Memorization is a key skill for public speaking. When you aren’t reading from a script, you can speak smoothly and confidently. Several techniques will help you memorize the speech. in the way you best learn.
You can deliver a speech in different ways, and one of the most-used methods is memorizing your speech. However, memorization in public speaking doesn’t require you to memorize your piece word for word. You know the speech so well you can go from point to point without notes.
Memorized speaking entails knowing your speech by heart. And the key is to memorize the outline, the core message, and the major pieces of information you want to convey. When you master this skill — which you can do with memorization techniques such as chunking, mnemonics, and using a mental image — you will gain a significant advantage as a public speaker.
What Is The Meaning Of Memorization?
The Cambridge Dictionary’s definition of memorization is “the act or process of learning something so that you will remember it exactly.” Meanwhile, Merriam-Webster defines it as “the act or process of memorizing something; commitment of something to memory.” Memorizing, according to them, is to “learn by heart.”
“Memory,” the root word, is defined by the American Psychological Association as “the ability to retain information or a representation of past experience, based on the mental processes of learning or encoding, retention across some interval of time, and retrieval or reactivation of the memory.”
Why Is A Memorized Speech More Natural Sounding And Effective?
When done right, a memorized speech can help you move with more ease and freedom on the stage. Not relying on notes will give you a chance to maintain eye contact with your audience and engage with them better. As you internalize your speech, you will also focus more on vocal variation and projection because you won’t have to constantly reference notes or prompts.
Ultimately, delivering a memorized speech will help boost your confidence. When you don’t rely on notes, you’ll also be able to project a stronger presence, making your speech sound more credible and convincing.
But, take note that it has its own risk. If you get lost somewhere in your speech, your tone and delivery may change, and your audience will feel it. It can also make you anxious and affect your thoughts’ overall flow and coherence. To overcome this, you must commit to practicing and rehearsing your piece.
Can You Use Any Notes If You Have Memorized Your Speech?
If you have memorized your speech through rote learning or repetition, it means you can deliver it without relying on notes. While a memorized speech generally doesn’t use such external aids, it’s still acceptable for you to have some references.
You can have cue cards or brief notes to give you some sense of security and be your backup in case you forget key points. If you have slides or any other visual aid, you can also use that as your reference and guide to help you stay on track.
When you choose to use external aids, you must use them as sparingly and unobtrusively as possible. Your goal is to have them as a backup. If you end up relying on them most of the time, your speech won’t be as effective as you envisioned it to be. You’ll also lose the chance to maintain engagement with your audience.
What Skill Is Memorization?
Memorization is a learning skill that is helpful in public speaking and other fields — and life, in general. Enhancing this skill means allowing your brain to retain new information and even a new language.
The science behind memorization involves the human brain, specifically a certain group of neurons that gets activated and form new circuits. The brain processes new material and initially stores information in the hippocampus, which is just one of the regions where memories are kept and indexed for access.
What Are The 3 R’s Of Memorization?
Memorization has three main elements: recording, retention, and retrieval.
- Recording. This is the process of receiving and encoding new information in your brain. However, it goes beyond just note-taking, observing, hearing, reading, or watching something to take in the information. It involves comprehending the new material so you can better commit it to memory.
- Retention. Retention refers to your ability to store and maintain the information you’ve recorded. Working memory is the brain’s temporary storage system that lets you actively process new information (e.g., when you’re reading and comprehending instructions). However, you must transfer short-term memory to long-term memory for extended retention.
- Retrieval. Also called recall, it’s the aspect of memorization where you access the information you’ve recorded and retained in your brain. Retrieval is important for you to be able to use any information you have. When you deliver a speech, you’re retrieving the pieces of information you memorized to convey them to your audience.
How Can One Improve Their Memory?
Each person has different long-term memory and short-term memory skills and capacities. Some people, like memory champions, can memorize long lists of information (e.g., a large phone number roster), while others find it hard to memorize a grocery list.
You can use different memorization techniques to improve your memory.
- Use mnemonic devices. These devices assist your brain in recalling information with the use of patterns, abbreviations, and associations. Acronyms, where you take the first letter of each word to form a term, are one of the most used mnemonic devices. For example, to recall the colors of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet), you can use ROYGBIV.
- Make flashcards. Speeches contain many specific facts and concepts. If you want to memorize such things effectively, you can create cards containing each. On each card, you can write a question based on a fact or concept on one side and write the corresponding answer on the other side. Your goal is to familiarize yourself with the facts and concepts.
- Create a mind map. Creating a mind map and having a visual representation of the key points and sections of your speech can help you recall and retrieve information easily. Use colors and images and associate them with specific points you want to convey through your speech.
- Try the method of loci. Also known as the memory palace technique, this method involves mapping out and establishing a mental image of a place (e.g., the venue where you will be speaking) and mentally placing pictures in different spots (or loci). The pictures must represent sections of your speech. Once you’re at the event proper, you can recall the sections of your speech by looking at the spots you’ve previously identified and retrieving the images you “placed” on them.
- Consider spaced repetition. This is a variation of simple repetition. Here, you will review and recall the same information at increasing intervals or periods. The goal is to embed the information into your long-term memory. For instance, when you try to memorize an example sentence, you can initially recall it daily. After a certain number of days doing it daily, recall it every other day, then every other three days.
- Write it out. Writing your speech the old-fashioned way helps you retain the information better. Numerous pieces of research, including this 2014 study, show that note-taking by hand helped students recall — and comprehend — their lessons better than those who simply used a laptop.
- Exercise, sleep, and eat well. The human brain will function more effectively if the body and mind are in condition. It’s why you must also rest, take a break, and exercise to help your brain be able to memorize your speech. Consuming memory-enhancing foods, such as fatty fish and broccoli, can help you.
What Is The Best Way To Memorize?
Memorization skills differ from one person to another. But if you’re a public speaker who wants to master the method of delivering a memorized speech, the best way to commit your speech to memory is to understand and learn it by heart.
The key to a successful memorized speech isn’t about how well you are in memorizing the speech word for word (it can make you sound robotic and not seamless and off-the-cuff). It’s about your comprehension of your main points. To memorize any length of speech, you must break it down into more manageable sections. Chunking prevents your brain from getting overwhelmed.
Once you internalize the key sections of your speech, you must constantly rehearse. Saying it out loud, writing it down, or explaining it to someone will help you reinforce your memory. And depending on which of the above-stated techniques is the most effective for you, you can practice your speech using a memorization method to aid in improving recall.