The most common mistake with cue cards is writing too much on them. A card with a full paragraph is a script in disguise, and you end up reading it with your head down. A good card is something you can take in with a glance.
One idea per card
Each card should hold one thought: a story, a point, a statistic, a transition. When you finish saying it, you turn the card. If a card holds two ideas, you will either skip the second or lose your place between them.
A five-minute talk usually needs five to ten cards. If you have thirty, some of them are sentences, not ideas.
A few words, not full sentences
Write the words that trigger the idea, not the idea itself:
- Too much: "I want to tell you about the time Emma tried to post her hamster to our grandmother, because she thought it would be happier in the countryside."
- About right: "Story: Emma, age nine, hamster in the post box."
You know the story. The card only has to start it.
Keep the exact words where they matter
Some lines deserve to be written out word for word:
- Your opening line, because nerves are at their worst in the first ten seconds.
- Quotes, numbers and names, which are easy to get wrong.
- Your closing line or call to action.
Give each of those its own card, so they stand out from the prompts.
Add a cue for how to say it
A cue is a note to yourself about delivery rather than content: [cue pause], [cue slow down], [cue look at them], [cue raise glass]. In CueCard, type [ or tap Add Cue and the reminder shows up in color on the card, so you notice it without reading it out.
How long is too long?
CueCard allows up to 280 characters a card. As you get close, a count appears, and anything over the limit is marked, which is a useful nudge to split the card in two.
If you plan to read from the Lock Screen, aim for 120 characters or fewer. That is what the Lock Screen has room for, and longer cards are cut short there. It is also a good target in general: 120 characters is about twenty words, which is plenty for one idea.
An example deck
Here is a short product launch toast as five cards:
- Good evening, everyone. Thank you for coming. [cue smile]
- Three years ago this was an idea on a napkin. [cue pause]
- Tonight it has 40 people and its first customers.
- Thank you to the team, who made the napkin real. [cue look at them]
- Now, the part you came for: the food. [cue raise glass]
Each card is one beat. Read it, look up, say it.
Try it
CueCard's Cards mode is free on iPhone and iPad. Write each card in its own box, tap Read Cards, and swipe through. Add a timer with a warning so you know when to wrap up, and put the deck on your Lock Screen or Apple Watch if you would rather not hold the phone.