Speak IT With Style

Shape your talk around your audience by identifying who they are and what they care about. Put yourself in their shoes and tailor your message to their needs.

Define your intention to change the audience by what they know, feel, or do, and why it matters. Prepare to close the starting gap with a compelling core message.

Distill your audience and intention into one big idea that expresses your point of view, what's at stake, and a complete sense with noun and verb to guide content.

Turn content into creative work by structuring messages, stories, and visuals that engage your audience and align with your intention and message, embracing a non-linear, exploratory process.

Brainstorm broadly to generate many content ideas, capture them without censoring, then filter later. Mix logical and emotional content—data, diagrams, stories, metaphors—to engage your audience and support your big idea.

Group ideas into topics, label each group, and filter by your big idea; then turn topics into three to seven messages that express your point of view.

Discover how to structure your content with a flexible, three-part flow—beginning, middle, end—to visualize your talk, engage your audience, and guide them toward a call to action.

Design visuals that support your message by keeping slide text to six words or fewer, simplifying diagrams, and using photos to evoke emotion.

Use storytelling to make presentations engaging and memorable, sharing personal stories that illustrate messages, connect with the audience, and build trust through relatable examples.

Audit your presentation language to replace jargon and acronyms with accessible terms, ensuring your audience understands and feels respected. Seek fresh-eyed feedback from a representative listener to test clarity.

Simplify your presentation by trimming noise, using a simple structure, shortening messages, and keeping clean visuals with good contrast; ensure audience understanding by eliminating acronyms and testing value before showtime.

practice your presentation with stage movement, eye contact, and vocal variety to reduce nerves, rehearse with a real or simulated audience, and schedule multiple practice sessions to boost confidence.

Stop hiding behind the lectern to connect with your audience; come out, use a lapel mic and wireless clicker, and design slides with few words and a simple structure.

Move with intention on stage, stand centered and grounded to earn audience trust, avoid distracting movements, and use deliberate positions, including forward moves and left-to-right sequencing for timelines.

Establish natural eye contact with audience members by looking at faces, connect with individuals for a few seconds, then shift to others to include everyone and avoid reading from notes.

Use deliberate vocal variety by varying pace, volume, and pauses—the best way to give ears a rest and emphasize important points.

visit the room in advance, test equipment, coordinate with the audio visual technician, draft a warm introduction, work with the timekeeper, and arrive early to deliver an engaging, well-prepared presentation.

Develop the ability to communicate your ideas so they resonate, practice speaking with style, and use storytelling to engage your audience and create impact.