How do you help your audience follow your speech?

The speaker should clearly state their main points and provide a brief overview of the information they will present to ensure the audience understands the structure and direction of their response. By effectively answering questions and providing information in the introduction, speakers can establish credibility, captivate the audience, and set the stage for a successful speech.

The hook, the thesis, the preview, all these are just tactical elements. When you are preparing your presentation or talk the fundamental question you need to answer is: Why should your audience invest time engaging with, listening to and, hopefully, acting on what you say? The opening of your speech needs to clearly grab the audience's attention by giving them a clear reason to stay with you—intrigue, enchant, challenge them with the WHY behind your talk, then they have a powerful reason to pay attention... You DON'T need to give them all the answers, the structure, etc., up front, you DO need to clearly let the audience know you are speaking to them, not on some vague topic...

Two things I like to do to hook people in a talk are: 1. Using questions to get them thinking or pique their curiosity. 2. Tell a brief story that includes a lesson that I reveal later. This helps set the stage—and allows you to keep referring back to the questions or story. It helps frame the talk around a simple concept. Your audience will be able to follow your ideas easier because you’ve already illustrated them.

if the talk is to have a practical impact on the audience, purpose and audience are the two critical elements here. If you are purely focused on delivering information (thesis/topic), then it is highly likely it'll be irrelevant which of the various organisational approaches you take—as you're focused on information and not the audience, then there's a high chance of them being disengaged no matter what trick you use. The order you should follow is determined by the journey of change you want the audience to experience, from introduction to the conclusion... What do they need to know, when, and what do you need to do before delivering the info so they are ready to receive it?

Storytelling within your presentation can reduce the need for these obvious transitions or signposts. The danger from the presentation tips presented in this article is that everything gets structured and presented in the manner of a written piece. Be present to the audience as a presenter, not a writer!

In the realm of public speaking, the conclusion is a pivotal moment to solidify your message and leave a lasting impact. Drawing from my experience, I've discovered that a well-crafted conclusion consists of two key elements: a concise summary and a resonant restatement. Summarizing the main points covered in your speech allows the audience to revisit and reinforce their understanding of your message. By skillfully employing these elements, you can effectively reinforce your message, leave a lasting impression, and motivate your audience to engage further with your ideas

Visual aids can be helpful for a complicated topics but you don’t want to have your audience to distracted. If you are providing them with external sources, hand them out at the end, with a call to action and clear instructions, in terms of how to use it.

Visual aids bring your message to life by providing visual representations that clarify, simplify, or emphasize your points. They grab the attention of your audience and make your speech more engaging and memorable. On the other hand, handouts offer a tangible resource that complements your speech, providing additional information or details that cannot be covered in the limited time of a presentation. They save time, prevent information overload, and offer references or resources that allow your audience to delve deeper into the topic.

Do not wing it. I repeat, do not wing it ?? People are taking time out of their day to listen to what you have to say. Make it worth it. Invest time in your speech practice with family and friends to get feedback. It will make a world of a difference when you give the actual talk. Yes, you may be a subject matter expert, but preparation is key to a solid talk.

Allow time for q/a, but before you close. You want the last thing your audience to hear is your content with a strong call to action!

Having a great hook is essential to get the audience engaged right from the start. It could be a mind provoking question, humor or a story that gets the audience hooked. (Among other techniques) Clarity is another factor that makes it easier for the audience to follow a speaker. It's important to have clarity in both content and delivery to keep the attention of the listeners.

There are some great ideas here. Here are a couple more: Have a great start that creates intrigue and curiosity. Use stories to illustrate a point, have a short call to action at the end. What do you want your audience to do?

Tell stories. Make your story connect with the topic/throughline. Connect it to the audience to help them relate. It will help them remember and feel invested in the topic.

There are a few more important aspects to consider in public speaking: engaging the audience, adapting to your audience, using effective body language, and maintaining a conversational tone.

In addition to the points discussed in this article, there are two important aspects that have not been addressed. The first is stage presence. Movement helps with the transitions and the signposts because you are physically going to another place (e.g., stage left is where I started my journey, center stage is something that happened, and stage right is where it ended). The second is audience interaction. In the in-person scenario, the speaker can gauge the attention and acceptance of the audience and thus adapt the presentation to the room. The all-digital scenario does not lend itself to an immediate response. Instead, the audience is a truncated list of participants organized in a Brady Bunch grid.