Prepping your talk can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. I must admit I’ve always been more of a “wing-it” person, but I must also admit that while mental agility is a powerful skill, winging it doesn’t always work so well. I’ve learned the hard way over my years!
Asking yourself these five questions will significantly increase the impact of your talk and the influence you have on your audience.
1. Who is your audience? What do you want them to gain and take away from what you’re speaking on? This gives you bullet points to work from and helps to focus on the important aspects instead of adding unnecessary filler.
2. What’s the number one thing they care about? This helps determine the overall arc of your talk.
3. Where do they sit now related to your topic and where do you want to take them? This info is critical so you can bring them on a logical journey to influence them to your point of view.
4. What action do you expect them to take after your talk? This is where you need to make it specific and measurable. Tie it to a date to create urgency (and increase the likelihood that they will do it!).
5. How will your talk and expertise benefit them? This wraps everything together into one neat bundle by clarifying how it’s relevant to them.
Try these out and notice the difference in impact you’ll make!
