First read How to Structure a Speech or Presentation for an understanding of how to approach your speech or presentation structure.
Introduction – Frame the skill in terms of its importance to the audience
Summarise the main skill you’re going to provide them with, and add a hook by identifying the relevant value that skill will provide. Take time to find two or three benefits which your audience values.
Act 1 – Explain the skill or procedural steps involved
Briefly provide context – explain how the skill works and provide some evidence and justification for learning it. Then do the actual teaching.
Act 2 – Get the audience to try some aspect of the skill or procedure
We all find it easier to commit things to memory by doing them. Plus, getting the audience involved is good practice for interesting presentations or workshops. Tell them what you want them to do, recap exactly how they should do it, and tell them how long they have.
Act 3 – Review and summarize, including stuff the audience did not try
First give some feedback. Reinforce the value of the skill they’ve just learned (another fact, anecdote or case study), then recap how the whole skill or process works – repetition is the other vital part of committing something to memory. Next you can discuss other uses or variations of the skill, and any practical, logistical or contextual issues.
Conclusion – Describe what they can do to continue learning the skill
Sum up in one or two sentences why the skill is important by discussing how it can be used and the benefits the audience can expect, then close with options for building upon your presentation.
5 More Speech Structures
To read more:
Speech Structure – The Progress Report
Speech Structure – The Strategy Recommendation
Speech Structure – The Product Sales Presentation
Speech Structure – The Justification of a Decision
Speech Structure – The Bad News Presentation
Or download:
Our handy free publication ‘Six Speech Structures – the most common business presentations made easy’ gives you a breakdown of how to structure the six most common speeches in business.
