Here is a technique that is only for the well-disciplined, and then only for the big speeches.
Let’s say it is your biggest speech of the year in front of the most important audience and you want to be great. One technique is to practice your speech out loud, perhaps even reading your speech, and recording it on audio or video. Next, watch/listen to yourself. Keep re-doing the speech until you think it is great. Next, watch/listen to the speech several times a day for a week, in your car or while going for a walk or jog. After awhile, the words to your speech become as ingrained as any childhood “row, row, row your boat” song.
So when you stand up to deliver your presentation, you are essentially going through the sound track in your head. You are able to deliver the speech in a conversational way, without reading it, because you have burned tracks into your memory.
This technique isn’t for everyone, but it can be effective and will eliminate the need for any notes.
I would not use this for the run of the mill Monday morning staff meeting, but for the biggies, it can be quite effective.
TJ Walker is a presentation coach. You can view his online public speaking courses at https://www.mediatrainingworldwide.com/online-training.html