One of the most common reasons we experience presentation
anxiety is the fear that we will forget what we have to say and risk losing
credibility. A method many use to address this fear is to create PowerPoint
slides as a memory aid. However, this is short-sighted because nothing erodes
your credibility as a speaker faster than signaling to the audience that you
are dependent on your slides.
Seasoned presenters are able to announce a slide before
showing it. At a minimum, they know their material so well that all they need
to do is briefly glance at the slide to know what's coming next. You can
achieve this by doing simple memory boosting practices to remember your
presentation material and, in turn, reduce your anxiety.
Here are nine tips to help you remember what you have to
say.
1. Use the Palace Method
Research into brain science has proven that there is a very
deep connection between the way we remember an event and the space in which it
occurred. The brain system that is important for memory is also important for
space; in other words, we remember things on the basis of spatial locations or
"spatial scaffolds." This is an ancient memory technique, commonly
referred to as The Palace Method or Mind Palace. To learn how to use the
method, watch Joshua Foer's video, “To Remember Better, Build a Mansion in Your
Mind", or read his book, Moonlighting with Einstein: The Art and Science
of Remembering Everything.
2. Use mind maps
Mind maps are diagrams that allow you to lay out all of your
presentation material in a visual shape rather than in list form.
