Secret #8 of star presenters: Christopher Witt on “What’s in it for me?”

When you’re preparing a speech or presentation, do you ask yourself specific questions to help you build your talk?

For instance, you might ask yourself:

“What do I want my audience to do as a result of my talk?”

Questions like that one – being based on your audience – are much more helpful than focusing on your topic itself. They help you frame your content from your listeners’ viewpoint. So when you give your talk, people are far more likely to:

• Listen to what you say in the first place.
• Make the effort to properly consider it.
• Accept it.

One of the best sets of speech-planning questions I’ve ever seen was shared by speaking-coach Christopher Witt. It consists of just 4 questions, the 1^st being what you want your audience to do, and the last being:

“Why would your audience want to do what you want them to do?” [Emphasis added]

As Chris says, that’s the most important question. Yet, it’s one that almost no presenters consider!

He goes on:

“Until you know why your audience will
care about what you have to say,
you don’t have a speech.”

Well said! So I urge you to please consider Chris’s 4 questions for preparing a talk. Your words will be far more impactful and persuasive as a result.

Over to you

• Would you like to share a question that you ask yourself when you prepare a talk?
• Or, if you’d like to ask me a question about public speaking, please do so below.

Also check out

• Secret #5 of star presenters: @TEDchris on persuasion [Video]
• Secret #4 of star presenters: Scott @Berkun on “slide slavery” (with @NancyDuarte and Garr Reynolds)
• Secret #3 of star presenters: @NakedPresenting on preparing

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