The preparation of any speech begins with a goal
Setting the goal of the speech is a very important and often underestimated stage of preparation for a quality public speech, experienced speakers know this. A well formulated goal largely determines the structure, expressive means and visualization of the performance.
For convenience, let's distinguish 2 types of goals: the general/big goal and the goal of the speech
The big goal is always more about you, and answers the question: why am I performing at all?
- personal brand development
- HR brand development
- search for potential clients/partners
- desire to share knowledge and skills
The goal of the speech is always more related to the audience and its interests, taking into account the specific context (duration, topic, conference, ...).
A good goal is better formulated as the change that will happen to your listeners after your talk.
Before it, they are in state A; after it, they must go to state B. Let's take a closer look at this.
All speech goals can fundamentally be divided into 3 categories:
Informational goals
Speech changes the audience's level of awareness of the topic. It is important to detail the goal and not stop at the level of "talk about artificial intelligence," or "give information”. A common mistake is to think that we can teach something in 40 minutes. Most likely, this is not the case and one of two scenarios is realized:
- the audience understands that there is useful and applicable content here and will return to the report/supplementary material from the speaker later (this means that this goal is more to motivate the audience to explore the topic),
- the audience feel it is cool, but remember only a very small part of the speech (after 72 hours they will forgot almost everything).
Proper emphasis plays a special role in informational speeches.
Bad example: to share the information about Paxos and Raft (don't understand which is better and how to compare)
Good example: to help the audience compare Paxos and Raft to choose the best solution for their projects (understand how to choose the best solution for their task)
Convincing/persuasive goals
The main task of persuasive speeches is to change people's perception of the subject of the conversation. It is important to understand that the key segment of the audience for such speeches is the "gray zone," those who are undecided or have not formed a clear position on the issue.
Because those who already agree with you do not need convincing, they will enjoy it anyway (people like to listen to other people who think the same way), even if the performance does not go well. And ardent opponents don't change their point of view in one speech.
Bad example: explain why I like Paxos
Good example: prove to the audience that Paxos is better than Raft / Raft is better than Paxos
Motivational goals
The main goal of motivational speeches is to change the emotional state of the audience. Not the most common type of speech at technical conferences, but often informational goals can be relegated to the status of motivational speeches. This happens when we understand that the goal is not to "give information" (why? what to do with it? to what extent? will they remember?), but to create a desire to understand it — to be a guide to a new area of knowledge.
Bad example: tell them that I am interested in Paxos/Raft
Good example: motivate them to study Paxos/Raft in greater depth
Often we have to present a project together with the team. In this case, each representative and speaker can see it somewhat differently. The task of the team leader in this case is to help the team to choose a common goal comfortably and efficiently.
For this purpose, we have prepared a handy template in MIRO for the team session:
Key Message Matrix for Audience Analysis and Segmentation
What is a key message matrix?
It's a handy way to deeply analyze your audience, their interests and abilities, their pain points, and their favorite topics.
Why deeply analyze your audience's interests and pains?
Because they'll forget anything that doesn't satisfy their interests.
Why is it essential to us that they remember anything?
Because any speech solves a specific problem and leads the audience to a specific action if we direct the communication intelligently. If our opponents during negotiations or the audience at a conference nodded, clapped and immediately crossed us out of their memory, then the miracle did not happen.
In this outline, we will clarify how we can be useful to the audience and what messages will become bridges for our ideas.
Use 3 questions to complete the matrix and identify the key messages of your speech
- Who are all these people we're speaking to?
Keep in mind that more often than not, you are speaking to several groups at once: for example, at a marketing conference, there will be target marketers, owners of digital agencies, bloggers, and advertisers. But even if the group is unified, for example, all students, there is likely to be some segmentation within it as well. There are ambitious students who are looking for a potential employer in you, there are those who don't yet know where they want to work, and there are those who are bored.
- What is important to them? Why are they here at this conference or meeting?
This question can be very resourceful. Be realistic in your search for an answer, but don't dwell on the surface. If you feel like people are only coming to this conference at the behest of their leader, consider — why are they so skeptical, what content will be a pleasant surprise to them. I'll tell you below how to get to the bottom of it using the Ultimate Meaning Method.
- What do they need to remember to do this? How do we respond to their pain and need in a way that achieves their goal? In what form?
Trust that the audience will forget 99% of everything that happens at this conference. You need to articulate an accurate key message that clearly leads the audience to the key action. It is very important that this message work for the personal interests and pains of the audience in the second column. Think about what form your key message will be most persuasive, native and useful. For some, the best form will be an emotional story, for others a chart or graph, for others a detailed case study.
Ultimate Meanings Method
In any confusing situation, use the Ultimate Meanings method: ask three or five "why?" questions one after the other. This will reveal the right cards to you.
Example question: What's significant to the marketers at a conference? To eat at the buffet and leave as soon as possible.
Why? Because these conferences are all the same.
Why? Because the speakers advertise themselves, but don't reveal the budget, the work process, the risks at the start.
Why? Because the solutions are typical, KPIs are vague, and the results are modest.
Why? Because in reality, the tagger survives between the “wants” of the client and the daily change of algorithms in social networks.
Here's a template for you to work with the speaker to discuss and analyze the audience. And then leave notes for the speaker for the finished speech:
So what really matters to these people? Perhaps learning how to justify a new promotion channel to the client in specific numbers, calculate the profits of learning a new tool and foresee the risks one step ahead. The more detailed we can segment the audience, the more accurately we will understand their interests and pains. Then we'll be able to formulate a key message for each group. A speech built on this audience analysis will be useful, memorable, and effective. This meeting, conference, phone call will be the first step of your communication strategy.
