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I went to a talk last week.
The title was fine. Slide two. Nine bullet points. That’s not a presentation—it’s a confession.
💡 ONE IDEA WELLToo often, we treat presentations like a dumping ground for everything we’ve ever learned. We forget that our job isn’t to say everything—it’s to help the audience remember something. Nine bullet points don’t show how clever you are. But here’s the truth: nobody remembers bullet six. The best talks aren’t information-rich—they’re message-clear. So here’s a better way to think about your next talk: What’s the one thing you want your audience to remember three days from now? You’ll say less—but you’ll mean more. 🧰 LESS MESS, MORE MESSAGEHere’s a quick fix you can try: Now reframe the slide around that. 🔄 Before:
📸 Here’s what that shift might look like in practice: 🧭 ASK YOURSELF THISWhat’s the one thing you want your audience to remember three days from now? Everything else supports it—or distracts from it. |
One idea a week to help you teach and present with more clarity, confidence, and calm. No fluff. No scripts. Just practical tools that land.
✈️ Airport Thoughts Right now, I’m at the airport waiting to board a flight to Adelaide. Tomorrow, I’ll be stepping onto the stage at Compassion Revolution to do something I’ve never done before. No slides.No clicker.Just me, the audience, and the words I’ve chosen. 🎤 A Talk, or a Performance? Most of the time, I tell people not to memorise every word. Instead: Know your beats.Know where the story turns.Know the feeling behind each section. But this talk… is different. This one’s more like a...
Ever sit through a talk that starts with a mystery — and ends without solving it? It’s like watching a movie that opens on a gun resting on a desk. You notice it. You wait for it. But the payoff never comes. 💡 ONE IDEA WELL Chekhov’s Gun is a simple rule of storytelling: If you show the audience a gun in Act I, you’d better fire it by Act III. In your talk, the “gun” might be a provocative question, a compelling stat, or a case that promises a twist. And if you don’t circle back? You leave...
A few weeks ago, I was invited to run a workshop on public speaking. Along with the invitation came a slide template - the official university-branded deck. You know the kind: big logos, gradient backgrounds, clip-art flair. This was the opening slide they asked me to use: I get it. It's well-intentioned. There’s an event logo. There's my name. There's even a helpful purple mist. But I didn’t use it. Here’s what I used instead: Why? Because your first slide isn’t just a title card. It’s a...