The Not So Breakfast Show
Listen, laugh and learn as we share our latest thoughts about staying relevant, contemporary leadership and doing life right. Ish Cheyne is the Head of Fitness in New Zealand for global fitness juggernaut Les Mills. Sacha Coburn is the COO of Coffee Culture, a leading group of boutique coffee shops, and the co-founder of The Company You Keep.co.nz.
The Not So Breakfast Show
Episode 247: How to Speak Without Notes
Episode Show Notes
Season 8 kicks off with Sacha unpacking boxes in her new Christchurch home (can't find her microphone lead!) and Ish fresh from the holidays. This episode tackles a question they get all the time: how do you speak without notes? They break down what notes actually are, when to use them (spoiler: funerals and podcasts), and why reading to your audience means you should have just sent an email. Plus: UK Traitors' enthusiasm and why nobody actually cares what you say.
Also, for the record, the word Ish was trying to say was EXTEMPORANEOUS.
Main Topics
Notes Are A Distraction – If you're reading word-for-word to your audience, that's not a presentation, it's already an email. Send the email instead.
What Are Notes, Really? – The difference between full scripts, bullet points, cue cards, and memory aids. When each type is appropriate (and when they're not).
The Two Exceptions – Podcasts (no live audience watching) and funerals (emotion is overwhelming). Everything else is up for grabs.
Be Worthy of Your Audience – If you're asking 5, 50, 500, or 5,000 people to listen to you, the very least you can do is prepare well enough to be good. Everybody can be a worthy speaker.
Nobody Knows What You Were Going To Say – The liberating truth: your audience doesn't have your script. If you skip something or change direction, they'll never know. Relax.
Ready to level up your presenting skills? Start practising without notes!