Jennifer Lawrence Doesn’t Memorize Her Lines – Should You?
Actress Jennifer Lawrence says she doesn’t memorize her lines. Find out why The Public Speaker says you shouldn’t memorize, either – and get her tips for the best way to deliver a speech.
Lisa B. Marshall
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Jennifer Lawrence Doesn’t Memorize Her Lines – Should You?
The star of movies like The Hunger Games and Silver Linings Playbook, actress Jennifer Lawrence has said that she doesn’t memorize her lines. She claims it started because she was lazy, but that it’s always worked to her advantage.
“My friend was over and she was like, ‘What scene are you doing tomorrow?,’ and I was like, ‘I don’t know. Is that bad? Is there a point in my career where I should start learning my lines for work?’ And she was like, ‘Well, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’” – Miss Celeb interview, February 2013>
My friend Kim was recently asked to give the keynote speech at a fundraiser. She asked if I would listen to her practice a few days before the event. She showed up at my house with several printed-out pages–she had written out her speech word for word. “You’re not trying to memorize that, are you?,” I asked.
As a general rule, I don’t recommend memorization. Here’s why – and what to do instead:
Why Can’t I Just Memorize My Speech?
If you rattle off a memorized speech, you can sound impersonal and awkward.
Have you ever heard a child give a memorized speech at a school event? Their delivery is usually monotone, and too fast. Adults can sound like this, too.
If you’ve ever seen the movie Despicable Me 2, there’s a great scene in which the youngest girl, Agnes, is practicing for a Mother’s Day event. Her face goes blank and her voice turns robotic as she says:
“She kisses my boo boos,
She braids my hair,
We love mothers everywhere.”
It’s a really cute movie moment. But an adult delivering a memorized speech in a monotone? Not so cute.
Does That Mean I Should Read My Speech Instead?
Reading and memorizing are equally bad. When you read directly from notes, you risk sounding robotic and impersonal. If you do it poorly, you’ll lose your audience right away.
Back to my friend, Kim. She did use her notes, but clearly, she had practiced enough that she could tell most of her story from the heart, using the notes only as a guide. It also helped that she was telling a personal story – something she was intimately familiar with, and could easily share in a natural way.
If I Can’t Read or Memorize, What Should I Do?
I advise my clients to practice as they write.
Here’s what usually happens: You write your speech, edit it, and edit it some more, until it’s nearly perfect. Because you’ve put so much work into your speech, you’re nearly out of time. You can only squeeze in a couple of quick out-loud practice runs, if any at all.
Instead, practice what you’re going to say as you write your speech. Practice each slide as you complete it. Practice each section until you’re comfortable. Even if you can only do a small section in the shower, and another few slides while on a walk, you’ll find that’s much better practice than just doing a couple complete run-throughs.
With that in mind, you’ll still want to do two or three complete run-throughs to make sure the speech flows right, and that it’s the right length. You can put your outline and a few brief notes in the notes section of PowerPoint, or on a piece of paper that you keep with you for reference.
Is Memorizing Ever the Right Way to Go?
If you want to include a direct quote, a poem, or song lyrics, you’ll need to memorize them, or just read them out directly.
Practice what you’re going to say as you write your speech. Practice each slide as you complete it. Practice each section until you’re comfortable.
To memorize quickly, read the words to yourself and out loud a few times. Make sure you understand them, or they won’t stick in your memory. You can record yourself saying them, review them while you exercise, whisper them, shout them, or say them really fast.
Check yourself for accuracy, though – it’s easy to change wording when you memorize, and your goal is to deliver the words exactly as they were written.
Jennifer Lawrence knows what she’s doing. She understands that if she memorizes her lines, she’ll deliver them the way she learned them. She’ll focus more on the way she learned how to say the lines than on what her director, or the audience, wants to hear.
Giving a speech is not much different. If you memorize, you’ll deliver the words exactly as you learned them. You won’t change your delivery based on your audience’s needs or interests. Instead, practice, plus more practice, plus brief notes equals a much more interesting and engaging speech.
This is Lisa B. Marshall, Helping you maximize sales, manage perceptions, and enhance leadership through keynotes, workshops, books, and online courses. Passionate about communication; your success is my business. If you want even more success in your life, I invite you to read my latest book, “Smart Talk,” and listen to my other podcast, Smart Talk: Inspiring Conversations with Exceptional People.
Podium with blank page image courtesy of Shutterstock. Jennifer Lawrence image courtesy of Helga Esteb/Shutterstock.
About the Author
Lisa B. Marshall Lisa holds masters with duel degrees in interpersonal/intercultural communication and organizational communication. She’s the author of Smart Talk: The Public Speaker’s Guide to Success in Every Situation, as well as Ace Your Interview, Powerful Presenter, and Expert Presenter. Her work has been featured in CBS Money Watch, Ragan.com, Woman’s Day, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, and many others. Her institutional clients include Johns Hopkins Medicine, Harvard University, NY Academy of Science, University of Pennsylvania, Genentech, and Roche.