Preparing a speech is hard. It takes time and you deserve to give it the time. But I know, I understand: There can be so much information to get across. There can be loads you actually want to talk about. There can be nothing that springs to mind. And usually you get to the point where you think… “I’ll just deliver the info, no one needs or wants anything more than that…”
Stop.
It’s time to change the way you think about speaking in public.
From now on think about speaking in public as….
- Storytelling
- Talking about what you care about
- Conversing with a friend
How… put what you want to achieve, why its important to you and how you got there in to your prep.
Here are the questions I ask my speaking clients before we even begin…
- What is the purpose of your talk?
- Who is the audience and what will they be expecting from you? Where are you?
- What one thing do you want the audience to understand from your talk?
- What is your connection to the topic? eg What made you proud? What made you laugh? What do you obsess about? What made you sad / frustrated? (the emotions go on and on)
- How do you want the audience to think/feel about you when you have finished?
The answers here lay the foundation to how you build a great talk, and a great connection with your audience. You’ll find the stories to tell, and the connections to find.