A Step-by-Step Guide to Crafting Your First Talk

If you’ve ever worked with me, you know I thrive on frameworks and models. So when I started speaking, I quickly realized I did not want to be constantly reinventing the wheel. After creating a couple of talks, I looked for patterns in my approach that I then reverse-engineered into a method I now use for all my talks.?

It is a 3-step process that works really well for me so I thought I would share it here for you to try.?

Step 1: Research - Dive deep and explore

Even when you know a lot (like a lot, a lot) on your subject, the foundation of any great talk is thorough research. Don't fear information rabbit holes. In fact when you're starting to think, they can be your friend (the key is knowing how and when to emerge).?

Read books, articles, and listen to podcasts related to your topic. The secret here is to avoid trying to structure it immediately. What you want is to embrace the creative mess and

• Take tons of notes.
• Highlight passages in books.
• Make copious use of post-its.
• Use large sheets of paper to map out your main concepts in a visual way.

Pro tip #1: Make sure to separate others' ideas from your own to avoid unintentional plagiarism (my Women’s studies professors made me paranoid about plagiarism).

This exploration phase, even if it feels a little chaotic, will help you:

• Identify the main thought leaders in your field
• Understand the key ideas about your topic
• Develop your own opinions and unique perspective (sometimes that comes from disagreeing with the other thought leaders out there)

Pro tip #2: Don't let research become a procrastination tool (#Iseeyou). It can be an enjoyable phase but it can also be a way to hide and not get started…so give yourself some limits.?

Step 2: Structure - Organize your thoughts

Once you've gathered your raw material, it's time to give it structure. I use a modified version of Barbara Minto's Pyramid Principle to organize my ideas. Here's how it works:

1. Identify three main categories or ideas from your research.
2. Under each main idea, create three sub-ideas.
3. For each sub-idea, add supporting points, examples AND most importantly stories.

This pyramid structure helps you create a logical flow for your talk and ensures you cover all necessary points. It also serves as an excellent framework for creating a table of contents for your presentation.

The other thing this structure is useful for is when practicing your talk. Remembering structure is much easier to remember than content. It allows you to have scaffolding around your ideas.?

Pro tip: Don’t forget to create smooth transitions between the main ideas. The reason you enjoy talks like TED is that the speakers have created such smooth transitions that we can’t tell there are different ideas being used as building blocks.?

Step 3: Scripting - Bring your talk to life

This one is a bit of a personal choice.

A lot of people will do detailed outlines, but I've found that fully scripting my talks works best for me (I learned this from podcasting). Here's why:

1. It allows me to get everything out of my head.?
2. It gives me that feeling of security that the talk is done and now I just need to practice.
3. It sounds natural because I make sure to write as I would speak.
4. It separates scripting from practicing.?

When scripting, make it more engaging and natural by imagining you're having a conversation with your audience.

For live talks, use this script to practice extensively. I record myself as if I was recording a podcast and then listen to myself as I walk Emilie The Pup or do chores.

Pro tip: You can create visual anchors in your presentation slides to jog your memory and bring you back to your structure when you falter.

A final note on visual support for your talk: Less Is More.

Instead of text-heavy slides, opt for an impactful image or two, a key statistic or maybe a quote or short, memorable phrase.

Here is the thing, public speaking doesn't have to be scary or intimidating. You just need structure and to get the reps in. This approach to building a talk has not failed me yet.?

• It reduces my stress. I know the work is done and I have all my content. Now it is just about practice, practice, practice
• It is flexible: This method works well for both virtual and in-person presentations.
• I can repurpose my content: The detailed script can be easily adapted for articles, blog posts, or social media content.

If you want to explore this topic, I go into a lot more details about this on episode 22 of Speaking with Women.?

Let me know if you try it.?

#publicspeaking #speakingwithwomen