Why Even Good Presentations Miss the Mark

It’s been a few weeks since we’ve shared public speaking tips, and if you’ve been wondering where they went, don’t worry…they’re not going anywhere.

Over the past several blogs, we’ve been focusing on interpersonal communication skills. Because how we communicate one-on-one and how we show up on a stage or in a meeting room are more connected than most people realize.

This week, we’re bringing public speaking back into the conversation. We’re also going back to fundamentals, because over the past decade of doing this, we’ve found that they often get skipped.

When most people prepare a presentation, they jump straight into content. They pick a topic or are told what they need to speak about and immediately start writing. Or worse, they open a slide deck and start building slides before they’ve taken a step back to think about what they’re actually trying to accomplish.

That’s where things start to go awry.

This week, we’re focusing on the first pillar of the SPEAC Framework^TM: Strategize.

Before you write a single word or open a slide template, you need to understand who you’re speaking to, why you’re speaking, and what your goal is. Then you can develop your message. 

When you take the time to strategize first, everything else becomes more intentional and more effective.

There are four key pieces of the Strategize step.

Audience. Who you’re speaking to.

This may very well be the most important part of any presentation. You’re not speaking to a room full of people just like you. You’re speaking to individuals with their own perspectives, priorities, needs and pain points. If you don’t take the time to understand them, even a well-crafted presentation can miss the mark.

Purpose. Why you’re speaking.

Are you trying to inform, inspire, entertain or persuade? Your talk may include more than one of these elements, but there should be one primary purpose guiding everything else.

Objective. What you want your audience to do, think, or feel.

This is your call to action. If your audience walks out of the room, what should be different because they heard you speak?

Core Message. The central idea of your talk.

This is your north star. Every story, point and example should support it. If your audience remembers nothing else, this is the idea they should walk away with.

So next time you’re preparing for a presentation, resist the urge to dive straight into content or slides. Take a step back and strategize first. Your audience will feel the difference, even if they can’t quite name it.

And if you want help walking through this process, we’re here. Schedule a complimentary 30-minute Spark Session and we’ll work through it together.

Speak Success,