Few, Simple Messages are the Key to Effective Speeches, Presentations


In my role as speaker coach I have noticed that increasingly often people are confident and competent presenters but they are let down by the material. To be successful in speaking you need to get two things right: you need to be able to deliver your content effectively and you need to have content that is worth delivering.

All of the people I coach one-to-one know their topic and they have interesting things to say. The only problem lies in selecting and organizing this material.

My experience is that the best way to address this task is to start with the result. Rather than collecting information then trying to organize it, what usually works better is to start with the end result and work backwards. There are three steps in this process.

Choosing the Key Messages. First of all you have to define exactly what you want the audience to think at the end of the presentation. Remember that if this is not clear in your head then it will be difficult to plant a clear idea in other people's heads. You should choose one, two or three key messages at this stage. In theory you could try to communicate more, but in practice the extra messages will not only be lost, the noise will also cover the other messages. It is unrealistic to expect an audience to retain more than three messages, even if they are all PhD candidates.

Select points that support these messages. Once the messages are defined for each of them choose the points, data and anecdotes that will support these messages. Exactly how you do this is a matter of personal choice. Some people do it in their head, others prefer a whiteboard and a few like to use Post It notes. Techniques like Mind Maps can also help in this stage. You might also start to choose some illustrations that support your messages at this point.

Structure the material logically. Take all the messages, points, examples, jokes, stories and so on that you have collected and organize them into a logical flow. This logical structure will make it easier for people to follow your reasoning. It also makes the speech easier to remember and deliver. Make sure that the structure is driven by the messages and the points rather than the illustrations. One very common problem in speaking and presenting is to start with the illustrations and talk around them. This tends to make the messages less clear and the presentation less logical.

Once you have reached this stage there is still one more very important thing to do:  test and revise. Always test a speech or a presentation and revise the content until you are confident that it runs smoothly and resonates with the audience. Find a test audience to test it before you ever try it on a real audience, and for the most important occasions try to find an audience that is similar to your target audience.


Lectures, Workshops, Coaching and Writing

 Contact Andrew Hennigan at speaker@andrewhennigan.com or 0046 730 894 475 if you would like lectures, workshops or one-to-one coaching for speaking, presenting, influencing and more.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dear Best Regards: How to Start and End Your Emails

Image
Last year I wrote that to make your email more effective you should put meaningful content into the subject line, keep your messages short and consider other channels (see Three Timesaving Tips for Email ). I also wrote some guidelines about common culture problems when email crosses borders (see Three Non-Obvious Ways Culture Affects Email ). But there is one other question about international email that comes up regularly in workshops: how should you start and finish? Do I use "Dear", "Hi",or "Hello" to start with? What do I do if I don't know if the person I am writing to is a man or a woman? "What is the difference between "Best regards  and "Warm regards"? This is a question that puzzles many people and a while ago it stressed me, too. But the answers to these questions are perhaps easier than you imagine. DEAR MR/MRS WHATEVER . First of all, at the start of a mail you probably have some sort of salutation. How do you kn
Read more

Reverting to Emails: Confusion and the Indian English Language

Image
In workshops about global email many people focus on their issues communicating with colleagues in India. Partly this is related to some deeper cultural differences that lead to misunderstandings. But many problems are also caused by the different ways in which Indian people use English. There are some "English" words that you will probably only hear in India, like " stepney ", their word for a spare wheel. A hundred years ago this term was coined in the UK and was exported to India where it survived. Back home only a few antique vehicle enthusiasts have any idea what it means. There are also many English expressions that are peculiar to India, like "What is your good name?". But in both cases an English speaker from elsewhere would just see an unfamiliar expression and either ask what it means or google it. Most problems are caused by another kind of difference: where a standard US or UK English word is used but with a different meaning. Recently s
Read more

TED’s Magical Red Carpet

Image
Watch any TED(x) video or, better still, attend a live event, and you will probably notice that speakers stand in the middle of a circular red carpet. This choice is not just a question of aesthetics. That red carpet actually plays a key role in the success of the TED format. Having the speaker stand in the middle of a red carpet has several important consequences, leading the speaker to follow best practices that they might not be aware of. No script or notes . Since there is no table, lectern or other furniture within reach, the speaker cannot easily read from a script. This forces them to deliver their talk from memory, which is much more compelling because few people can read from a script and make it sound natural. And no matter how good you are at reading, the audience can see that your eyes are scanning the text and this breaks the magical connection with their minds. Encouraging people to speak from memory pushes them to make a much better talk than they might ot
Read more