Have you noticed that when you go out to eat the waiter or waitress never takes notes? If you ask a waiter if he or she might like to take notes the response is usually “oh I don’t need to take notes, I have a great memory”. Then what happens? Aunt Sally gets brisket instead of salmon, Uncle John gets salmon instead of brisket, and you have to ask for the check to be corrected because the total isn’t right. So much for memory.

Memory is notoriously fickle. Can you remember what you did last weekend? I can, but to be honest, I have to think a bit to recall it. What happens to our memory when we are under pressure? In short term, high pressure situations, hormones are released in the body that disrupts the process by which our brain gathers information. For speakers, this can result in a “blanking out” feeling, and an inability to recall the details of their speech. There is a simple solution, of course, and that is to have notes discreetly laid out on the podium, and refer to them if needed. “But” you say, “My boss hates notes”. Right. So cheat a little bit… try these tricks to beat the no-note culture:

1. Hide some notes in a small window on your computer screen – just be sure not to project your notes!

2. Put your notes in Google Docs on your Ipad – your boss might be more relaxed about you referencing a few notes if you ditch the note-cards and use technology.

3. List items in your notes using bullet points – Don’t write out sentences, just write a few words per bullet point. It may be that your boss doesn’t want you to sound too rehearsed or stiff. If you keep your notes brief, you can glance at them quickly while you’re speaking, get the main idea, and then make eye contact with your audience members.