A Good 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 a Guide. He demonstrates a Performance of Speaking technique that I strongly suggest you consider. Instead of Reading a Speech, or continually referring to

pages of notes on a lectern, he uses what appear to be, 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 and one which you should learn to use comfortably and confidently in your Presentations. It’s a movement technique that improves your Presentation impact and like most Speaking Skills it’s learnable. All of these skills are learnable, but you learn by doing.

Notecards can improve your Performance of Presenting.

Notecards add a smoothness to your delivery. They reduce unnecessary paper noise and movement which only distracts the audience from you and your message. And that, after all, that is not 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 your Performance. If you video-check yourself periodically, you can catch a “bad habit” in its early stage. Watch, Catch, Correct!

Performance of Speaking^© develops Confidence through Skills.