner, put an iPad, lead it up against the wall, or have a friend, family member or colleague hold a cell phone app, but I need you to practice your speech. With the four identical copies of your notes around the room.

Try to simulate the room as close as possible to where you'll be giving your next speech. And I need you to practice giving the speech out loud and I need you to video recorded. People don't like to do this. People hate it. I don't like the sound of my voice. I don't like looking at myself.

Well grow up. Every single person in your audience has to listen to your speech. Every single person in your audience has to see your face. So you're not hiding anything from anyone by not looking at yourself, you're gonna have to see how you come across. You also need to see if your outline works because sometimes things look good on paper. But you get up talk, you're finishing one point you look down, it's like, What was that again, you might have to tweak your notes.

It's not too late because you're not giving the speech yet. You're just practicing giving the speech. Of all the things that are going to dramatically make you seem more confident. to work out the kinks to make your speech better, to build your speaking skills more. Practicing on video is really the number one thing. And if you want to completely convey the sense that you're just talking to people, you care about them, you're having a conversation with them, and you're not somebody up here reading boring.

Notes the way most speakers are, you have to practice on video. Now. It's not that hard and it's not that time consuming. If you have 20 minutes speech, stand up and speak for 20 minutes and watch it for 20 minutes. That's 40 minutes you may say, you don't have time but the way most people spend their time preparing for presentations, they'll spend hours writing and rewriting and rearranging bullet points on PowerPoint slides and getting things approved. For the most part a massive waste of time.

You need to allocate time rehearsing on video. If there's no time to rehearse on video, there's really no time to give the speech. I'd much rather you just not do the speech than to give the speech without practicing on video. So that's your homework right now. Practice your speech practice. Looking at your notes in a way that isn't too quick isn't jerky isn't noticeable to people that it would be nice if you could bring someone in not just the person holding the camera to watch and ask them what they thought of how you're giving a speech.

It may be that you fooled them already with this first take. But regardless, even if it's just you taping on your own webcam, I need you to give your presentation now, working just from your notes around the room and not from a script, not from reading outward, not from looking at bullet points on PowerPoint, but just your own piece of paper. do that now.