Making a powerful point: What is your most important message? [Speak on the Shoulders of Giants]

One of the main goals of a good speech is to deliver an impactful message.

Whether it be a short or lengthy statement, it’s crucial that your audience would take away an important lesson from it and help them understand it much better.

In fact, you must already have a message in mind before even writing everything down.

This part is called your POWER POINT.

A speech or presentation may be a well of information for people listening to it. But without a central theme or message to tie it all together, it becomes incoherent.

Not to be mistaken as a Powerpoint presentation, adding a POWER POINT gives more clarity.

This helps put all of your ideas together, allowing you to structure your content around it. This will prevent you from veering off to different topics or discussions and help you have a more focused presentation.

While stating the message or key point might sound simple, it’s a process that can be challenging. You want to make sure that what you present as a whole coincides with the main point. As stated by award-winning author and communication expert, Diana Booher:

“If you can’t write your message in a sentence, you can’t say it in an hour.”

To help you out, here are some effective tips:

Make it simple – While there are times when a presentation would introduce complex ideas and concepts to the audience, the best way for people to remember your message or theme is by keeping it simple and straight to the point.

Introduce it at the beginning – A poorly written and executed speech tends to deliver the key message late, which can leave the audience confused as to what the point is. Always make sure that you introduce your POWER POINT at the beginning.

You can even use this as a part of your Power Opener, giving the audience a striking and meaningful message from the beginning, giving your speech momentum.

You can also begin with a relevant anecdote, which is another effective way to lead your audience to your main point and get their attention.

Stop, think, and plan – The most effective way for you to come up with your message is by following this procedure. Before writing your speech, take a pause and think about what you want to convey to your audience. Once you decide on what your message is, you can plan out the rest smoothly.

Applying these tips will ensure that you deliver a clear and consistent message that people can understand.

There are many speeches that you can take inspiration from and help establish your message.

A good example is Angela Lee Duckworth’s Grit: Power of Passion and Perseverance, which is about how hard work and dedication are major factors in excellence.

In her short speech, she was able to deliver the message at the beginning with the help of relatable anecdotes, establishing the POWER POINT.

“In all those very different contexts, one characteristic emerged as a significant predictor of success. And it wasn’t social intelligence. It wasn’t good looks, physical health, and it wasn’t IQ. It was grit.”

The overall message was easy to understand yet very impactful—exactly how it should be. This also helped her introduce concepts related to her message such as the Growth Mindset, which strengthens her point much further.

Every good speech leaves a significant impression. Whether it be introducing a new idea or useful knowledge, it provides a wealth of content and information that makes it memorable.

By adding a POWER POINT, you can provide one main idea or theme that you would gravitate towards, giving a clear message that your audience would remember and lessons they can take away from.

About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Wednesdays: Speak on the Shoulders of Giants”

In a meeting with one person

…a boardroom with five people

…or a huge venue with hundreds of people

—whatever the situation or setting, it’s very important to learn and eventually master the art of public speaking.

No matter what, you always need to effectively get your message across.

What good is a presentation with awesome content if you don’t deliver it properly?

Every Wednesday, we publish different tips, insights, and secrets on how you can improve your presentation skills to captivate your audience and lead interesting discussions.

The need for great presentation skills applies EVERYWHERE.

(Small meetings with your team, big meetings with your boss, an important marketing pitch, speaking engagements for events with a big audience, etc.)

Learning these skills is not just for the corporate world. Being in other industries such as the Arts, Information Technology, Medicine, and Education while knowing how to present well will definitely give you an edge.

Have that advantage.

Hope you’ve found this week’s public speaking tip interesting and helpful.

Stay tuned for next Wednesday’s Speak on the Shoulders of Giants!

Cheers,

Kyle Yu
Head of Marketing
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
Powered by Valens Research
www.valens-research.com

This content is used with permission from The I Institute and The Business Builder Daily.

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