WRITE IT OUT

Writing is on our minds. We’ve been putting in long hours to complete David’s new book, Heartbeats in Clay. Although tiring, we noticed a cognitive charge and memory boost after each session. Many of our notes and drafts were written in longhand.

We recommend writing out your next presentation. Ernest Hemingway wrote all his original drafts in longhand before typing them up, and he was no slouch.

Handwriting lights up your brain, including language centers and visual processing. It also leads to increased memory retention. Writing forces your brain to summarize and actively process information. And writing creates neural patterns linked to working and long-term memory. You will actually be learning your material as you write it.

Typing, whether on a keyboard or cell phone, offers little sensory feedback, perception or engagement, proven by lower student test scores cited in many studies. But the end process for speakers is different. As you progress from longhand to typing to a finished presentation, do not write a script.

Distill your material into an outline-- the speaker’s best friend. It will keep you on track and allow you to pivot or improvise in the moment when necessary. Plus, the conversational tone and authenticity you use with an outline will make your words sing.