Trump is president. The Conservatives are searching for a leader. I just attended a conference. So I’ve done some watching and listening this past little while. I have been engaged by a few speakers while others have been regrettably dull and only speaking to hear themselves. When it comes to preparing a speech, my secret weapon is Eric Bergman’s Basic Presentation Framework™. This framework allows me to very quickly put the structure around the presentation – and most importantly – keep the audience front and centre in my preparations.
Expanding or contracting the presentation length is accomplished by expanding on the main ideas from the framework. Like everything else in life, the devil lies in the details.
Most often I find people want to overload their speech with data or details that don’t serve their purposes or fulfill the needs of their audiences. This is especially true of experts in a technical area who feel that if they don’t stuff their presentation with facts that their expertise could be called into question. For them, I offer e=mc2.
| The Basic Presentation Framework™ |
| This is the main idea of your presentation. It should be stated in one clear sentence and include how or why, as in: “I’d like to talk to you about how …” or “I’d like to talk to you about why …” |
| This is your call to action. It should be stated as: “By the end of the presentation, I hope you will do (or not do) something.” |
| Point #1, the first main section of your presentation. It should be stated in one clear sentence. |
| This is Point #2, the second main section of your presentation. It should be stated in one clear sentence. |
| This is Point #3, the third main section of your presentation. It should be stated in one clear sentence. Wherever possible, try to structure your presentation around three supporting ideas. |
| This is your conclusion, where you recap your main points and restate your call to action. For example: “Because of Point #1… because of Point #2 … and because of Point #3 … I hope you will take the action I’m recommending (or apply the information by…) |
The ability to express a profound idea or concept simply is the very essence of expertise and enables the speaker to transfer new knowledge and/or ideas to their audience. The simplicity of the message in and of itself can give audience members faith that the building blocks behind it are there and will encourage the audience to ask questions. In other words, the audience will decide what and how much they want to know and judge the speaker’s expertise for themselves.
Ah, the audience! The key to any successful presentation is meeting the needs of your audience – a point that is often forgotten and on which my friend Eric is a tireless crusader. Without an audience – your speech is a tree falling in the forest…