Recent advice on using note (cue) cards

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I looked up some advice about using note (cue) cards for presentations. One recent set of advice comes from a post by Rosemary Ravinal at The Master Communicator Blog on August 22, 2022 titled Eight ways to use note cards during a presentation. Another set of advice comes from an October 6, 2021 five-minute YouTube video by Ryan Guy titled 5 Tips for Using Note Cards During a Speech.

 

Rosemary’s eight ways are:

 

Pick the right-sized cards.

Write only what is essential.

Refrain from using your smartphone for notes.

Memorize the first ten seconds of your talk.

Print a copy of your presentation, just in case.

Resist the temptation to read verbatim.

Word of caution about virtual teleprompters.

Know when to turn the page.

 

As shown above, she suggests you either use 5.5”x8.5” cards (8.5”x11” sheets of card stock cut in half) or 4”x6” cards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Under Write only what is essential she says that:

 

“Short bullets can serve as the outline of your talk. Write down keywords to jog your memory and keep you from going astray. Are there numbers, statistics, and complex names that are necessary for your content to resonate? Write those down. Do not telegraph that you are using note cards. Glance gently at them and return your eyes to the audience right away. Hold your cards in your non-dominant hand. That way, when you speak and gesture, you are not fanning yourself with the cards and calling attention to them.”

 

Ryan instead advises that you use 3”x5” palm-sized cards. He suggests limiting yourself to five cards – introduction, three main points, and conclusion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both Rosemary and Ryan suggest numbering your cards. Why? As is shown above, Murphy’s Law means you might trip while stepping up to the stage or dais, and drop your cards. In a blog post on February 12, 2020 titled Using note cards confidently I suggested that you also chain or tie your cards together.

 

Another blog post by David Meerman Scott on July 29, 2020 titled Cue Cards in 2020: A powerful analog presentation tool adapted from the Apollo Lunar Program discusses using larger cards for Zoom presentations.  

 

Note (cue) cards are not the only way to keep track of a speech. Back on August 4, 2009 I blogged about Mind mapping and idea mapping for planning speeches. If you have a mind map, then you could leave it on the lectern to glance at as needed.   

 

The image of Rosa Di Belmonte holding a hand fan was adapted from one at Wikimedia Commons, as was a falling warning sign.