204 REFINE AND REHEARSE
mind might look like. (I created the content based on informa-
tion in Vanguard’s marketing material.)
When you’re actually delivering the final presentation, if the
notes give you peace of mind, by all means, keep them avail-
able. A major benefit of Apple’s Keynote presentation software
is that it allows the speaker to see notes on the computer screen
while the audience sees the slide on the projector. This is harder,
but not impossible, to do with PowerPoint. However, regardless
of the software you use, if you practice enough, you will find
that you don’t need to rely on your notes at all.How to Use Notes When
Notes Are a Must
Notes are not inherently bad. In a rare glimpse at how Jobs actu-
ally does use notes, a blogger took a photograph of Jobs’s demoJoel Osteen is the hugely popular pastor of Houston’s
Lakewood Church. He preaches to some forty-seven thou-
sand people a week who show up to see him in person and
to millions of others on television. Osteen speaks in a natural,
conversational style and rarely misses a beat, despite creating
thirty minutes of content every week. How does he do it?
First, he commits. Osteen begins working on sermons on the
Wednesday prior to his appearance and spends the better part
of four days practicing. Second, he uses notes but glances at
them very discreetly. He places notes on a lectern but never
stands behind the lectern. This approach lets him keep eye
contact with the audience and maintain an open posture. He
never reads a full sentence from his notes. Instead, he walks
behind the lectern, glances at his notes, and keeps walk-
ing to the opposite side, delivering his messages directly to
worshippers.How Joel Osteen Inspires Millions