Do you remember the first time you were introduced to the concept of a funnel? First grade art class perhaps when the teacher taught you to roll a piece of paper into a cone, creating the perfect tool to pour your spilled glitter back into the jar? Turns out funnels are not only great for crafts and cooking, but also for organizing your thoughts into an award-winning speech. Allow us to explain below!
Let’s say you’re asked to speak at an industry conference. You’ve built a booming business with a new product line that you can’t wait to tell your audience about, but you aren’t sure what details of your story you want to share or exactly how to share them.
When you next find yourself in this predicament, follow the steps below to discover how best to organize your thoughts into words.
Your first step is deciding the key messages you want your audience to walk away with. Ask yourself what the goal of your presentation is and what you’d like your audience to learn. Committing to those takeaways is crucial to building a clear speech.
Next, write down all of the possible points you could possibly cover to support your main message. Get all your shiny ideas out on the table. Then, take a step away and come back 30 minutes later to see if you have any more thoughts - the more ideas the better, as there’s time later to pare down the concepts that don’t fit.
Once everything is on the table, you’ll want to establish your preferred format and tone– think of this part as choosing which paper to build your funnel with. Will you use anecdotes to emotionally connect with the audience? Perhaps you’ll take a logos-centered approach and analyze data points. Regardless, the format and tone you choose will serve as the guide to deciphering which talking points you should use and how you’ll want to use them.
Now that the funnel is built, begin to filter your talking points through it. Ask yourself which points will lead your audience toward the main message, and if they align with your format and tone. Discard the messages that distract from your key takeaways and toss those that don’t match your tone.
Once you’ve decided what you want to say and how you want to say it, building your speech outline will come easily (read our tips for speech outlining here)! Include an introduction, body and conclusion with your final ideas, leading the audience toward your key messages.
The next time you’re invited to speak and not sure how to organize your thoughts, remember the funnel, and you’re ensured to WOW the audience with your bright and shiny expertise!
Looking for more speaking tips like this? Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter! And if you’d like to get out speaking, get in touch.
