Each week I consume a TED talk and extract a few takeaways that you and I can use to boost our productivity.
My latest TED Talk Takeaway:
When you are preparing your speech think of these 4 areas:
- Approach: See each speaking assignment as an OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE, not an opportunity to look foolish. Approach it in an ‘open’ way – many avenues to a successful speech.
- Audience: It’s not “what do I want to say,” but rather “WHAT DOES MY AUDIENCE NEED TO HEAR?”. To answer that questions think: WHO are they? WHAT do they know? WHAT are their attitudes/expectations do they have in relation to this topic, speech format and my stereotype? HOW can I get them to where they need to be (this first involves violating their exceptions, example: lowering your voice when trying to settle down your kids)
- Context: Adjust your ENERGY & EMOTION for the speech given the time of the day and locational context.
- Structure: Your speech should alway have a story structure. Use one of the following STORY STRUCTURES to make your speech easier to listen to and recall (people remembered structured context 40% more than non-structured context):
- Past, Present, Future
- Problem, Solution, Benefit
- Who/What, So What, Now What