3. You will be far more natural
There’s a ‘reading voice’ and a ‘speaking voice’ people have. It takes exceptional skill to read in a way that sounds authentic, conversational and natural. Let’s be honest. Almost none of us do it well. I don’t, and chances are you don’t either. When you speak without using notes, you will be far more conversational, engaging and natural. And your body language will be 100 percent better.
4. You can make eye contact
That’s just huge. It’s annoying when people don’t look you in the eye when they talk to you. It’s completely disengaging when a public speaker doesn’t.
5. You will read the room better
So much of communication is nonverbal. While you can’t always see the audience when you talk (in the case of pre-recorded video or dark house lights), when you can, it’s invaluable. You can see which part of your talks are resonating, and which aren’t, so you can linger longer or move on faster. You can see who’s leaning forward, and who’s falling asleep. It can help you track how you’re connecting. And best yet, you can adjust.
6. You’ll own your material more deeply
When you have to ‘say it’ without notes, you’ll own it so much better. Learning your talk forces you to digest it, internalize and own it. As a result, your talk will be more compelling and authoritative. It just will.
7. You’ll be more vulnerable
Notes are safe. Speaking without them is more risky but more rewarding. Sure, you might mess up, but laugh at yourself. People will laugh with you. They’ll like you because you’ll seem human, which, after all, you are.
Want More?
Want to get better? Few resources have helped me as much in the last few years as Preaching Rocket (affiliate link).
I’ve been through their entire coaching programming and it’s been fantastic for me both as a preacher and a conference speaker.
If you want to explore it for yourself, you can try Preaching Rocket for free for seven days.
Those are seven reasons I see for speaking without notes.