How to Memorize a Presentation Fast: Tips and Tools That Work
These days, PowerPoint and AI tools can make it super easy to create presentation slides (we would know!). But that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. The delivery of a presentation still matters, and unless you have a West World-quality robot to present your slides, you’ll still have to put time into memorization.
Memorizing a presentation (or speech, for that matter) is no easy task. Moreover, there are going to be times when you need to figure out how to memorize a presentation fast, whether it’s because you were put on a work project at the last minute or because you procrastinated. Either way, we’re not judging. We just hope to provide you with some tips that can help you memorize your slides and talking points in an hour or less.
Should You Memorize a Presentation or Speech Word-for-Word?
First of all, we have to consider the question of whether you should memorize your presentation or speech word-for-word. Since you’re probably reading this with little time to memorize, the answer is “no,” simply because you don’t have the time unless your presentation is just a couple minutes long.
But if you do have time to memorize each and every word, is it worth it? Generally, it’s best not to go into your presentation prep with the intention of memorizing your slide delivery word-for-word. There are a couple reasons for this.
For one, it’s often not realistic. If you’re giving a 30-minute presentation for example, you’ll likely be speaking thousands of words over the course of those 30 minutes. That’s far too many to memorize reliably.
Second, while there is a time and place for a well-memorized and rehearsed speech, most presentations aren’t the right time or place. You risk coming off as inauthentic or unknowledgeable about your topic. Moreover, if you’ve practiced your presentation with the expectation that you are going to recite every word exactly as you’ve written it, you’re going to have a harder time recovering when you inevitably slip up.
That said, a presentation script can still be a highly useful tool during your presentation prep. You may not go in with the intention of memorizing it word-for-word, but a script can help you with talking points and put your ideas into words. It can act as a baseline for the spoken portion of your presentation. In fact, script generation is one of the features in our Twistly add-in for PowerPoint, which uses ChatGPT to create your slides and can create speaker notes for you in an instant.
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Know Your Content: Turn Slides into a Mental Map
If memorizing a presentation word-for-word isn’t ideal, then what is the right way to do it? The easiest way to remember something is to understand it.
Think about it in the same way as studying for a test in school. You can certainly try to memorize questions and their matching answers, but it is much more effective to simply understand the material before going into an exam. Your presentation should be treated the same way.
But since you’re trying to memorize a presentation quickly, there’s a trick you can use. It’s called a memory anchor, and it might be the easiest way to remember just about anything. A memory anchor is a visual, emotion or structural element that acts as a cue to jog your memory. They can be things like images, charts, bolded phrases or even slide transitions that help you mentally segment the presentation.
As an example, you might remember to talk about market trends when you see a particular chart or use an image of a leaky bucket to remind you to open with a story about customer churn. You could even use color, associating a certain color (or icon) with a product feature. Just use whatever cue works for you.
In this way, you aren’t remembering a detailed script. You are remembering a simple cue-to-talking point connection.
The 4-Step Method to Memorize a Presentation Fast
We realize the above won’t necessarily be much help if you have only an hour to memorize your presentation or speech, so let’s dive into some techniques that can really help engrain your slides into your brain ASAP.
Chunk the Content
If you have even a few minutes of time, break your talk into three to five main sections. Trying to memorize 10 slides or a 15 minute speech in a small amount of time will just overwhelm your brain. Instead, divide the presentation into clear segments, such as the introduction, main point 1, main point 2, main point 3 and the conclusion. You can even label them mentally as something like “hook,” “problem,” “solution” and “call to action.”
Use Memory Anchors for Each Chunk
Again, you may not have a ton of time to develop cues for everything, but you can establish a few memory anchors even if you have only an hour to do so. It really is the easiest way to remember something.
Practice Concept Recall
Don’t even try word-for-word repetition. It will only lead to blank-outs and anxiety. Instead, practice concept recall, memorizing the overall point you’re trying to make with any given slide or paragraph. Look at a slide or header, and think to yourself, “what is my message here?” Practice explaining it out loud a few times, varying your language for each one to build a flexible but durable memory pathway.
Do a Quick Rehearsal Loop
Repetition builds confidence, but it doesn’t need to take hours. Here is how to do it fast:
- Run through your entire deck quickly without stopping or fixing mistakes
- Repeat this 3-4 times, strengthening recall with each pass
- Try to use the same memory anchors each time to reinforce them
Last-Minute Speech or Presentation Practice
Now, if you don’t even have an hour and you’re really pressed for time, we’ll give you one final bonus tip. This one can take just 10 minutes.
Use some of the techniques above, but instead of focusing on all of your slides, focus on the intro and conclusion. That way, you feel confident starting your presentation, and if you slip up in the middle, you’ll at least have confidence summing it all up at the end.
If you still have a bit more time, use sticky-note keywords. These can actually be written on a sticky note or just something you memorize, but the idea is to assign a short, memorable phrase that will help you mentally recall broader talking points for your slide. It’s something you can glance at quickly without having to add memory anchors to the slides themselves. For instance, you might use the keyword “pain point” as a reminder to tell a story of a particular customer’s issue. Or you might use the phrase “faster, smarter, easier” to recall the three advantages of your product versus the competitors’.
Unless your presentation or speech is just a few minutes long, memorizing it word-for-word is a futile attempt. Instead, aim for understanding your content deeply and using memory cues to recall the most important aspects of each slide. When you’ve done that, you’ll see just how quickly you can memorize any slide deck.