How to Prepare the Body of a Talk

Fractals are ever-repeating shapes we find in nature, from trees and snails, to venous systems and plumes of smoke. Similarly, most every talk falls into a simple and universal structure. Plays also follow this pattern. No matter the length, no matter the purpose, most talks fall easily into the exact form we all learned in high school: Intro, three parts or Acts, Conclusion.

When clients first present a talk for me, I take notes, looking for this pattern. It’s very helpful for the speaker to know exactly what the three big chunks are in order to focus the text and learn the talk. It helps to see the form for pacing, emphasis, and arc.

As we discussed in How to Begin a Talk, start with a phenomenal opening line. I once worked with someone who brought in 24 pages for an 18-minute TED Talk. He began to read and I listened. On page four I said, “Your talk starts here! Cut the lead-in! Just LEAP in!”

From there, think of three main parts or acts. If there seem to be too many tendrils, ideas, paths to take, look further. Either the tendrils will begin to group and coalesce, or something must be cut. Maybe there are two or three talks in this one talk that we can tease apart. When faced with the opportunity to do a TED Talk, we can find ourselves trying to push everything we know and want to share with the world into 18 minutes! I remind people to think of this talk as their first TED Talk. There will be many more opportunities.

Once the three acts are clear, use a story, anecdote, or vivid example to illustrate each main point. Facts, figures, and data, must have vivid examples or illustrations to give them meaning. The audience will rarely remember our facts, they always remember our stories.

In his TEDx Talk, Andrew Block has many facts and figures about the process of reinventing the Virginia Juvenile Justice system. The talk is dominated, though, with stories to illustrate his facts. This is why his talk is moving, powerful, and shifts our thinking and actions.

Then, as I wrote in How to End a Talk, dare to end.