Low clarity equals low impact and it’s so common when speaking in public: in fact it’s one of the key areas my client and I focus on. Whether you’re experienced or just starting out, it’s easy to forget just how important being clear with our goal(s) for speaking and messages are.
It’s also important if you want your words to be remembered.
Why is lack of clarity so common?
I usually find there’s one big reason that can then lead into lots of smaller ones:
Low thinking time prior to presenting or speaking.
It actually doesn’t matter either if people are experienced presenters who’ve been doing it for years and know their content inside out. In fact this can sometimes make it worse! The result of high experience and high confidence levels may mean not preparing enough (or at all). Or:
- They go off at tangents.
- There’s no logical structure.
- They may recycle or merge content areas in ways that confuse the audience.
- ‘Stream of consciousness’ is the way they choose to deliver. Whatever pops into their head next is what comes out of their mouth.
And the opposite is true: if you’re just starting out as a presenter or speaker and you’re nervous. You:
- May have brain fog.
- Might attempt to deny reality and push away the event: so you don’t prepare thoroughly, or think it through because this makes you more nervous.
Sadly, procrastinating on preparing for any public speaking that’s coming up is a strategy that rarely works.
And there are lots of reasons – including simply lack of time – why low thinking may come into the equation.
However, I believe strongly that it’s far more important than fancy slides or perfect delivery. Aim to get clear on these 4 elements:
- Your overarching message.
- The sub-points you want to convey.
- What’s in it for the audience.
- And why they might resist your message. (This is a big one for demonstrating high credibility.)
This is what’s going to make the biggest difference. And getting clear about these 4 points can be done even in five to 10 minutes prior to a presentation. The earlier the better though!
If you want more impact, cut-through and follow-through from your listeners: you can make this happen even in a small time frame with some proper thinking.