Have you ever sat through a presentation and thought, “what are they talking about?” It’s not that you don’t know the topic…it is the presenter hasn’t landed on what they are trying to say. Have you ever been there? Is it just me?
I have done a fair amount of speech coaching over the years. With everyone I have coached my question stays the same…what do you want me to know? When the speech or presentation is done what information do you want me to walk away with?
I would like to share with you a few ways to accomplish this.
1. Don’t make your topic too broad. Many people go into a presentation and try to tell you everything they know on the topic. When you do this there is no central focus to the presentation and the audience gets over saturated.
2. Tell the audience what you want them to know. If you are giving a speech on the best way to make a pie, tell the audience, “In this presentation you will learn the best way to make a pie. It is as easy as following these simple steps.” Then, lead them through the simple steps. Only go as deep in your explanation as your audience needs you to go to achieve your stated outcome of teaching the group the best way to make a pie.
3. Speak at the level of your audience. This should be an easy one, but I have been to many presentations where the presenter went too deep too quick. I have been to others where I expected depth, but never received any. Size up your audience and deliver the message they need.
Keep these in mind for your next presentation. It will help you stay on track and help the audience know exactly what to expect.
David Willis 