Avoid the Data Dump with This Memory Cheat

• 00:05 A common problem for many people is that they're perfectly fine speaking,
• 00:09 friends, family, colleagues, one-on-one conversations in the office or
• 00:14 with a boss.
• 00:15 But when they have to stand up to give that official briefing or
• 00:19 that formal speech.
• 00:21 That's when all the ums come out.
• 00:24 The problem is the way they've structured their presentation.
• 00:27 They have way too much data.
• 00:29 They're trying to cover every single little fact in an abstract way,
• 00:34 devoid of context.
• 00:36 Think of it this way.
• 00:37 If you bump into a colleague Monday morning and they ask how was your weekend,
• 00:41 you're likely to say, it was fine.
• 00:43 We went to... and then you'll talk about one example of something interesting you did.
• 00:49 But imagine if someone said how was your weekend, and you had to say,
• 00:52 well, at 6:01 on Saturday morning, I woke up.
• 00:54 At 6:02, I got up and went to the bathroom.
• 00:57 At 6:03, I went and poured coffee.
• 00:59 At 6:04, I mean that would be nerve-wracking.
• 01:04 Anyone would have the uhs and ums come out, trying to remember the sequence,
• 01:09 day part after day part, minute by minute.
• 01:12 That puts too much pressure on the brain.
• 01:16 It also, frankly, bores your audience to death.
• 01:19 So one of the things that will eliminate the uhs and
• 01:22 ums coming out of your presentation is getting rid of the boring data dump.
• 01:28 Instead, you need to narrow your messages down to the top five,
• 01:31 even if you're giving an hour long presentation.
• 01:34 If you're just rattling off fact after fact, that's when the uhs and
• 01:38 ums are going to come out.
• 01:40 It's going to make you look uncomfortable,
• 01:42 unprofessional, and it's frankly going to bore everyone else to death.
• 01:47 So narrow your messages down.
• 01:52 If you've got a whole lot of data, hand it out, email it.
• 01:52 Don't try to remember it and say it all in front of people.
• 01:56 For most people, the uhs and
• 01:58 ums really come out when they're in the act of trying to remember.
• 02:02 What's next, what do I say next?
• 02:04 Where's my speech here, what's in my outline?
• 02:08 I can't quite read the teleprompter or the PowerPoint slides.
• 02:12 Don't put so much pressure on your memory when you're giving a presentation.
• 02:17 It's simply human nature if you're feeling a little uncomfortable.
• 02:21 And most people feel uncomfortable when they're speaking, giving presentations,
• 02:26 talks, even leaving a voicemail if it's not with a close friend.
• 02:29 The uhs and ums come out because you're trying to remember what to say, and
• 02:34 you're trying to talk at the same time.
• 02:37 I want to make life easy for you, reduce the stress.
• 02:41 Here's the tip.
• 02:43 I want you to, don't tell anyone, cheat.
• 02:45 I want you to actually cheat.
• 02:48 This is a technique I use all the time, I've never been caught.
• 02:52 By the way, there's nothing unethical about it or illegal.
• 02:56 What I'm talking about is when you're giving an important speech, presentation,
• 03:01 talk, briefing, or even just having a meeting with someone, use a cheat sheet.
• 03:06 Here's a single sheet of paper that I use.
• 03:09 And I just have two or three, at most four words to remind me of the point.
• 03:15 I use large fonts, typically 20 point or larger, use bold lettering.
• 03:21 This way I don't have to pick it up.
• 03:24 It's on a single sheet, so I'm not flipping pages.
• 03:29 It's large enough font, so I don't have to bend over or
• 03:32 stop and kind of fiddle with my glasses.
• 03:35 Hang on, let me get my glasses.
• 03:36 I don't have to do any of that.
• 03:38 It's just very large, I can have it right in front of me.
• 03:42 If I'm standing up, it can be on a lectern, on a table.
• 03:45 If I'm sitting down, it can be right at the table.
• 03:48 This takes all the pressure off.
• 03:51 The more relaxed you are, the more you can simply talk to people and
• 03:54 not think about what am I going to say next?
• 03:57 I forgot, and I don't know what I'm going to say.
• 03:59 If you're not thinking about remembering, and forgetting, and
• 04:03 what you're going to say, you can just be relaxed and be in the moment.
• 04:08 And that's when you'll see the ums and uhs melt away.

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