How To Brainstorm For Your Next Speech Idea?

The reason why you feel you have been delivering the same speech idea repeatedly or that your presentations were lacking a sense of creativity could be attributed to disregarding the phase of brainstorming. You simply cannot choose the best idea without thinking of all the available options. Brainstorming our speech ideas, which is the first stage of preparing for a presentation, is easily forgotten, or overshadowed by the content design and delivery.

To have a successful speech brainstorming session, you need to consider 5 factors:

1) Decide whether it will be an individual or group brainstorming session

Even though we are only used to the group brainstorming session and that an individual brainstorming session might seem ineffective, some studies proved that more ideas and thoughts are brainstormed during an individual type of method. A person who does not feel restrained or shy could provide more ideas than in other setups. Additionally, individual brainstorming is more successful in the time control and clarity of objective. And of course, because of the tight time, individual brainstorming could be the only available choice.

Group brainstorming sessions are also of great efficiency when organized and managed properly. You do not necessarily need to always brainstorm with people who are experts in the speech topic, sometimes outsiders can give great out-of-the-box ideas.

 2) There is no such thing as a bad idea

During the brainstorming time, there are no bad ideas. Whether you are brainstorming by yourself or with a group of people, do not limit yourself to safe ideas. Instead, let your mind explore and think of all possibilities.

3) Brainstorm in a way that works for you

Some people brainstorm on whiteboards, others prefer pencil and paper, or might like using laptops. Some prefer quiet places while others like open-air areas, or maybe others think better while eating, or taking a walk, or just standing. Personally, I brainstorm better when I am standing, many of my corporate clients noticed, in our speech consultation sessions, that once I stand up this means that I’m about to come up with a new idea or the right mix of speech ingredients. so, think of what works for you and do it!

4) Set the main speech parameters

To make sure you’re directing your attention to the right objectives; you need to set two main parameters for your particular presentation which are: 1) Type of audience 2) Speech Objectives. You do not need to consider other factors as speech duration or location during this phase so as not to limit your ideas.

5) Document and sleep on it

Now, you were able to come up with the biggest number of ideas, get everything written down, and sleep on it till the next day. Then, start another shorter brainstorming session and only when you have truly exhausted all possibilities should you go through them and begin to clear out what is unusable.

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