A simple way to keep the logic of public speaking

Today I want to tell you about a simple but effective tool that helps me to prepare for public speaking. I speak often and more from school times, and, according to others, sometimes I get this bad. I am very often asked about how to properly prepare for the speech. The answer is - a topic for many books, but not that of articles, and the whole I am not here to answer it, but talk about a very specific technique.

The narrative of public speaking

If you've ever listened to a long speech, then noticed that sometimes the speaker is lost in the structure of the whole presentation seems awkward. It spoils the overall impression of the speech. In preparation for any prolonged (10 minutes and higher) appear on the public report is important not to forget about the overall structure and to keep the presentation logic.

As we usually prepare my speech? Open the PowerPoint or Keynote and begin to slide at a riveting content. However, the tenth slide gradually come to understand that "Something I fucking do not," and have to go back to the previous slide, alter them, or sometimes even start from scratch.

In order not to lose the thread, and at an early stage to ensure its future performance consistency, structuring and clarity, there is a cool tool that I use quite often - is drawing canvas, or narrative performances.

Its essence is simple: before you start doing the slides, you write a few sentences all the "storyline" of what you want to tell.

How it works

To make it clearer, I will tell in the example.

Being a mentor on the course "Manager of digital-product" in the "Netologii" I help students with the preparation of diplomas and protection. A few weeks before the date X is most often a student has a very rough understanding of how it will look his performance. Next, step by step, creating content, the student receives a first draft of a future presentation. Usually, what you get at this stage - poorly structured, uncoordinated, with misplaced accents it.

To help the student, and at the same time to better understand what he wanted to say, I ask him to prepare a narrative history, which he plans to tell. Let's say, the essence of the thesis - in the elaboration of the product mobile app strategy. In his project the student deeply explores the current state of the product, communicating with users, conducting usability testing, dug in analytics, building hypotheses, and implements them. It is many dozens of hours of painstaking work.

The task - to fit in the entire history of the 20-minute report, without missing the most important details.

An example of such a narrative of one of my students was as follows:

I got an existing product XXXX. The narrowest place - keeping users. What is the reason for the low retention XXXX? It analyzes user behavior. A hypothesis about the problem with the training regime. The problem was confirmed user reviews on the Google Play and App Store. Another hypothesis: the majority of registrations accounted for zero, since XXXX has positioned itself for beginners. And, most likely, XXXX complicated for beginners and does not involve them.

A survey of registered users. The hypothesis was confirmed. What is the situation on the market? Experts see the main driver of growth in the work with the students motivation. To communicate with users outside of XXXX and test the hypothesis. I made a feature prototypes to enhance the motivation and the formation of habits. Received positive feedback.

Thus, the narrative presentation - is described in a few sentences the general logic of the report. After spending 10 minutes on the formation of the history, you will save yourself time for preparation and presentation of all provide a better impression on the audience, as the logical integrity of the presentation is always perceived it's better.

To properly write a narrative, ask yourself: "If I were asked to explain the essence of the work that I would say in 20 seconds?"

Often writing narrative takes place in a few attempts: the first version is born at a very early stage of preparation and then gradually adjusted during the new information. This is perfectly normal.

Alternatively, for the preparation of narrative can immediately make presentations skeleton. I always do so. The idea is to create in PowerPoint or Keynote slides right amount, on which there is nothing but header. Since the preparation of the slides you will always be in front of the eyes of the general structure that will facilitate the process.

This simple but effective tool.

And what you have secrets public speaking?