(Reference: sixminutes.dlugan.

com)

(I’m Andrew Dlugan, and I’m the founder of Six Minutes.

I am passionate about the power of effective communication. I have two decades of communications
experience: teaching courses, delivering keynotes and seminars, coaching speakers, and emceeing
events. I am an award-winning public speaker and speech evaluator. I have been a Toastmasters
member since 2005; you can read more about my Toastmasters accomplishments here.)

Proper preparation prevents presentation predicaments!

Speech preparation is the most important element to a successful presentation, and also the best way
to reduce nervousness and combat fear.

SIX STEPS IN PREPARING FOR A SPEECH.

1. Select a topic.

Your topic leads to your core message — the entire presentation aims to deliver this core
message to your audience.

Clarity: Aim to express your core message in a single sentence. If you cannot do this, you need
more clarity

Before you proceed, you still need to determine the scope of your presentation. The
scope is naturally influenced by elements discussed earlier:
 Your general purpose
 Your core message
 The needs of your audience

2. Create a Speech outline

Your speech needs structure. Without structure, your audience will either
wonder what your core message is or they will lose interest in you entirely. Sadly,
this step is often skipped to “save time.” A planned outline is vital.

3. Write the Speech

Speech writing is an iterative process which begins with your first draft.

Conventional wisdom says the best speeches are not written; they are
rewritten. Yet, most speakers present content that falls between a first draft
and no preparation at all

Allow yourself the time to edit for focus, clarity, concision, continuity, variety,
and impact. If you do, you will give your audience a performance that will dazzle
them.
 Six Power Principles for Speech Editing
1. Edit for Focus
Audience response you want to avoid:
“The presenter was all over the map. It was confusing.”
Edit mercilessly if you have written something in an earlier draft that strays from
your core message. All elements of your speech — every point, every statistic,
every anecdote, every story, every joke, every visual aid — must support your
core message.

2. Edit for Clarity

Audience response you want to avoid:
“The talk was interesting, but I just didn’t get it.”
On a macro-level, an earlier article of this series showed you that points in your
outline should be sequenced in a way which mirrors the meaningful relationship.
(e.g. chronological, spatial, cause-effect) Ordering your speech logically is one
of the best ways to ensure clarity. Start with one point, and build out from there, as
if you were adding one lego block to another over time.
On a micro-level, clarity is also important.
 Can the sentences be clearer?
 Have you avoided any tongue-twisters?
 Is technical jargon eliminated? (Your audience analysis will guide you.)

3. Edit for Concision

“Avoid falling in love with any particular component of the speech. Be

prepared to cut if your core message can be conveyed in a better
way.”

Audience response you want to avoid:

“He just went on and on and on…”
Inspiration is provided by Antoine de Saint-Exupery who wrote:
“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but
when there is nothing left to take away.”
For each element of your presentation, ask yourself “Is this essential?” If the answer
is no, cut it.
 Eliminate entire points or stories if the core message is conveyed without
them.
 Eliminate sentences if the paragraph reads fine without them.
 Eliminate words which do not add meaning to the sentences.
 Replace long words with short words that convey the same meaning.
e.g. use rather than utilize
 4. Edit for Continuity
Audience response you want to avoid:
“She lost me after the fourth slide.”
Transition words, phrases, and sentences — bridging — are necessary to make your
speech flow. Your aim is to avoid abrupt transitions where you can lose audience
members. One point should feed naturally into the next. Sidebars and other
diversions are the enemy.

5. Edit for Variety

“For each element of your presentation, ask if it is essential. If the

answer is no, cut it.”

Audience response you want to avoid:

“It was boring.”
Audiences like variety. It makes the speech more enjoyable, and it also helps you
appeal to different types of thinkers.
Here are just a few ways to inject variety into a presentation:
 Move around the stage.
 Use a prop, slides, or other visual aids
 Break up long, serious stretches of a speech with humor.
 Engage the audience with a rhetorical question or an activity.
 Balance theory with practical statistics. Balance stories with logical
arguments.
Note: Some of these are delivery techniques rather than writing techniques.

6. Edit for Impact and Beauty

Audience response you want to avoid:
“Nothing really stood out.”
There are many closely related techniques to make a speech memorable, including:
 Surprise the audience.
 Create vivid images.
 Appeal to the senses.
 Craft truly memorable lines.
 Use analogies, similes, and metaphors.
 Employ rhetorical devices throughout.
Several of these techniques are addressed in the next article of the Speech
Preparation Series.

4. Apply gestures, staging, and vocal variety

At this stage, the words are ready, but that’s all you have — words. A presentation
is not read by the audience; it is listened to and watched.
 choreograph your speech with vocal variety, gestures (micro movements), and
staging (macro movements). These elements should seamlessly complement
your words and punctuate key phrases.

5. Practice and solicit feedback

Rehearsing your speech makes you a master of the content. Soliciting

feedback and acting on it gives you confidence that your presentation will be a
success.

6. Self-Critique: Prepare for the next speech

After you’ve delivered your speech, examine your performance objectively.

This will solidify lessons learned as you prepare for your next speech challenge.

 Writing a Speech Outline

An outline is a blueprint for your presentation.
 It highlights the key logical elements. i.e. what points are being made to
logically support the core message?
 It highlights the key structural elements. e.g. introduction, body,
conclusion, stories, high-level concepts
 It links these elements together in a sequence, perhaps allocating very
rough timings.
 It can also map out the transitions between elements, although this may be
deferred to a later stage of preparation

The basic speech outline template for structural elements is:

1. Introduction
2. Body
3. Conclusion
Similarly, the basic speech outline template for logical elements is the familiar
advice:

1. Tell them what you’re going to say

2. Tell them
3. Tell them what you’ve said
Put these together, and you have the start of a generic speech outline:

1. Introduction — Establish topic and core message; list supporting points

2. Body
 Supporting Point One
 Supporting Point Two
 Supporting Point Three
3. Conclusion — Recap main points; summarize core message; call-to-action
 Other Speech Outline Writing Tips
 For presentations which are complemented with slides, your outline might
include slide concepts, but no finer details.
 Remember that your presentation is much more than your set
of slides. Your outline should reflect your speaking elements which the slides
complement.
 When sequencing your outline points, try to avoid random order. Seek and
extract the meaningful relationship.
 Chronological – e.g. a biographical speech
 Spatial – e.g. an entertaining travel speech
 Cause-effect – e.g. speech relating crime rate to drug use
 Low to high importance – e.g. reasons to exercise
 Broad vision to specific details – e.g. a management speech
outlining new company direction

Three-Part Speech Outlines

When you apply the rule of three to your speech outline, you gain all the benefits of
the three-part structure. Your presentation gains warmth, familiarity, and
understandability. With the three-part outline framing your ideas, your speech will
be easier to follow and remember.

Speech Outline #1A: Introduction, Body, and Conclusion

It doesn’t get any simpler than this. Even if you don’t read the rest of this article,
you will improve as a speaker if you consistently apply this generic speech outline.
It seems obvious. Almost too obvious. Yet two of the most common speaking
blunders are:

1. Omit the introduction: The speaker launches directly into the meat of the
content without providing a roadmap or context.
 Result: The audience wonders “How did we get here?“
2. Omit the conclusion: The presentation ends abruptly immediately after
the last statistic or slide with “So… any questions?” Perhaps this is the result of
poor time management and a novice speaker who decides “I’m running short on
time. I’ll skip the conclusion.”
 Result: The audience feels stranded, far from the point of origin,
wondering “That’s it? What does it mean?“

Speech Outline #1B: Tell them what you’re going to say, Say
it, Tell them what you said
 “Repetition is a powerful speechwriting technique.”

This isn’t a new speech outline, but a slight elaboration of the first:

1. Tell them what you’re going to say (Introduction)

2. Say it (Body)
3. Tell them what you said (Conclusion)
Some may say that this speech structure is almost too simplistic. If it is
accompanied by boring content and lifeless delivery, that’s a fair critique.
However, repetition is a powerful speechwriting technique, and you can do
much worse than repeating your key points three times during a speech to persuade
your audience. Take inspiration from Lewis Carroll in The Hunting of the Snark:
I have said it thrice: What i tell you three times is true.

Speech Outline #2: Past, Present, Future

This speech outline can either stand on its own:
 Past, Present, Future
or take the place of “Body” in the pattern above to make:
 Introduction, Body [= Past, Present, Future], Conclusion
A common application is a persuasive speech where you pitch a solution to a
business problem:
 Past – You set the context by identifying a problem facing your company,
and describing how it came to be.
 Present – You lay out the decision to be made now, and the alternatives to
choose from.
 Future – You paint a picture of prosperity that will be realized if the right
choice is made (perhaps you use a successful case study).
If you apply this speech outline well, your audience will more easily understand your
message. On the other hand, your audience is more likely to be confused if you
jump forward and backward in time repeatedly (talk about the decision first, then
the future prosperity, then the root cause of the past problem, then another
alternative, then…)

Speech Outline #3: Complication, Resolution, Example

Another three part speech outline for persuasive speeches is the S.Co.R.E. method
offered by Andrew Abela in Advanced Presentations by Design: Creating
Communication that Drives Action (read the Six Minutes book review).
Abela recommends starting your speech (Introduction) by establishing
the Situation, and then iterating through a three-element series
of Complication, Resolution, Example. In a sequence form, your speech might look
like:
 Introduction – Situation
 Body
 Complication, Resolution, Example
 Complication, Resolution, Example
 Complication, Resolution, Example
  …, …, …
 Conclusion
The three-part Complication-Resolution-Example structure can be repeated once
(e.g. a five-minute speech) or many times (e.g. a one-hour seminar).

Speech Outline #4A: Three Main Points

“Limit yourself to your best three points. Any fewer, and your message
won’t be compelling. Any more, and your message risks becoming
tedious.”

A basic three-part informative speech outline is as follows:

1. Introduction — Establish topic and core message; list supporting points

2. Body
1. Supporting Point One
2. Supporting Point Two
3. Supporting Point Three
3. Conclusion — Recap main points; summarize core message; call-to-action
In this case, the rule of three magic lies in limiting yourself to your best three
points. Any fewer, and your message won’t be compelling. Any more, and your
message risks becoming tedious. Brainstorm many, but select your best three.
The Decker Grid System (from You’ve Got to Be Believed to Be Heard – reviewed
here) is built on this foundation. Bert Decker goes on to say that, for longer
speeches, each of your three supporting points can be reinforced with (no surprise)
three sub-points each.

Speech Outline #5: Pros, Cons, Recommendation

We’ll conclude with a common speech outline used for persuasive speeches where
you are recommending a course of action.

1. Introduction – Brief setup of problem and proposal

2. Body
1. Pros – What are the benefits of this proposal?
2. Cons – What are the drawbacks of this proposal?
3. Recommendation – Why do the pros outweigh the cons?
3. Conclusion – Restate the pros and repeat the recommendation

 17 Easy Ways to Be a More Persuasive

Speaker
General Strategies for Improving Your Logos
 In the last article, we identified, three general principles that you can adopt to
improve your logos:

1. Make it Understandable
Can your audience understand you? Or have they only absorbed half of your
points?
2. Make it Logical
Do your arguments make sense? Or do you require your audience to make an
extreme leap of faith? How easy is it for your audience to connect the dots?
3. Make it Real
Concrete and specific tends to win over abstract and general.

Make it Understandable
If your audience doesn’t understand you, they can’t be persuaded by you. To be
an effective communicator, you’ve first got to be a clear communicator. To be a
clear communicator, you must use words, phrases, examples, and visuals that are
understandable, and you’ve got to deliver them at a pace that the audience can
absorb.
How can you do this? Let us count some ways…

#1: Use plain language.

Use words that your audience uses. Avoid technical jargon that your audience (or a
portion of your audience) isn’t familiar with.
Favor short words and phrases over long and convoluted counterparts. Don’t imitate
the language you might find in a legal transcript or an academic paper. Technical
language is necessary for those contexts, but it isn’t helpful in a conversation or
presentation.
Note that “plain” language doesn’t mean “boring” language. Use vivid and
descriptive language where appropriate.

#2: Be explicit.

“To be an effectivecommunicator, you’ve first got to be

a clear communicator.”

Your audience should not need a decoder ring to figure out your message. It should
be obvious. Spell it out if necessary. Make sure you are not misinterpreted.
It is particularly important to make the connection between premises and
conclusions explicit. Because is a magic word for this purpose: “Because premise
A and premise B, we can see that conclusion must be true.”
If your arguments involve more than a couple premises, be sure your audience sees
the relationship between them. “And these five advantages — capital costs,
scheduling, inventory control, marketing, and employee satisfaction — together
make this a winning proposal.”

#3: Trace sequences or processes in order.

To help your audience understand a sequence or process, march through the steps
or phases in a meaningful order, usually sequential. If you jump around the steps
out of order, your audience will be confused.
As the number of steps increases, so does the need to use a diagram for clarity.

#4: Use diagrams.

Carefully crafted and focused diagrams almost always enhance the
understandability of your arguments. It doesn’t matter if you draw in PowerPoint,
on a white board, or on the back of a napkin — it only matters that you clarify
concepts for your audience.
But, be careful not to introduce an unnecessarily complex diagram. In the worst
case, a busy diagram or one with lots of irrelevant details will frustrate your
audience and diminish your understandability.

#5: Use charts.

Like diagrams, a carefully crafted chart or graph will speak volumes and clarify a
previously fuzzy relationship.
Remember the warning about unnecessary complexity applies to charts too.

#6: Use progressive disclosure.

Suppose the diagram (or chart) which best explains the concepts is a complex one.
What then?

“It doesn’t matter if you draw in PowerPoint, on a white board, or on

the back of a napkin — it only matters that you clarify concepts for
your audience.”

In nearly all cases, it should be possible to use progressive disclosure. This means
that you build up the entire diagram (or chart) progressively as a series of chunks,
revealing only a part of the overall diagram at a time. If you are drawing the
diagram as you speak, you are inherently using progressive disclosure. (You draw a
few lines, explain what you’ve drawn, draw a few more, explain again, and repeat.)
This is easy to do with PowerPoint too.

#7: Use comparisons, analogies, and metaphors.

Whenever you introduce new concepts, search for an appropriate analogy which
helps the audience understand the new concept in terms of how they already
understand the old one.

Make it Logical
Okay, your audience understands what you are saying, but does what you are
saying make sense?
Does it pass the logical tests which your audience will be applying subconsciously?

#8: Leverage audience commonplaces.

Commonplaces often provide the most stable foundation for your argument. It’s a
good ideas to start with these — because your audience already believes them —
and build the remainder of your argument outward.
In a similar manner, framing the issue from your audience’s perspective is a great
way to be more persuasive.

#9: Ask questions, and get your audience

thinking.
Questions engage your audience and make them active participants in the
conversation. Rather than passively waiting for you to provide answers, they’ll be
contributing to the answers as you go. As a result, they will collectively feel
ownership when you move toward conclusions. In the best case, they will feel that
they came to the conclusions themselves — a sure way to guarantee your
persuasiveness.

#10: Address the opposing point of view, and refute it.

On the surface, it seems foolish to bring up the opposing arguments. What if your
audience didn’t think of that? Now you’ve just planted a seed of doubt!
On the contrary, bringing up opposing arguments makes you seem unbiased and
boosts your ethos. (“You must be trustworthy; you are pointing out your
opposition!“) Further, and more importantly, it allows you to directly refute the
opposing arguments with logical arguments of your own.

#11: Emphasize the points of most value to audience

Unless you are using only perfect, irrefutable facts as premises, and making a
purely deductive argument (where the conclusions follow immediately from
premises), there are going to be holes in your inductive argument. (This doesn’t
mean you’ve done a poor job. Inductive arguments have uncertainties by
definition.)
Since your presentation has a finite length, you must make choices how to best
spend your time. You will be most effective if you devote the majority of your
presentation to discuss the issues of primary interest to your audience.

Make it Real
Concrete and specific details improve the strength of your arguments, and thus
make your overall message more persuasive.
 Explaining the theory behind why your new solution will raise profits is a good start;
sharing a story about a company which raised profits 17% by adopting your
solution is much stronger.

#12. Use props or photographs.

Talking about something in abstract terms is good, but using real objects or
photographs carries more logos. Visual evidence is very hard to refute.

“Personal stories and anecdotes carry more logos than stories or

anecdotes ‘which happened to a friend of mine.’”

#13: Use vivid details.

In lieu of photographs, you can make your claims more real by supplying vivid
details.

#14: Use facts and statistics.

Assigning numbers adds to the impact.
Compare the following statements:
 Every year, many people die of cancer.
 Every year, 3000 people in our community die of cancer.
Which one of these statements is more likely to persuade your audience to
contribute money to cancer research?

#15: Cite your sources.

A statistic may be accurate, but without citing a source, your audience may dismiss
it. By citing a source, you tip the scale towards believability.
(The credibility of your source is also important, but that is more closely related to
ethos.)

#16: Use real examples and case studies.

You can construct convincing arguments about theories and ideas, but your
audience will be left to wonder whether the theory holds in reality. Real examples
and case studies show that the theory works in the real world.

#17: Use personal stories and anecdotes.

A personal story combines the power of a real example with that of a cited source.
Assuming you are a credible source, personal stories and anecdotes carry more logos
than stories or anecdotes “which happened to a friend of mine.”

 25 Public Speaking Skills Every

Speaker Must Have
Every public speaker should be able to:
1. Research a topic – Good speakers stick to what they know. Great speakers
research what they need to convey their message.
2. Focus – Help your audience grasp your message by focusing on your
message. Stories, humour, or other “sidebars” should connect to the core idea.
Anything that doesn’t needs to be edited out.
3. Organize ideas logically – A well-organized presentation can be absorbed
with minimal mental strain. Bridging is key.
4. Employ quotations, facts, and statistics – Don’t include these for the sake
of including them, but do use them appropriately to complement your ideas.
5. Master metaphors – Metaphors enhance the understandability of the
message in a way that direct language often can not.
6. Tell a story – Everyone loves a story. Points wrapped up in a story are more
memorable, too!
7. Start strong and close stronger – The body of your presentation should be
strong too, but your audience will remember your first and last words (if, indeed,
they remember anything at all).
8. Incorporate humour – Knowing when to use humour is essential. So is
developing the comedic timing to deliver it with greatest effect.
9. Vary vocal pace, tone, and volume – A monotone voice is like fingernails on
the chalkboard.
10. Punctuate words with gestures – Gestures should complement your
words in harmony. Tell them how big the fish was, and show them with your arms.
11. Utilize 3-dimensional space – Chaining yourself to the lectern limits the
energy and passion you can exhibit. Lose the notes, and lose the chain.
12. Complement words with visual aids – Visual aids should aid the
message; they should not be the message. Read slide:ology or the Presentation
Zen book and adopt the techniques.
13. Analyze your audience – Deliver the message they want (or need) to hear.
14. Connect with the audience – Eye contact is only the first step. Aim to have
the audience conclude “This speaker is just like me!” The sooner, the better.
15. Interact with the audience – Ask questions (and care about the answers).
Solicit volunteers. Make your presentation a dialogue.
16. Conduct a Q&A session – Not every speaking opportunity affords a Q&A
session, but understand how to lead one productively. Use the Q&A to solidify the
impression that you are an expert, not (just) a speaker.
17. Lead a discussion – Again, not every speaking opportunity affords time for a
discussion, but know how to engage the audience productively.
18. Obey time constraints – Maybe you have 2 minutes. Maybe you have 45.
Either way, customize your presentation to fit the time allowed, and respect your
audience by not going over time.
19. Craft an introduction – Set the context and make sure the audience is ready
to go, whether the introduction is for you or for someone else.
20. Exhibit confidence and poise – These qualities are sometimes difficult for a
speaker to attain, but easy for an audience to sense.
21. Handle unexpected issues smoothly – Maybe the lights will go out. Maybe
the projector is dead. Have a plan to handle every situation.
22. Be coherent when speaking off the cuff – Impromptu speaking (before, after,
or during a presentation) leaves a lasting impression too. Doing it well tells the
 audience that you are personable, and that you are an expert who knows their
stuff beyond the slides and prepared speech.
23. Seek and utilize feedback – Understand that no presentation or presenter
(yes, even you!) is perfect. Aim for continuous improvement, and understand that
the best way to improve is to solicit candid feedback from as many people as you
can.
24. Listen critically and analyze other speakers – Study the strengths and
weakness of other speakers.
25. Act and speak ethically – Since public speaking fears are so common,
realize the tremendous power of influence that you hold. Use this power
responsibly.

 The 7 Deadly Sins of Public Speaking

Deadly Sin #1: Sloth
Sloth, or laziness, is committed by speakers who fail to prepare.
Speaking in public, whether formally or informally, is an essential activity that
requires effort. Yet, the majority of people expend no effort to improve their
effectiveness as a speaker. Tragically, they are content to drift from one frustrating
presentation to the next.

“Speaking in public, whether formally or informally, is an essential

activity that requires effort.”

You can avoid sloth in a number of ways:

 Enroll in a public speaking course
 Read public speaking books
 Read public speaking blogs
 Join Toastmasters or another local speaking club
 Study great speakers
 Hire a speaking coach

Deadly Sin #2: Envy

Envy is characterized by a false belief that great speakers are simply lucky to have
been born with natural speaking skills.
You’ve heard the excuses from your colleagues, haven’t you?
 “She’s so lucky! She’s a natural speaker!”
 “Hmph! It’s so easy for him to speak in front of people.”
 “No, I couldn’t deliver the proposal. I’m not a speaker.”
People who are envious of the “natural” skills of others are more likely to apply
misguided solutions when confronted by an unavoidable speaking situation:
 They steal stories and anecdotes from others rather than creating original
ones
 They copy PowerPoint slides from others even if they don’t quite apply
 They mimic the oratorical style of others and lack authenticity
Because of bad habits like this, speakers suffer from lack of confidence. They know
the stories, the slides, and the words are not their own. Nervousness results
because they fear being exposed, and this nervousness leads to crazy behaviors
like…

Deadly Sin #4: Gluttony

Gluttony is exhibited by speakers who believe that more is always better.
More slides, more bullets, more examples, more facts, more numbers, more details,
more words — more of everything.
Packing all possible material into your presentation and then speeding through it is
flawed, despite your best intentions to provide maximum value. More is
(usually) not better. Cognitive research shows that people have a limited capacity
to absorb information (see Kosslyn’s Clear and to the Point and Mayer’s Multimedia
Learning). Overloading that capacity will reduce their ability to absorb anything at
all! Quantity is no substitute for quality.
It is better to focus your presentation on your core message, select only the very
best support material (facts, slides, anecdotes), and speak at a reasonable pace.
Supplementary material, if necessary, belongs in a handout.
All of this gluttony — too many slides, too many stories, too many details — leads
the speaker down a dark and dirty path towards…

Deadly Sin #5: Greed

“Speaking for more than your allotted time violates the contract you
have with your audience, and that’s never a good thing.”

Greed is the deadly sin of excess, and is committed by a speaker who goes over
time.
Does this sound familiar?
 “Oh, is that clock correct? I’m only halfway through…”
 “I haven’t gotten to the good part yet…”
 “Are there any objections to cutting our lunch break in half so I can finish
this?”
Speaking for more than your allotted time violates the contract you have with your
audience, and that’s never good. People are busy and do not appreciate having their
time wasted. Nobody will complain if you finish a few minutes early.
If you go over time, negative emotions begin to fill the room, making you more
susceptible to experience…

Deadly Sin #7: Pride

Pride is committed by a speaker who believes that public speaking is about them.
It’s not.
 It’s never about you.
 It’s never about your impressive accolades in your introduction.
 It’s never about your dazzling delivery where you channel Churchill.
 It’s never about your sumptuous slides which prominently feature your
company logo beside dazzling 3-D pie charts.
Public speaking is always about the audience and the message you want to convey.
Failing to put the audience first will kill any presentation. You need to perform
audience analysis to discover how best to structure your presentation and deliver
the message.

“It’s never about you. Public speaking is always about the audience
and the message you want to convey.”

Avoid this sin by starting to analyze your presentation from the audience’s
perspective. Amazingly, most of the other speaking sins will go away.
 You’ll recognize that you need to prepare. (Sloth)
 You will realize that you are uniquely capable of delivering your message to
this audience. (Envy)
 You will trim all of the fluff to deliver a message which is focused and
easy-to-understand. (Gluttony)
 You will respect the time your audience has given you. (Greed)
 You won’t saddle your audience with your problems. (Wrath)