Great Speakers Don't Memorize Their Speech, They Internalize It
Description: Discover the transformative journey from memorizing to internalizing speeches in this insightful guide. Learn practical techniques for embodying your talk, enhancing audience connection, and ensuring your message resonates deeply. Perfect for speakers aiming to elevate their presentations from mere recitation to impactful storytelling.
"I wish you would tell the story the same way you did in your TED talk."
My mom drove multiple states just to see me deliver a talk.
It's 2016, one year after my talk at TEDxManchesterHighSchool went viral, and I'm doing a lot more paid, professional speaking these days.
Mom was so excited to see me work in person, and after the speech she showered me with compliments the way moms do. But this one comment stuck out.
"What do you mean?" I asked, genuinely surprised. "I tell it the exact same way I did in the TED talk."
She puzzles for a moment.
"No, I don't think so. Go back and watch the TED talk. Something is different."
And she's definitely right, something IS different - I noticed it myself. Lately, my stories aren't getting the emotional buy-in that they used to when I first started speaking.
Over the next year, it continued to happen.
I told the stories word-for-word just like I always had, but they just didn't pack the same punch. And then one day in 2017, they started connecting with audiences again.
Why did they stop working in the first place, and why did they suddenly get better?
This week's article is about memorizing, internalizing, and delivering presentations that feel like magic.
Memorization is the beginning, not the end
When I train speakers to deliver short-form talks, i.e. TEDx, Toastmasters, Speaker Slam, they are often concerned that I want them to write and memorize the talk word-for-word.
"Won't that sound robotic?" they often ask.
"Yes," I reply. "If you merely memorize it, you will sound like a robot."
But the goal isn't to memorize the talk; memorization is merely the starting point.
Memorizing is the process of remembering precisely what you're going to say and delivering the talk word-for-word.
Internalizing is the process of embedding the talk deep within your soul so that it pours out of you without thinking about the script or worrying about getting the words right.
Internalized talks feel effortless to deliver
Have you ever had a job where you drove the same route to work each day? And when you worked that job, did you ever get to work and not remember driving there?
That's because you internalized the path from home to work. The precise movements may change from day to day, depending on the particular traffic or when exactly you left the house, but it doesn't matter - your body takes care of adjusting for minor variations without you even noticing.
The same is true of delivering a talk that is internalized. You may flip some words, forget a sentence, reverse the order of something, but it really doesn't matter. You don't even notice the details anymore, because you know the talk so well.
My former client Sneha Mandala perfectly described this feeling in the interview she gave for the documentary film Beyond the Red Dot:
"And then I stand on the stage, and the entire script comes out as if I'm singing a song. It was so nice and smooth and easy for me that I actually enjoyed saying it!"
- Sneha Mandala
When your talk is internalized, the script gets out of your way.
Now there is nothing between you and the audience, so you can focus all of your energy on being emotionally present with the room.
Step 1: How to Memorize the Talk
There are many ways to memorize, and the key is finding the method that works best for you. Here I've included my preferred method and also additional tools suggested by members of the Clarity Up consulting team.
Brian Miller
(Founder & Principal Consultant)
I like to memorize in three phases.
First, design. I design the speech according to the Core Messaging principles, which means that the speech follows a logical story structure that we all intuitively understand. For example, Introduction, Story Hook, Status Quo, Paradigm Shift, Success, Conclusion. My brain already knows what major section of the speech I'm in and therefore roughly what must come next, which means I'm ahead of the game without memorizing a single word.
Second, blocks. I memorize each section at a time. I start with the introduction and read it word for word over and over like I'm cramming for a 9th grade Spanish test, until it sticks. I don't move on until that section is completely memorized.
Third, reduction. When each section is committed to memory I then read off the script for the entire talk word for word until it feels good. Then I reduce the script to a detailed outline, and read off the outline to deliver the entire talk, filling in the blanks from memory. Finally I reduce the detailed outline to a top level outline and deliver the talk from that, filling in the blanks.
By the time I'm done with this process I can deliver any short-form talk (say under 20 minutes) by memory. It usually only takes a few days or a week to do this, provided the speech was already designed properly.
Francisco Mahfuz
(Storytelling Specialist)
When Francisco memorizes his own scripts and works with our clients to do the same, he's a big fan of the recording method.
Record yourself delivering the script word for word into your phone's audio notes app. Then listen back to it while you're driving, doing the dishes, and other routine tasks. Just like we naturally memorize our favorite songs by hearing them over and over again, you can memorize your own talk with the same approach.
I've used this personally and find it very effective and surprisingly easy to do.
Ioana (Jo) Jongsma
(Executive Presence & Performance Specialist)
Taken right from a LinkedIn post Jo made recently:
"Of all the things we can do to be better speakers, here's my number 1 favorite: SLEEP! Here are three reasons you'll want to optimize your sleep, if you're preparing for a speaking gig:
Sleep is essential to our ability to form and access long term memories, such as a speech we want to internalize or knowledge readily available for Q&A.
Alcohol and caffeine change our sleep architecture (the duration and depth of the sleep phases) thus impacting memory.
10-15 minutes of Yoga Nidra, NSDR (non-sleep-deep-rest) or a nap after practicing a talk can help consolidate that experience in our memory."
So there you have it. I have a logical process, Francisco has a creative process, and Jo thinks you should rest. If that doesn't sum up our personality differences, I don't know what does.
Step 2: Internalize the Talk by Going Above and Beyond
After you've memorized your talk, you're going to feel like you've really done it. But in fact, that's just the beginning of the process.
Now, rehearse your memorized talk 20, 50, or even 100 more times.
Yes, I'm serious - that's the commitment that truly extraordinary speakers make and it absolutely sets them apart. Hardly anyone is willing to put in that level of work, because it's exhausting and, quite frankly, boring.
In his book The Dip, Seth Godin explains that The Dip is a period of hardship and struggle that one must get through to achieve true mastery and success in any field.
"Every new project (or job, or hobby, or company) starts out exciting and fun. Then it gets harder and less fun, until it hits a low point—really hard, and not much fun at all. And then you find yourself asking if the goal is even worth the hassle."
Every speaker will hit this Dip at some point in their journey. You know it's coming, and you must plan in advance to push through it.
Because when you do, it really, really shows.
Getting past the professional speaker 'Dip'
When I delivered my 14 min talk at TEDxManchesterHighSchool I really had no idea what I was doing. I was nervous and it was the first time I'd ever told that story on stage in front of an audience, and so that authenticity carried through.
But over the next year as I started getting invited to speak professionally, and every client requested (demanded) that I "tell the story from the TED talk," I memorized it.
Merely memorized it.
And that's when it stopped connecting deeply with audiences. I was saying the lines, but I wasn't present. I wasn't living the story, people can just sense when you're in your head instead of with them.
When my mom said, "I wish you would tell the story the same way you did in your TED talk," she couldn't articulate what was different, and neither could I.
But looking back, it's so clear: I hadn't yet internalized the story to the point where the script got out of my way and I could simply be present with the audience.
After another year of stage time I eventually delivered it enough that I didn't have to think about it anymore, and that's when the story started landing again.
When you really know your talk, you can just be you on stage
Just a few days ago, I delivered a short 10-min talk to close out the night after judging Speaker Slam's competition in Toronto.
Following my presentation, a fellow professional speaker and speaker coach, Jason Reid, approached me and shook my hand. Then he gave me one of the very best compliments I can imagine:
"Brian, it was so great to finally see you on stage, in person. My favorite thing about your presentation was that you have no discernible style; you were just you."
So, what's the real secret to making your stories and scripts emotionally engaging?
It's really this simple: move from just memorizing your words to truly living them. When you internalize your talk, it stops being just a performance. It becomes a part of you—a story you're not just telling but experiencing alongside your audience.
Think back to those moments when you're telling a story to a friend, not worrying about the next word because it flows from a place of truth. That's where you want your talk to come from.
And yes, it takes a ton of practice, maybe even feeling a bit over the top at times. But it's worth it.
Because when you reach that level of comfort, your audience doesn't just hear your message; they feel it. And that's the magic we're all chasing after, isn't it?
Practical Advice on Clear Communication
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Topics include:
How to book, write, and deliver TED-style talks
Clear and consistent messaging
Professional speaking
