Note Cards are a Professional Reference tool when done well.

Michael Specter is a staff writer for the New Yorker. In this Presentation at TED, he uses Note Cards as his Guide. And like Michael, You too can learn to use Notecards as your guide. He effectively demonstrates a Performance of Speaking technique that I strongly suggest you consider. Instead of Reading a Speech from…

pages of notes sitting on a lectern, he refers to typical 3×5 Note Cards. See how he shuffles through them. His hand movements are small, never interfering with his Presentation which is smooth and natural. And, one of the biggest benefits: He’s Free to move about the stage.

Stage movement is a technique that I highly recommend. An important skill which you should learn to use comfortably and confidently in your Presentations. Movement is a technique that improves your Presentation impact and like most Speaking Skills it’s learnable. All of these skills are learnable, but remember you do learn by doing.

Notecards can improve your Performance of Presenting.

Notecards add a smoothness to your delivery. They reduce unnecessary paper noise which only distracts the audience from you and your message. Your Message, after all, that is why you came here to begin with. Performance skills are learnable skills and I advise you to check your skills from time-to-time. Bad habits have a way of creeping into a Performance. If you video-check yourself periodically, you can catch a “bad habit” in its early stage. Watch, Catch, Correct! Watch again.

Performance of Speaking^© develops Confidence through Skills.