My most brilliant clients write the worst notes.
I was reminded of this just last week while working with an exceptionally bright technical analyst.
He relied on his notes constantly, filled pauses with "ums" and "ahs," stopped and started in a disjointed way, and - despite his deep expertise - came across as hesitant and unsure. We were getting about 20% of him. And it was clear there was so much more to give.
So, I did the unthinkable. I took his notes away.....
Then, I asked him a few simple questions about his topic - something he knew inside out.
And just like that, the transformation happened.
He looked up. He connected. He owned his content like the expert he is. Gone was the hesitation. We got 100% of him - engaging, natural, confident. It was incredible to watch.
I see this all the time: highly intelligent, technical people, pouring effort into detailed notes, only to bury themselves in them when they present. Because they don’t want to get anything wrong.
I'm sure that same perfectionism has fueled their success - but when it comes to speaking, it's holding them back.
Now, I’m not anti-notes. I use them all the time. But they need to be the right notes.
Here’s what I suggest:
Prepare your presentation.
Practice your talk at least ten times - but in ten different ways. Rephrase your ideas each time. This gives you far more freedom than trying to memorize exact sentences.
Avoid using notes when you practice. This forces your memory to work harder and makes your rehearsal more effective.
Then, and only then, write a new set of notes - no full sentences, just key words or prompts. These will be much shorter and far more useful.
And if you are a die-hard perfectionist - I see you - you might not be able to avoid the temptation of reading any notes! So, if you can, turn them over and only use them if you really need to.
Don’t let your notes steal your personality.