Top Tips to Craft Memorable Presentations

You don't have to be a public speaking veteran to give a great speech. Here are five tips for developing a speech your audience will remember and enjoy.

Open Strong

Your audience is most receptive during your opening. Make it strong. Get their attention and have a backup plan. Observe your audience closely and see how they respond to your initial opening. If they look attentive, keep going. If not, have a backup plan you can transition to. You can share some shocking information or tell a funny story (make it short), and make sure to tie your opening to the main point of your speech.  The key thing is to get their attention from the very beginning - this is often done best by sharing something they weren't expecting.  Asking a question is also a good way to do that.

Repeat Yourself, Repeat Yourself, Repeat Yourself

The human brain drifts easily. It constantly processes the environment to ensure its owner is safe from potential hazards. One way to keep your listeners actively listening is to repeat yourself regularly.

Don't go overboard. Don't say the same thing every 60 seconds. The key here is to continually return to keywords and phrases, themes, and topics that keep your audience engaged in the path to your conclusion. Watch your audience; when you see them drifting off, get them back on board with some smart repetition.

Become Your Listener

Get to know your audience intimately before you write a single word. You probably understand this already. When you get into the minds and feelings of your listeners, you have a much greater chance of giving a successful speech. 

The idea here is to reach more than just a surface-level understanding of your audience. Dig deep. Go the extra mile and do a lot of homework. The more you can empathise with the thoughts and emotions of your audience, the better your chances of giving a memorable presentation.

Tell a Story

Don't just dole out information. Tell a story. The most boring material can have your audience on the edges of their seats when you turn it into a spellbinding story instead of a bland dissertation. One tip for creating an interesting story is to develop a main character. 

Get your audience to sympathise with that character. Then, introduce drama and show how the lead character overcame that drama. That's a basic breakdown of the hero's journey, a story-crafting formula that keeps your audience on your every word.

Develop a Brief and Easy-To-Follow Outline

This should be easy to follow so you don't trip up. It also makes it simpler for your audience to follow along. Consider these three basic parts of your speech: introduction, main message, and takeaway.

The introduction sets up your speech. It briefly lets people know what you will discuss, your main point or points. Your main message goes step-by-step, supporting your introduction. This is where you want to use storytelling, repetition, evidence, and statistics to back up your introduction. Finally, close with a takeaway clearly showing what your listeners want to remember. What can they take from your speech so they can benefit in some way?

These are five methods effective speakers use to get their messages across. They are a bare-bones recipe for a memorable speech that delivers valuable value for your listeners. With these points in mind, remember that practice makes perfect, and good luck with your next public speaking experience.

Want some more help?

Check out Rock Your Presentation - this is one of my best short courses with short video based strategies to overcome your fear and start presenting like a pro.  You'll get direct support from me and a month's access to The Coaching Circle, my weekly group coaching calls on Zoom.