How To Goldilocks Your Presentation Preparation
In recent weeks, I had two clients describe their presentation preparation process to me. Each represented one end of what we’ll call the “preparation spectrum.”
The first said, “I’m a manuscript speaker,” meaning that she writes out her message verbatim and uses that manuscript as her notes the day of the presentation (or memorizes it as written).
The other summed up his preparation saying: “I just jot a sticky note with three points and take that up with me and start talking… it’s more authentic that way.”
While there are benefits to both approaches, each carries pitfalls, too. Here’s what to know and how to find the sweet spot of preparedness that sets you up to deliver with confidence while still connecting with the audience.
Pros for creating a word-for-word manuscript:
- Thorough, detailed, well-thought-out content
- Good flow for the message
- Really impactful turns of phrase
I applaud manuscript speakers for their diligence and earnest desire to craft content that is meaningful and valuable. Many of the writers I work with on their talks opt for this approach because it’s congruent with their established writing patterns. These speakers often love doing the research for their presentations and care deeply about how something gets said. In many ways, they’re focused the right thing: giving the audience something of value.
Cons for working off a word-for-word manuscript:
- Overly concerned about phrasing that people might not (need to) remember
- Can offset conversational style that resonates with audiences
- Can’t read/respond to the audience as well
Speaking from a manuscript, despite earnest effort on the part of the speaker, often doesn’t connect with audiences as well as the speaker hopes simply because the complicated sentence structure that works well for readers isn’t effective for listeners’ comprehension. Furthermore, it sets up the wrong metric for success: manuscript speakers gauge success based on how closely they delivered it to the written content instead of whether or not the audience got what they needed.
Stretch goals for manuscript speakers:
- Craft an outline using bullets with just 3-5 words per line.
- Allow yourself to use complete sentences for your introduction and conclusion (2-3 sentences each max) and one per main point of your presentation. (Plus anything the legal office requires you to say verbatim.)
- Allow yourself enough time to rehearse and then trust that you know the content because you’re the subject-matter expert and you’ve prepared.
- Focus on operating from a posture of service; “success” is determined whether or not the audience got what they needed from their time with you.
Pros for creating a single notecard:
- Easy to make eye contact with the audience during delivery because there are no notes to look at
- Lends itself to a conversational style
The top-rated speakers share the common trait of being able to connect with and respond to their audiences, pivoting to meet needs they appraise in real-time.
Cons for working off a single notecard:
- Vulnerable to not meeting the time expectation and/or straying off topic
- Focused on “what I want to say” not what the audience needs to hear
- Can convey an air of hubris: “Be impressed by me; this little yellow square of paper is all I need”
While my clients in corporate settings would be hailed as a hero for finishing early, if my event speakers conclude too soon, they could foil the timing of the remainder of the event. (We all know how running long impacts meetings and events alike.) And nothing impedes an audience getting the message they need as much as perceiving the speaker as arrogant or hearing a message that wasn’t designed for them to begin with.
Caveat: You’ll notice I didn’t include that the right metric for success (giving the audience what it needs) in the “pro” category here. While that might actually be an outcome of this approach, I find notecard speakers are more often consumed with their own speaking proficiency or lack of willingness to prepare than they are oriented toward the audience’s needs.
Stretch goals for the notecard speaker:
- When you’re slated to present, begin your prep by engaging in a robust audience analysis process. Even if you know/speak to them often. Dig deeply to appraise their needs so you can craft content that’s tailored to them.
- Establish a clear aim for your message; write it out and keep it visible during both prep and delivery to keep yourself on point. This shouldn’t change (much) even if the audience is communicating something you need to respond to.
- Write out your conclusion verbatim so even if you wander off point, you are sure to arrive at the intended “destination” and can leave the audience with a clear, well-composed take-away.
- Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Be sure you’re honoring the time.
You won’t always have a choice in which approach you take to preparation; some of my larger clients hold multiple, hours-long meetings to agree on verbiage and expect their employees to hold to the script. If that’s the case for you, I encourage you to invest the effort in your rehearsal so you can internalize the content and still deliver it with a conversational tone.
There’s a preparation “sweet spot” and it’s slightly different for each speaker based on their experience, work patterns, and natural aptitudes. The purpose of these stretch goals is to move toward the center of the preparation spectrum. In that middle ground, you’ll be able to craft meaningful, impactful content that honors the audience’s needs, AND—because you invested the effort in knowing that content—you can deliver it in a way that’s conversational and connected… maybe with just a notecard in hand.