Quora Answer: How Do You Memorise a Long Speech?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “How do you memorise a long speech?”

I do not memorise long speeches.  In fact, I never memorise any speech, and I have given a lot of them over two decades.  The problem with memorising a speech is that in the event you lose your concentration or train of thought, you might be left searching for words at the wrong time.  What I do is note down what I want to say, the structure of the speech, a few quotes I want to cite, and some points I want to highlight.  When it comes to any point, I never give more than three examples. I like to use rhetorical devices such as metaphors and alliteration to flesh out the story, and I make it a habit to inject some dry wit. 

Nobody starts out giving long speeches.  You begin by knowing how to speak well for a minute or so, then five minutes of so, then twenty minutes or so.  If a speech is meant to stretch beyond that, it helps to have visual cues such as PowerPoint slides, or you might find yourself meandering off topic, and losing the audience.