How To Remember Talking Points
Jul 14, 2024How To Remember Talking Points
Happy Sunday Friends!
Lately, I've had a lot of calls with prospective clients - which is always a good thing. The challenge is that my prospective clients fall into three buckets: (1) Corporations (2) Graduate Schools (3) Individual Professionals. Therefore, when I'm having back-to-back calls, there are a lot of varied talking points I must remember, and it can definitely become mentally draining.
The ability to recall key talking points on demand is a crucial skill. Whether it's in meetings, interviews, networking events, or while delivering speeches and presentations, being able to remember and articulate your main points can significantly impact your effectiveness and confidence.
If you have ever found yourself in that boat, here are some strategies I've used to help me master this skill across different scenarios:
Meetings
- Preparation: Before a meeting, I always review the agenda and notes I've taken on the topics I need to address. By the way, be sure you take notes on everything! I'll also create a brief outline of my points, focusing on the key messages I want to convey.
- Use Mnemonics: Although it's great to have notes in front of you during a meeting, you don't want to be reading it when making your points. Therefore, to remember complex information, I use mnemonic devices. Trust me, it works! For example, if you need to discuss budget, timeline, and resources, you might use the acronym "BTR" to jog your memory.
Interviews
- Research: Even though I'm self-employed, I'm consistently interviewed by prospects that my hire me for my services. To ensure I can demonstrate my value and impact to them, I will familiarize myself with the company, the stakeholder's role, and the common interview questions I know I will face.
- Rehearse: I'll take it one step further and practice my responses to these questions out loud, in my office, like a crazy-person.
Networking
- Short Pitch: A big reason people struggle during networking is because they don't know how to talk about themselves. I make it a point to develop a concise short pitch that summarizes who I am, what you do, and if acceptable, my intentions. The key to this is practicing this pitch until it becomes second nature. If you don't know how to articulate the value you bring, you won't sound credible when you speak.
- Focus on Key Themes: Depending on the type of networking event I'm attending, I will have two or three main topics I want to discuss during networking events. These could be my past engagements, professional experiences, industry trends or even something playful like a recent vacation. Coming armed with key themes will help you remember what you want to say, rather than trying to think about things to talk about on the spot.
Speeches and Presentations
- Outlining: It's not a good feeling when you are standing in front of a large audience and you forget what to say. I'm big on outlining my speech, breaking it into bite-sized categories. This helps me attack each category separately before I put it all together. Eventually, your brain will recognize the category chain. I'll even try to use the mnemonics of the categories to trigger my memory on the chronological sequence.
- Practice, Practice, Practice: No brainer here. It is imperative to rehearse your speech over and over. This repetition helps solidify your talking points in your memory.
- Visual Aids: If you are using slides, charts, and other visual aids to reinforce your message, they are massively helpful as they serve as cues to help you remember your talking points during the presentation. But be sure to incorporate them into your practice sessions so that they help you remember those talking points.
Parting Words
Remembering talking points across different scenarios requires a combination of preparation, and practice. Depending on the scenario that you are in, you can employ and tailor these strategies to ensure that you convey your message effectively and confidently. At the end of the day, we are all human and we sometimes forget. Just remember, only you know what the next words are coming out of your mouth, therefore if you do get yourself in a bind, move on to the next subject and the audience won't be the wiser.
Have a fantastic week ahead!
If you are interested in improving your speaking, communication skills and confidence, schedule a call with me or learn more about communication coaching here.
Thought Of The Week
A weekly thought to meditate, ruminate, and/or ponder on:
“It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.”
- Mark Twain
Want articles like this in your inbox every Sunday morning?
Subscribe here. Don't worry, your information will not be shared.
We hate SPAM. We will never sell your information, for any reason.