How do speakers at public events manage to appear as if they were speaking from memory and not from a script?

Question

I have the feeling that the speech is often projected on a screen ahead of them just like it is done for newsreaders. I need someone to confirm this for me. e.g. At political conventions.

Answer 1

thats how its done

Answer 2

Even thought the podium looks clear it is a TelePrompter. Nobody can memorize an entire speech, even if they thought they had it down they are bound to flub if they didn't have the cue cards.

Answer 3

Lots of practice.In some cases it is also being a pathological liar that helps.

Answer 4

Practice

Answer 5

They use a teleprompter.  There is a projection screen, in the podium or next to the camera, where the speech text is rolled past so they can read it.  They're pretty high tech these days.  It's a pretty interesting thing to see in real life.

Answer 6

^^^^^^^

what he said...

Answer 7

The two answers above about teleprompter were close.

A podium is the thing you stand on. The lectern is the thing you stand behind to hold your notes.

In front of that and usually out of camera view is a piece of glass on an angle in relation to the line of sight of the speaker. This glass shows a reflection of the words of the speech.

The speech scrolls as the speaker talks. The same image is on the left as it is on the right. This way they can look at the audience on either side.

The audience cannot see the words reflecting in the glass. Only the speaker can. The glass is clear to the audience usually.

Teleprompter is actually a trademark name of the device.

Now, as to the memory part. Yes, some speakers give entire speeches from memory. I have known a few who do. One was near blind. He listened to the manuscript in a recording a few times and gave it word for word.

Another, an instructor at a community college class I took when in high school told us he had to give an hour speech, word for word. He did it by playing it and memorizing it line by line.

Hope this helps.

There are a couple of sections in this site about memory for public speakers.